SEQUIM — A light to all.
That’s the description family members and friends of Ty Coone came back to when they described the 2022 Sequim High School graduate.
“Ty was the light that went into every room,” said is mother, Michele Scott Duncan.
“He was happy, generous, funny. He had such a unique spirit about him.”
A Sequim resident for most of his life, Coone was an avid fisherman. He even considered becoming a part-time fishing guide, his mom said.
Coone, 21, made a 911 distress call on May 13 while he was fishing north of Cline Spit in Dungeness, fearing he would drown.
He was in a kayak during a Small Craft Advisory at the time with high winds and waves.
The U.S. Coast Guard initiated a search and rescue operation by air and boat, and the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office deployed a drone with infrared thermal imaging.
Their search was suspended at 10 a.m. the next day.
Coone’s kayak, life vest and paddle were found, the Sheriff’s Office said, but Coone has not been found.
His family and friends, lighthouse keepers, park staff and personnel from Clallam County Fire District 3 continued a ground search for Coone on May 14. He was believed to be wearing a hoodie, rain gear, a backpack, and possibly waders, a hat and sunglasses.
Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe staff, who operate the Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge, said they will continue to look for him when they go out on the Dungeness Spit.
Scott Duncan encourages people to be on the lookout when they’re along local shorelines.
Chels Botero, Coone’s cousin, wrote via email that she hopes he is found so his family can have closure.
“We are devastated. This is a tragic loss for our family!” she said.
“He was the kindest, funniest kid you’ll ever meet; always happy-go-lucky.”
Anyone with information on Coone’s whereabouts can contact the Coast Guard via VHF Channel 16 or by calling 911.
Services
Coone’s family will host a memorial service for him at 1 p.m. May 31 at Sequim Community Church, 950 N. Fifth Ave. A Celebration of Life is set for 7 p.m. June 14 at the big barn at 702 Kitchen-Dick Road in Sequim, with music, food and a slideshow.
Scott Duncan also is planning to commission two benches to be made in her son’s honor — a concrete or hardy plank bench for Voice of America Park, and a cedar bench for her home at 41 Fergy Lane in Sequim, where family members and friends can remember him.
She’ll use donations via Venmo — venmo.com/Michele-Scott-78 — or via checks sent to her home address for the benches.
‘Lucky charm’
Born on St. Patrick’s Day, Scott Duncan said her son was always her lucky charm.
“He lived every day to the fullest,” she said. “There wasn’t a day that went by that Ty wasn’t doing something. He lived a full life. He never let anything keep him from doing what he loved.”
Botero said everyone should take note from Coone “on how to make the most of our time here.”
Growing up, he loved football, wrestling, baseball, skateboarding and motocross.
Coone left Sequim to attend the the Motorcycle Mechanics Institute in Arizona to learn to work on quads, small engines and motorcycles. He moved back to Sequim in February.
“(Ty) was a unique spirit,” his mom said. “Everyone loved him. He made everyone feel included and loved. He never left anyone out.”
She said classmates in Arizona told her he changed their lives.
Scott Duncan hosted a gathering for family and friends because she knew others were in pain because of how much they loved her son, too.
“Everywhere he went, he made friends,” she said.
Coone also “helped others be lifted from pain and darkness,” Scott Duncan said.
“All walks of life were drawn to Ty, and he didn’t just attract one group of people — he loved everyone.”
He is survived by an older brother, Billy. Scott Duncan said they are very close, and they referred to each other as “Big Brother” and “Little Brother.”
As for her son’s name — Ty Coone — she said his dad, Brad Coone, told her, “if I’m having a son, I want to name him Ty.”
“It fit him, because Ty was so unique,” Scott Duncan said.
“He was a beautiful person.”
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Matthew Nash is a reporter with the Olympic Peninsula News Group, which is composed of Sound Publishing newspapers Peninsula Daily News, Sequim Gazette and Forks Forum. He can be reached by email at matthew.nash@sequimgazette.com.
