Nicholas Coen

Nicholas Harmon Coen, beloved father, fiancé, son, brother, nephew, cousin, uncle & friend, left
this world unexpectedly on March 28, 2024 at the age of 44. He was brought into this world in
St. Croix Falls, WI on May 17, 1979 to Susan Swanson & Dale Coen. Nick was baptized and
confirmed at Trinity Lutheran Church in Falun, WI.

He was raised in Grantsburg, WI by his mom & step-dad, Sue & Dean Faulhaber. Dean & Sue
welcomed another son, David, in 1988. Nick loved & was so proud of his brother David &
spoke often of his memories growing up taking care of his little brother and how much he loved
to be goofy with David. Nick’s unwavering love for his extraordinary mom was commonly on
his mind. Nick enjoyed playing golf with Dean & David, and also loved watching baseball with
Dean. Nick loved and was always grateful for Dean, saying he attributed to him being a wellrounded man.

Nick also spent time in Frederic, WI with his father aka “old man”, Dale & step-mom, Jean, who
came into his life in 1988, along with three wild step-sisters, Adrienne, Allison & Michelle. In
1990, Dale & Jean welcomed Nick’s baby brother, Arthur “Bud”. Nick was so proud of Bud &
wanted him to have the best life, though always encouraging Bud’s shenanigans. Dale, Nick &
Bud shared a special bond through hunting, mechanics, loud machines & going fast. Jean was
Nick’s biggest fan during his hockey years, beaming (and screaming) with pride from the
stands, and she was very special to Nick. He embraced his three step-sisters and loved &
spoke often of the memories he had growing up with them.

He graduated from Grantsburg High School in 1997 and went on to pursue a year of schooling
at UW-Platteville, which he decided was not for him and instead decided to gain real world
experience. He spoke passionately about each of his positions throughout the years, the
friends he made at each one & took immense pride in his work, spending several cumulative
years leading teams of people and was a machinist by trade, most recently working for
Bikeman Performance in St. Croix Falls, WI.

In 2001, he married Angela Bossart. During their 20-year marriage, in 2014, they received the
most beautiful Christmas gift to grace Nick’s world, their daughter Aria J. She was Nick’s heart
and the center of his universe. A memory that Nick spoke often of was him & Aria playing
wolves in the field - representing their untamable nature, bravery & loyalty to one another. He
loved to draw and spend time outside collecting rocks with Aria, teaching her something new
every opportunity he had. He cherished & made the most of every moment he got to spend
with Aria.

In 2023, he met the love of his life, Alexandria “Ali” Knutson. They became engaged and
planned to get married in 2024. They were inseparable & made the most of every day, regularly
dreaming of their future together, which was devastatingly cut short. Nick was an incredible
partner - supportive, compassionate, patient, loving & honest.

He had a passion for music - playing saxophone in high school, playing bass guitar in the
swing choir & in his band outside of school, working and managing at Guitar Center during his
time living in Madison, WI, playing air guitar at the drop of a hat and talking about notes & rifs
anytime a song would play on the radio or at his request.

He loved to race watercross, which was a passion he shared with his Dad, family & friends,
sporting #150 from 1997-2001. He had to resort to RC cars, watching F1 racing & playing
racing games for a period of time when he couldn’t be behind handlebars racing or driving a
machine, but his need for speed was again fulfilled when his dream of owning a motorcycle
came true in 2021 after finding the perfect one - his 2015 Indian Scout - as if it was built just for
him. It didn’t stop there; he spent his first summer with Ali driving her 1968 Chevelle, gathering
winks from the ladies and (never) doing burnouts for the guys, both of which thrilled him
immensely & always put a smile on his face.

All throughout his life, Nick was a free-spirit. He embraced life and loved to be around his
family & friends. He worked hard to support his family & was family-centric. He was fun to be
around, always could put a smile on your face and was genuinely happy to see you. If he
couldn’t be goofy & make you laugh, he didn’t feel like he was doing his job. He was full of
stories and if you didn’t know your movie quotes, he would get you every time. Nick was a kid
at heart. He loved kids and when they were around, he would often choose to play with the
kids instead of the adults. He was kind to strangers, helping whomever he could the best way
he could, most often lending an ear or the best advice he had to offer. He touched many lives &
forgave easily & would have wanted everyone to know how much he loved them.

His beautiful smile and contagious laughter will be missed by all who knew and loved him. He
is survived by his daughter, Aria; fiancée, Ali; parents, Sue & Dean; father, Dale; brothers, David
& Bud (Sara Franklin); step-sisters, Adrienne (Garrett) Lajoie, Allison (Patrick) Orent & Michelle
Schrunk; step-grandmother Sandra Faulhaber; so many loving uncles, aunts, cousins, nieces,
nephews and friends; and lastly, Aria’s dog, Obi and Nick & Ali’s dog, Nova.

He is preceded in death by his maternal grandparents, Anton “Tony” & Edith Swanson; stepgrandpa, Reinold Faulhaber; uncles, Richard Swanson, John Paul Faulhaber & Bill Java; aunt
Sandra Swanson; twin cousins Jeremy & Jason Swanson; paternal grandparents, Mark &
Roselle Coen; uncles, Myron “Mike”, Derald & Kenneth Coen; step-mom Jean Coen; cousins
Dylan & Jon David Coen.