Local businessman, philanthropist and former newspaper publisher Armfield Coffey, 72, died Friday after a long illness.

Coffey, of Boone, started at the Watauga Democrat as a press operator, then became a photographer and reporter before taking the helm of executive editor and, later, publisher.

He married Rachel Rivers, former Watauga Democrat publisher who was descended from R.C. Rivers, Sr., one of the paper’s early founders.

In 1994, the couple sold the paper and retired, ending over a century of family ownership. Active in the community, they supported a number of programs and endowments at Appalachian State University, Caldwell Community College & Technical Instituteand local non-profit and service organizations.

Coffey and his family started a teaching fellowship in the ASU English Department in honor of Rachel Rivers-Coffey, who died in 1999.

One of the more lasting examples of the couple’s generosity is Rivers Park, an accumulation of several parcels donated by the couple over a period of years. Armfield Coffey added a couple of extra properties to the park, which preserves about 10 acres of woodlands in Boone near ASU and along Rivers Street.

B.K. Dorsey, a long-time friend of Coffey, said Coffey was a private man who liked to work quietly behind the scenes without seeking acclaim. Coffey helped Dorsey start an art gallery and said the two had mutual admiration and clicked instantly when they met 35 years ago.

Vivian Barnes grew up on the Coffey family farm and when she graduated from high school in the summer of 1970, Coffey called her up and offered her a job at the newspaper. Aside from a brief hiatus, she has been at the paper ever since, now serving as community news editor.

“I have fond memories of he and Rachel coming over to the farm and riding horses,” Barnes said. “They were kind and caring people.”

Former Boone mayor and longtime friend Velma Burnley said, “I’m so sorry to lose him. He was so generous but never wanted his name mentioned. I’d known Rachel as a young girl and I knew Armfield many years.

They were both very proud of the town of Boone. It just seems so premature for them to be gone.”

Coffey gave an additional piece of property to the town three years ago and was a big supporter of the restored Daniel Boone Monument, donating property and $30,000. Rivers Park will remain a wooded area with walking trails and contains what is now the state’s largest maple tree.

A rock house once belonging to R.C. Rivers will be developed as a museum to store local artifacts and records.

During the June 2004 Boone Town Council meeting, Burnley read a statement acknowledging the gift of additional property. “Both Rachel and Armfield have always preferred to give anonymously and have never sought the limelight. However, we would be remiss if we did not publicly express, for the citizens of Boone, our gratitude for this marvelous gift which is held in perpetuity for future generations,” Burnley said.

Tommy Wilson, publisher of Mountain Times Publications, noted that Armfield Coffey was a former president of the N.C. Press Association and maintained an active interest in the industry.

“Armfield Coffey was Mr. Newspaper around here and I was glad to call him a friend,” Wilson said. “I met him in his favorite hangout, Boone Drug in downtown Boone. He loved the newspaper business and the people in the industry.

“He had continued to attend the North Carolina Press Summer Conventions to stay connected to the industry and enjoy socializing with his friends.

“Recently he made a major contribution to the N.C. Press Association Foundation in the name of his deceased wife, Rachel Rivers Coffey. Armfield was a major part of the Boone and Watauga County culture and always showed an interest in the preservation of that culture. He will be missed.”

The Armfield and Rachel Rivers Coffey Endowment is part of the N.C. Community Foundation and provides funding for the Watauga County Humane Society, the Historic Cove Creek School and Historic Boone, as well as the Jordan Councill Memorial Cemetery.

The couple’s donations also support arts and music programs at Appalachian State University, as well as the Appalachian Cultural Museum.

A graveside service will be held for Coffey at the Boone City Cemetery at 11 a.m. Thursday.