Roll Call Tribute

Carnes Funeral Home obituary

3100 Gulf Freeway
Texas City, TX 77591
Phone:
409.986.9900
fax:
409.986.9903
toll free:
1.888.822.7637
e-mail:
info@carnes.ws

Nathan Alton Lake
Jun 10, 1965 - Feb 3, 2016

This is a celebration of life for Nathan Alton Lake who lived life to the fullest beginning on June 10, 1965 in Oklahoma City, OK while his dad was stationed at Tinker AFB. He traveled early in life with his family being stationed at places such as Taiwan, Nebraska, Colorado and Virginia ending up in Austin, Texas where he graduated from Crockett High School playing his flute in the band and falling in love with science.

Nathan loved his time at Texas A&M University College Station and Texas A&M University Galveston majoring in Marine Biology. After college he joined the Air Force as a medic stationed at Lackland AFB in San Antonio continuing to Incirlik AFB in Adana, Turkey. His love of traveling took off traveling all over Turkey, Crete, Greek Cyclades islands of Naxos, Paros, Mykonos and his favorite island Santorini.

After leaving the Air Force he received a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing at West Texas A&M University in Canyon, Texas where he also met the love of his life Karen Coffman whom he married July 7, 1994. Nursing took them to Galveston where he worked for University of Texas Medical Branch ending his career in the Operating Room Holding area.

His second love was deep sea fishing. He would go any chance the weather permitted. He even took a 10 and 13 day trip out of San Diego, CA.

After being diagnosed with colon cancer in 2013 and going through chemo he would see scared cancer patients coming in for surgeries and had just the right words of encouragement for them showing them it doesn't have to stop you from living. For all those compassionate words he was awarded the Daisy Award for Extraordinary nurses.

Nathan and Karen joined the Cancer Crushers support group who not only helped them learn to live with the disease but also gave them support, encouragement and life long friendships. The group’s motto is “Courage isn't having the strength to go on- it is going on when you don't have the strength” (Napoleon Bonaparte).

This motto fit Nathan. Family, fishing, bowling league and traveling were his greatest joys. They were able to see a good part of the US, Mexico, Europe, finally getting back to Santorini and cruising to many Caribbean islands.

His last trip was to the Grand Canyon last week and he passed away on February 3, 2016 in a Las Vegas hospital surrounded by his wife Karen and his sister Susan.


His greatest work testament will be a dedication of the OR Holding staff lounge in the new Operating Suites at UTMB in his name that his fellow co-workers made a reality.

He is survived by his wife Karen; son, Brandon Roberts and wife Michelle; daughter, Erin Buchanan and husband Scott; mom, Joyce; sisters, Susan Camilleri and husband Natalino, Cindy Shuffield and husband David; sister in law, Deon Coffman; brother in law, Hardy Coffman and wife Keva. Grandchildren, Jonathan, Jordan, Lyric, Alexis, Harleigh, Cutter, Gracie, Antonia and London. Many nieces and nephews whom he adored. He was preceded in death by his father, Eddie Alton Lake and his mother in law and father in law, Catherine and Charlie Todd.

And many thanks to all his friends and co-workers for loving him just as much.

A memorial service to celebrate his life will be March 5, 2016 at 2:00 pm at Carnes Funeral Home, 3100 Gulf Freeway, Texas City, Tx.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to www.fightcolorectalcancer.org under the donate tab.