Ionia County MI Archives Obituaries.....Coon, Denby L. 1885
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Greenville Independent, 5 Feb 1885

D. L. Coon died on Friday after a long and painful illness, aged 60 years.  He
was at one time chief officer on a river steamboat which gave him the title,
“Captain” – ever afterwards wherever known it was always as “Capt. Coon.” 
Before the Great Rebellion he was a hotel keeper in Ionia.  September 7, 1861,
he was mustered as a first lieutenant in the Third Michigan Cavalry, the
regiment then in rendezvous at Grand Rapids.  He served with his regiment as a
battalion adjutant in campaigns under Gen. Pope at Island No. 10 and at Corinth
and afterwards under Gen. Rosecrans.  He was mustered out June 1, 1862.  He was
best known as a hotel keeper in Greenville. He enlarged and extended the
Exchange hotel until it became the large building it now is.  In the flush times
he had a great deal of custom and “Capt. Coon’s” dances drew young people even
from Cato, Lakeview, Rockford, Cedar Springs and other points away.  They were
immense affairs.  After he sold the Exchange to Geo. H. Keith, he became a hotel
proprietor at Howard City.  Later he returned to Greenville and bought the
Edwards house which he changed in name to the Webster house; of this he was
proprietor for many years.  In later years he has lived a quiet life as a
private citizen.  He was married three times, his third wife surviving him and
ministering to him most tenderly during his long illness.  In politics Capt.
Coon was pronounced in his opinions.  He was a Republican until 1874 when he
became a Greenbacker which he remained until the end, prominent in city and
county politics, yet never seeking office but advocating in season and out
evermore his belief that the political millennium would come about only by
overthrowing both the old parties.  He was a Royal Arch Mason and a prominent
member of the masonic fraternity.  He was one of the charter members and one of
the chief officers of the Greenville post of the Grand Army of the Republic,
most deeply interested in reminiscences of army life and ever anxious for the
highest success of the order.  The “boys” greatly miss him at their meetings. 
His funeral on Sunday called together a vast congregation completely filling all
available sitting and standing room at the Congregational church.  The masonic
fraternity and the Grand Army post united to pay respect to the memory of their
deceased brother and comrade, occupying together the centre body of seats.  Rev.
J. L. Patton conducted the ordinary exercises and preached a funeral sermon. 
The masonic exercises were conducted by Master Workman A. Hale and Past Master
Workman J.W. Belknap.  The two bodies were an escort of honor of the remains of
the deceased to Forest Home cemetery where each read portions of their liturgy
for the dead and the veteran soldiers with a volley gave a farewell shot.


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