Valida Sears Cote

Valida (Sears) Cote died in Punta Gorda, Florida on December 24, 2020. Valida loved her North Country roots and was a longtime resident of West Chazy. She was a snowbird in Punta Gorda for more than 20 years. Valida is predeceased by her father and mother, Leo Sears and Dora (Phaneuf) Sears, brothers Floyd and Wilfred, her infant son George Jr., her husband George and her longtime companion David Rivers. She is survived by her sisters Marie Manor and Annette Deyo and a brother Gene and sister-in-law Bonnie Sears of Plattsburgh. She is also survived by her three children, Debra Biasini of Beekmantown, Gregg (Dawana Miner) Cote of Port Charlotte, FL, Gwen Cote of Punta Gorda, and a grandson Aaron Biasini of Beekmantown.

Valida graduated from PHS in 1950. She retired from the New York Telephone Company. She was also involved in the North Country Girl Scout Council, Telephone Company Pioneers. Mission of Hope and Saint Joseph’s Church, West Chazy.

Valida was a woman of many interests. She was an early Adirondack 46r, braille transcriber for the Library of Congress for children’s books, and certified in American Sign Language. She loved golf, hiking, and an adventure along the waterfront in Punta Gorda and a bit of scotch in the afternoons.

Services were held on December 29 at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Punta Gorda. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Thursday, January 14, 2021 at 11:00 am at Saint Joseph’s Catholic Church in West Chazy. Interment will follow in St. Peter's Cemetery in Plattsburgh.