A civil rights icon died. Read to find out about this amazing Lakeview woman

Every once in a while, someone comes along that truly embodies the spirit of the community, and whose dedication inspires others — that’s Scottie Coads.

Coads, 79, died Oct. 6 after decades of serving Lakeview, Long Island and the nation as a whole. Though she never ran for office, everyone agreed that Coads was the “Mayor of Lakeview.” Her devotion to others was unwavering, and her commitment to justice was incomparable, those who remembered her said.

“She was here to serve the people — not a party, not a person, but she was a servant of the people,” Hezekiah Brown, Coads’ longtime friend, said. “And that was all the time.”

Coads was the kind of person who held tightly to her friends — no amount of time nor distance could diminish her dedication to the people she loved, Brown said. She brought warmth and support to every life she touched. Her friend Barbara Epstein said Coads was the kind of person who, when seeing you again after a long time apart, would give you a hug, not a handshake.

“She’s a very caring individual, a very committed and caring individual for the people that she cared about,” Epstein said. “She is a legacy in her own right. She stood out. There aren’t many people that you find like Scottie.”

“Always smiling, very friendly,” Lamont Jackson, Coads’ friend for nearly 40 years, said. “And you would always see her at important events. She tried to get as many people as possible around to encourage people to vote.”

Coads believed in Lakeview, and Lakeview believed in her. She always stepped up to be a leader in her community and to ensure that community members had a voice. Coads was the civic engagement chair for the state NAACP, the president of the Lakeview Democratic Club, and a staunch protector of civil rights. Coads fought fiercely against the recent legislative redistricting, which she said was clearly gerrymandering.

“She cared about people,” Epstein said. “She was a very strong advocate for people, and particularly for the residents of Lakeview.”

“We need someone to take the reins and step up and be a proponent for voting, a proponent for the people, the way she was,” Jackson said. “It's going to be super hard shoes to fill.”

A strong believer in the power of community, Coads helped put Lakeview on the political map. Almost every person running for office came to Lakeview because of Coads, Brown said. Everyone that’s been elected in the past few decades, especially in the Democratic Party, owes some credit to Coads, Jackson said. As someone who was committed to democracy, Coads worked closely with politicians from the local to national levels.

“She was a tremendous advocate for the community,” Kevan Abrahams, former county legislator, said. “She spoke her heart. And I think that resonated with a lot of people in our communities.

“It's always a challenge as elected officials to ensure that we empower those that are not elected, and Scottie took that and charged with it,” Abrahams added.

Coads’ community-minded approach came from a place of deep compassion, Abrahams said. It is the kind of love for other people that’s tangible — it shows in her decades of service to others. She changed thousands of lives — whether a friend or stranger — for the better through her advocacy.

“If our community wasn't in the position it should be in, then she was going to advocate — even though personally she was probably going to be fine,” Abrahams said. “I think that's the type of stuff that you need, that kind of leadership, people that put themselves after their communities.”

Coads’ work was a manifestation of the endless love she had for her community — and the community loved her in equal measure. Her service will benefit generations to come, according to those who knew her.

Coads’ family asked that in lieu of flowers, people make charitable donations to the NAACP or the League of Women Voters in honor of her life.