Yvonne Coats was born during World War II in Portland, Oregon, two minutes after the birth of her identical twin sister, Dawn. When they were 14, a brother, Clark, was born. Their father served in the Marine Corps and then worked in civilian jobs. They moved to Milwaukie, Oregon, where they attended a small church; and Yvonne met her future husband at the age of seven. She did not date Gary Coats until they were both students at Portland State College. When he had obtained his master's degree from the University of New Mexico and she had graduated from Portland State, they married in 1965. The couple moved to Tacoma, Washington, in 1968, where they reared two daughters, each of whom now has three children. Gary and Yvonne are glad to have recently celebrated their fiftieth anniversary. Yvonne and Gary were both saved as adults while their daughters were young. They attend and serve in the ministries of Bethel Baptist Church of Spanaway, Washington, where Gary has served on the deacon board and in teaching adult Sunday school class. Yvonne leads a ladies' Bible Study, and for years worked with children's classes. Their youngest daughter Christine and her husband, Deren Wolfe, are also actively involved in church ministries. The Coats' eldest daughter, Debbie, is the wife of Kerry Brown, who pastors Bible Baptist Church of Marysville, California.