'Not ever giving up': B.C. golfer Dawn Coe-Jones remembered by best friend
Kelly Feltrin says Coe-Jones 'wasn't just a famous golfer, she was an extraordinary person'
When Kelly Feltrin started golfing with her best friend Dawn Coe-Jones at the age of 12, Feltrin knew Coe-Jones was destined for greatness.
"Yeah, she was that good," Feltrin said. "But she was dedicated. She was not ever giving up. She was going to be good, and that's just the way she was with everything that she did."
Coe-Jones died of cancer Saturday at a hospice near her home in Tampa, Fla. But Feltrin said Coe-Jones was always a small town girl at heart who represented her hometown of Lake Cowichan, B.C., with pride.
"She represented our golf club here at March Meadows and Lake Cowichan and Canada with so much dignity and so much character, and everybody should be proud of that," Feltrin said.
'Everyone's as heartbroken as I am'
Though Coe-Jones and her family lived in Florida, she also had a cottage in Lake Cowichan — next to Feltrin's, naturally.
"We would spend the summers on the dock having our wine and enjoying all our girlfriends here in Lake Cowichan," Feltrin said.
Coe-Jones's professional career spanned almost 28 years, and included playing on the LPGA Tour from 1984 to 2008. Feltrin said Coe-Jones always showed the utmost respect for her peers, and that her death has sent shockwaves through the pro golf community.
"Not to namedrop, but every LPGA player that I ever met with Dawn has contacted me, and everyone's as heartbroken as I am," Feltrin said.
Feltrin traveled the world with Coe-Jones throughout her career, often as her caddy — and sometimes vice versa.
"That was pretty funny," Feltrin said, laughing as she recalled the role reversal. "She said that was harder than golfing."
'She wasn't just a famous golfer'
Feltrin said Coe-Jones had been looking forward to following the burgeoning golf career of her son, Jimmy Jones, currently playing for the University of South Florida on a full golf scholarship.
"I hope that all of Canada really comes together and supports Jimmy, because that's what she would miss," Feltrin said.
Ultimately, Feltrin remembers Coe-Jones as a kind, caring, passionate best friend.
"She wasn't just a famous golfer, she was an extraordinary person," Feltrin said.
"She touched so many people, and so many friends here are going to miss her."