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Father William J. Coy, 85, Maryknoll, New York, formerly Danvers

Lead Summary

Father William J. Coy died December 18, 2013 in New Rochelle, New York, of complications from open heart surgery. He was 85 years of age, and a Maryknoll priest for 58 years.  William Joseph Coy was born in Danvers, Minnesota, October 31, 1928 to Morris and Agnes (Quigley) Coy. He graduated from Benson High School, and attended St. John’s University in Collegeville, Minnesota his freshman year. Realizing his calling to the priesthood, he then applied for and was accepted at the Maryknoll Catholic Mission Society of America’s seminary. He was ordained in 1955 and assigned to Bolivia. His first assignment after language school was to the Diocese of Santa Cruz. He was then assigned to San Pedro parish in the capital city of La Paz and from there to the jungle Vicariate of the Pando, where he worked almost exclusively for the rest of his time in Latin America. He was assigned to cooperative work and helped found an electric cooperative, a telephone cooperative and a credit and consumer cooperative, all in Riberalta, Bolivia. From 1984 on, Father Coy divided his time between development work for Maryknoll in the United States and return trips to Bolivia to continue his mission work. In 2002, Father Coy was assigned to the Maryknoll retirement community in Maryknoll, NY, assisting with weekend masses, and Spanish language masses in nearby White Plains, NY. In September of 2013, he moved to St. Teresa’s Residence, Maryknoll, NY.
Father Coy considered Danvers to be his home, and the Church of the Visitation to be his home parish. He was preceded in death by his parents, his three sisters, Kathleen Coy, Dorothy Kollitz and Margaret Regan, his brother Michael (Jerry) Coy, and his brothers-in-law Robert Kollitz and Donald Regan. He is survivied by his sister-in-law, Dorothy Coy, several nieces and nephews and other family members. A mass of Christian Burial was celebrated in Queen of Apostles Chapel December 24, 2013 , Maryknoll, New york. A memorial will be held at a later date at the Church of the Visitation in Danvers.
 
 
 

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