Arthur J. Cote of Marblehead died peacefully at Salem Hospital on Friday, October 23, 2026. He was 91 and had been married 70 years to Sallie (Phillips) Cote, who survives him.
He was born in Salem, the son of Arthur and Emilda (Allian) Cote, and graduated from Salem High School in 1953. He worked more than 30 years for Eastern Airlines at Logan Airport and retired at 55. He named his boat “My Gal Sal” for his wife and spent his days fishing, scuba diving and lobstering out of Salem Harbor, walked and swam daily at the YMCA, worked the New York Times crossword by phone every Sunday with his friend Betty Hunt, and was a fixture in the window chair at The Muffin Shop on Washington Street in Old Town, where he often brought along older friends he had picked up on the way.
Besides his wife, he leaves his son, Gary Cote and his wife Robin of Middleton; his grandchildren, Brian Cote of Florida and Briana Pena and her husband Jesse of North Carolina; four great-grandchildren, Ethan, Emma, McKenna and Hadley; his sister, Gertrude Muse and her husband James; and nephews James, Michael and William and nieces Susan and Denise. His son Arthur J. Cote Jr. died before him.
A memorial service will be scheduled later. Arrangements are by O’Donnell Cremations, Funerals and Celebrations, 184 Washington Square, Salem. Donations may go to any charity.
Compiled from information published by O'Donnell Cremations, Funerals, Celebrations. Photograph courtesy of the family via O'Donnell Cremations, Funerals, Celebrations. This is our own summary, not the family’s obituary; read the full obituary and leave a condolence at the funeral home’s page on Legacy.com. Corrections: we will fix any error promptly.
