Rev. Patrick McCoy 1916-1985

MCCOY

Posted By: Sharon Elijah (email)
Date: 6/24/2024 at 07:25:04

8 May 1985 - The Tipton Conservative

A funeral mass for the Rev. Patrick McCoy, 69, pastor of St. Mary's Catholic church, Mechanicsville, was held at St. Mary's May 6 with the Most Rev. Jerald O'Keefe, D.D., Bishop of the Davenport diocese as the celebrant. Pallbearers, including honorary bearers, were John Sauer, Tom Poduska, James Dohmer, Donald Walshire, George Driscoll, Quentin Robinson, Lyle Tonne, William Koch, Donald Driscoll, Ron Jarzombek, David Litscher and Lowell Smothers.

The funeral was attended by a large number of priests, including classmates of Father McCoy at seminary more than 40 years ago. Burial was in Calvary cemetery, Davenport where graveside services were held the afternoon of May 6.

Father McCoy was fatally injured in a 2-vehicle crash in Cedar Rapids May 1. The accident took place at 2:21 p.m. when Father McCoy ran a stop sign at a Cedar Rapids intersection and his car was involved in a collision with one driven by Milo Sokol, 79, Blairstown. The impact of the crash threw Father McCoy from his car. He died of his injuries after being taken to Mercy hospital, Cedar Rapids.

The son of Dwight Leslie and Mable Blanche Tipton McCoy, he was born at Melcher Nov. 14, 1916 and attended schools in the southwest, graduating from Central high school, Ft. Worth, Texas. He attended St. Ambrose college and the University of Iowa receiving his BA degree from Iowa in 1938 and his master of arts in English at Iowa in 1939. While attending Iowa he worked as a graduate assistant.

He attended St. Paul Seminary, St. Paul, Minn. and was ordained at Sacred Heart Cathedral, Davenport by Bishop Henry P. Rohlman, Dec. 8, 1942.

Because of his studies in English, he was named first to St. Ambrose Academy, 1942 to 1945 and then to St. Ambrose college where he served on the faculty until 1961.

He was first sent as pastor to St. Bridget's church, Nolan Settlement and what was then known as the Mission of St. Bernadette, West Branch, where he remained until 1970. He served as pastor of St. Patrick's church, Brooklyn, until 1979, coming to St. Mary's Mechanicsville on the retirement of Father Patrick Casey. He served as dean of the Grinnell Deanery in 1978 to 1979.

Respected as a teacher of English, his interest in literature continued while he served as a parish priest and his personal library was extensive and varied.

He has no immediate survivors.