Sublimity - Edward Joseph Cooney, Jr., 48 of
Sublimity, Oregon died early Sunday morning, October 25th, 2009 of
pancreatic cancer. He was born with his identical twin brother
Greg on December 13, 1960 to Ed & Lois Cooney in Baltimore,
Maryland as the 7th of 8 children. He was baptized at St. Mark
Catholic Church in Catonsville, Maryland. Music was an integral
part of his early family life and from his early teens he was
involved in the music ministry at St. Mark’s.
He graduated from Catonsville High School in
1979 and earned his degree at the University of Steubenville in
Ohio in 1983. He met his wife, Rosemary there and they were
married August 10, 1985. He worked as a Campus Minister at Seton
Hall University from 1983 to 1987. In 1987 he moved to Oregon. He
received his 2nd degree from Western Oregon State College in Music
Education and in 1998
earned his Master’s degree in Education with a classroom
endorsement. He was a
Music and classroom teacher for 19 years, in the McMinnville
School district, Stayton Middle School , Regis High School and at
St. Mary Catholic School in Stayton, Oregon.
Ed was a man of deep faith and was compelled
to share it with the youth. Besides
teaching, he worked part time as the vicariate youth minister,
religious education coordinator at St. Boniface Church in
Sublimity and co-directed the mixed choir there.
For several summers he worked at the Higher Calling
Catholic Youth Camp in Yamhill, Oregon and led groups of teens to
Catholic conferences in San Diego and Yakima, WA.
He was a member of the Knights of Columbus and a former
BPOE in McMinnville.
Ed
worked hard but was above all a faithful and loving husband and
father. He loved spending time with his family most of all. He
enjoyed writing music and singing and he loved the outdoors. His
sense of humor and his voice were probably the most endearing
qualities about him. He had many lifelong friends.
He
is survived by his wife and 2 daughters, Catherine, 19 and Olivia,
16; his mother Lois Cooney of Catonsville, Md.; his sister, Cathy
Phipps & husband Jim of Richmond, VA; brothers: Denny and wife
Jane of Mechanicsburg, PA; Bob
and wife Debbie of Middletown, PA; Brian and wife, Flossie; Jerry
both of Baltimore, MD and Kevin of Sykesville, MD and Greg
and wife, Laura of Woonsocket, RI and 27 nieces and nephews.
A
vigil will be held on Friday, October 30 at 7 pm at St. Boniface
Church in Sublimity and a funeral Mass on Saturday, Oct. 31 at
11:00 at Regis High School in Stayton, Oregon. The family requests
that in lieu of flowers, contributions
can be made to the Higher Calling Camp c/o
St. James Catholic Church 1145 NE 1st Street,
McMinnville, Oregon 97128.
Serving the family North
Santiam Funeral Service, Stayton.
