Samantha Ann Coffey, 42, who police say was killed by her husband Saturday at their North Portland home, had worked for Portland Public Schools nutrition services and was married about 15 years, according to court records.
Samantha Coffey
Coffey had worked at Woodlawn School for 10 years, the last two as the lead cook who ran the school's kitchen, according to Christine Miles, a Portland Public School spokeswoman.
Coffey was beloved, always greeting students with a smile and was named in January the district's "Outstanding Classified Employee of the Year.''
"She was recognized for her commitment, her customer service and her all around great work,'' Miles said.
North Precinct police officers on Saturday afternoon responded to the shooting in the 7900 block of North Kerby Avenue.
Samantha Coffey died of a gunshot wound to the neck, according to the state medical examiner.
John Grant Coffey
John Grant Coffey, 57, was booked into the Multnomah County Jail early Sunday on accusations of murder and unlawful use of a weapon.
He entered not guilty pleas to the allegations in court Monday afternoon. His next court date is May 5.
Last fall, Samantha Coffey was arrested, accused of harassment in connection with an Oct. 26 domestic dispute with her husband. She was ordered to have no contact with John Coffey, yet court records said they lived together on North Kerby Avenue.
Multnomah County prosecutors decided not to pursue prosecution of Samantha Coffey last fall, and the allegation was dismissed a day later.
Samantha Coffey, born in Ohio, lived in the Portland metro area for 30 years, and in October 2014, wrote that she and John Coffey had been married 14 years but living together for 16 years. She had two children.
She worked at Woodlawn School for 10 years, 35 hours a week, according to court records.
The school district's Employee Asssistance Program is available for anyone who needs counseling in the wake of Coffey's violent death, Miles said.
"A loss in our community touches all,'' reads a post on the Facebook page of the Woodlawn School PTA.
Ollie Mariscal, who lives on the same block as the Coffeys, said she has two daughters who attend Woodlawn and were fond of Samantha Coffey, who they knew as the school's lunch lady. Her daughters liked Samantha Coffey because she gave them extra chicken nuggets and they loved the pizza she served at school, Mariscal said.
Mariscal's 12-year-old daughter had been playing in Farragut Park across the street and saw the large police response to the Coffey apartment on Saturday.
John Grant Coffey worked full-time for Cascade General. He has one prior conviction from 1993 for fourth-degree assault. He has three children, and was married previously and divorced in 1991, according to court records. He told court officials that he drinks alcohol daily.
Neighbors said they sometimes would hear the couple loudly arguing.
Ramiro Cruz, who lives in the apartment above the Coffeys' first-floor unit, said he last saw both John and Samantha Coffey in the back of the building, outside smoking about 3 p.m. Saturday. Cruz said he didn't return home until Sunday, when he learned of the fatal shooting.
"It's just upsetting,'' he said.
He said the couple was nice, always saying hello in passing, but Cruz said he'd hear them in heated arguments and fights occasionally.
"In the past, it seemed to happen only when they drank,'' Cruz said. He said he thinks his wife called police about three years ago when they heard banging against the walls in the Coffeys' apartment below, he said.
The homicide is the city's 12th of the year.
-- Maxine Bernstein
mbernstein@oregonian.com
503-221-8212; @maxoregonian