John Edward McCoy - Obituary

ohn Edward McCoy, 70, passed away from complications of his four-year battle with cancer on February 2, 2019 in Washington, DC. He was the son of the late Bill and Shirley McCoy and brother of the late Cheryl Randolph. John grew up in Washington, DC, and lived there for most of his life. Though he had worked at a few other places during his career, he retired from the Jack Stone Sign Company as a sign estimator and project manager, having been there for over 35 years. He loved to sing and play guitar, and in high school he formed his own “rock and roll” band, the Chaparrals. During his teen years, he was a member of the Boy Scouts of America and earned the rank of Eagle Scout. His love of scouting carried over into his adult life when he became a scoutmaster. Overall, he spent 30 years in scouting. He enjoyed all sorts of outdoor activities and adventures – hiking, camping, swimming, canoeing, and fishing. He was especially fond of bass fishing, which he was able to enjoy even for most of his illness, and was still, in his last weeks, looking forward to getting out on the lake this Spring in his little inflatable boat. He always said he felt at peace out on the water. For the last 25 years or more he was a member of the NARHAMS Model Rocket Club, as well as the National Association of Rocketry. Flying model rockets was always a real blast for him. John’s family was the most important thing to him, and he loved each of them very much. He is survived by his wife, Mary, of 41 years and his children Sandi Mobry (Jerry), John McCoy, Jr. (Vicky), and Kathleen Brooker (Bud); his grandchildren Ashley, Kyle, Shawna, Cole, Pierce, Jacob, Lydia, Hannah, Abby, and Zoey; and great-grandchildren Serenity, Cameron, and Robert Charles (RC). Like most, John was plagued by aches and pains that popped up seemingly from nowhere as he grew older, but he always said he couldn’t complain because “you pay for your youth, and I had a great youth”. Though it ended much too soon, John had a wonderful life.