Musicians praise instrument repairman killed with wife in W. Deptford home

Ed Coles Jr.'s reputation as a musical-instrument repairman extended far beyond South Jersey, where he lived and worked.

He was known in Philadelphia, New York, Chicago, and elsewhere.

"If there was something nobody could fix, he would take it on and make it happen," said Carl Cox, a music director at Deptford Township High School.

"He was good at everything. His love was saxophone because that's what he played as well. Anybody who was a professional, they all knew and loved Ed," he said.

Cox, a saxophonist, was at Coles Music Service in Sewell on Wednesday, just two days before Coles, 58, and his wife, Rosemarie, 55, were found beaten to death in their West Deptford home on the 1600 block of Pennfield Drive. Police responded about 11:25 a.m. Friday after a relative, who was unable to reach the couple by phone Thursday night, found the couple dead.

One of the couple's two sons, Ryan Coles, 28, who lived with his parents, was at the home when police arrived. He was taken to Inspira Medical Center in Woodbury for a medical evaluation and was charged with murder and weapons offenses. He was being held at the Salem County Jail on $1 million bail.

The Medical Examiner's Office ruled Saturday the couple died of blunt head trauma, the Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office said. Authorities contend the son beat his parents with his hands and an undisclosed object.

Ed Coles opened the instrument-repair business under his family name in 2008, and after it expanded, he sold it to his cousins Lauralee and Ed Houghton, according to the shop's website. The Houghtons could not be reached Saturday.

Even before Coles Music Service, Coles had earned a reputation as a leader in instrument repair.

Cox, 38, said he had known Coles for more than 20 years. Before opening his own shop, Coles repaired instruments at Regional Music Service in Millville.

"Our school has dealt with Coles ever since I've known him when I was a student in Deptford," Cox said. "His work was always superior."

Tim Price, a world-renowned saxophonist who lives in Reading and teaches saxophone and woodwinds in New York City, at his home, and via Skype, said he knew Coles' reputation but only met him for the first time a few days ago.

"Ed Coles was a legendary, one-of-a-kind human being," Price said. Aug. 19 "was the first time I had the honor of meeting him face-to-face. I spent basically the whole day at the shop. I even brought one of my vintage saxophones for him to check out, and I even had him play it and he got a great charge out of it. This world was a better place because of people like Ed Coles."

Price, 64, said he sent his students in Philadelphia and New Jersey to Coles for their repairs.

Cox, jazz studies director at Deptford High, said Coles was his "repair guy" whenever he needed his sax fixed.

On Wednesday morning, Cox went to Coles Music Service to demonstrate saxophones for sale at the store. Coles, who worked there as the head technician and repair supervisor, was in a "great mood, full of life, happy," Cox said. "He was working on a bass saxophone. He was just discussing what he was doing with the job, we were cracking jokes together. Every time you went there, you learned something."

Mike Armstrong, Deptford High's other music teacher and its marching band director, said by email Saturday: "Ed was a wonderful guy and a great repairman" who delivered "a quality product at a very fair value."

Besides Deptford, Coles repaired instruments for other schools, and his reputation extended to other cities, said Cox, recalling a time when he was in Chicago for a concert and needed a quick repair on his sax. Cox went into a local shop and the repairman there knew of Coles.

Cox considered Coles a friend. They sometimes hung out together.

Coles was "extremely giving," Cox said, recalling how he would pick up the entire tab when they went to Coles' favorite restaurant, Riverwinds Restaurant in West Deptford.

Cox said they talked mostly about music and he didn't know much about Coles' relationship with his son Ryan or much about Rosemarie Coles. There was no information available about their other son, Kevin.

"I'm still in shock, honestly," said Cox, who was in Houston on Saturday for a concert. "He's going to be missed by the entire community, and it's just such a tragic situation."

Frank Sidlow, a Riverwinds manager, said Coles became a regular soon after the restaurant opened in 2009.

He was an "all-around great guy, full of life, just a very nice man," Sidlow said. "He loved his Friday nights out on the patio, listening to music, the different performers we had. On holidays, he would bring the whole family."

Sidlow said Coles last dined there Wednesday night and didn't show up as usual on Thursday.

On Friday night, Riverwinds jazz singer Vic Rubino dedicated a song to Coles, Sidlow said.

"It's hard to comprehend you won't see him anymore," Sidlow said.

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