Sophie Karoline Coalwell

Sophie Karoline Coalwell was born May 13, 1948, in Vienna, Austria, to Franz Tiefenbock and Adele Vogt. After graduating from high school and with her passion for fashion and style, she continued her education and became a hairstylist and a tailor, making clothing and draperies. When the economy worsened, Sophie moved to West Germany and worked in clothing sales by day and as a waitress in a hotel’s restaurant in Kitzingen during the evening and night. It was there, in March 1981, that she met a young Army officer that was just arriving for duty at the tactical missile site near there and fell in love. On May 29, 1982, Sophie married 1LT Rick L. Coalwell in Dilworth, Minnesota. After returning to Germany to finish Rick’s tour of duty there, she enthusiastically made homes for her family everywhere the Army sent them, including Fort Bliss, Texas; Redstone Arsenal, Alabama; Washington, D.C.; and Kwajalein, Republic of the Marshall Islands; always enjoying and treating it as a continuing adventure. Sophie was always quick to get involved in all of her new communities and was very generous with her time and talents. She always volunteered for anything that helped military families. Sophie worked tirelessly in the Army posts’ thrift shops to raise money for troop morale activities and worked fundraisers for her churches, schools, youth groups, and soldiers. She served as a scout leader and helped young military spouses deal with family separations during military deployments. She also hosted numerous socials welcoming new families to the communities. In short order, everyone seemed to know Sophie. Although she didn’t need them, Sophie received several awards for her individual volunteer work. She was most proud when her family was chosen as the Volunteer Family of the Year. Sophie was very outgoing and needed to meet people, socialize and laugh. She was extremely creative and could do all sorts of crafts from sewing or knitting, to making various original ornaments or jewelry, to her intricate Gobelin pictures, and so much more. Sophie adored decorating the house for every holiday, especially Christmas. She loved to play family board games and cards and do puzzle books. Sophie was a loving, nurturing and supportive wife, mother and grandmother who was proud of and loved her family dearly and cherished the time she had with them and her friends. Sophie lost her courageous eight-year fight with cancer, which was exacerbated by her 17-year battle with COPD. She passed away peacefully while under comfort care with her husband at her side on Friday, September 10, 2021 at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, at the age of 73. Sophie is survived by her husband, Rick, Dumfries, VA; a son, Rick II, Dumfries; a grandson, Christopher, Dumfries; a sister, Inge Parragh, Vienna, Austria; a mother-in-law, Patricia Coalwell, Dilworth, MN; two brothers-in-law, Mark (Jeanne) Coalwell, Maple Grove, MN, and Keith (Michelle) Coalwell, Dilworth; and many cousins, nephews and nieces. Sophie was preceded in death by her parents; her father-in-law, Rolland Coalwell; and a brother-in-law Hansi Parragh. Funeral Service for Sophie will be Saturday, September 25, 2021, at 11:00 AM, with visitation one hour prior at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, 15695 Blackburn Road, Woodbridge, VA 22191. The service will be livestreamed at https://youtu.be/Ew-Vu6IPeB0. Tributes to Sophie can be left on the Miller Funeral Home webpage at: www.millerfuneralhome.net. Her interment at Arlington National Cemetery and a memorial service in Minnesota will occur at a later date in accordance with the current pandemic restrictions. The family asks that in lieu of flowers, memorial contributions be made to the American Cancer Society or the American Lung Association in Sophie’s name.