Kimberly McCoy

FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla. - Kimberly (Kim) Danielle McCoy, 33, an award winning writer and public relations manager, passed away restfully after a brief illness on February 1, 2012 in Margate, Florida. Her beloved mother, father, twin sister and brother-in-law were at her bedside when God's angels carried her home. Just like Kim, the room was so quiet, so calm, so peaceful, even while William McDowell's I Give Myself Away played softly in the background. Kimberly was born in Augusta and moved to Athens with her family when she was three years old. She was baptized at Hill First Baptist Church when she was nine years old. She sang in the youth choir and played the rhythm bells. She graduated from St. Joseph's Catholic School (1992) and Cedar Shoals High School (1996). She earned a BS degree in journalism from Florida A&M University (2000). Kimberly's professional writing career began while she was still a student at FAMU. She held summer and fall internships at the Athens Daily News/Banner Herald, The Florida Times-Union (Jacksonville), South Florida Sun- Sentinel Ft. Lauderdale), and the Tallahassee Democrat (1997-99). After graduation, she worked as a staff writer for the South Florida Sun-Sentinel's Delray Beach division (2000-02) and the Tallahassee Democrat (2002-05). She won writing awards in both places, including Top of the News Award/First Place for community news stories (Sun-Sentinel) and Newsroom MVP of the Quarter (Tallahassee Democrat) She returned to graduate school in 2005, earning an MFA in creative writing from Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton (2008). While a student there, she worked as a graduate teaching assistant. She taught classes in poetry and fiction, argumentative essay writing, close reading, and critical thinking skills. Additionally, she served as the nonfiction editor of FAU's Coastlines literary magazine. She held a Master Tutor Certification from the College Reading and Learning Association, which allowed her to teach adults how to read on a volunteer basis. She worked at Kaplan University Ft. Lauderdale Campus after graduate school. Kaplan is a for-profit university that serves more than 65,000 online and on-campus students nationwide. Her first assignment was communications specialist, managing employee intranet site: writing and editing articles on employee and student achievements, company events, and company news. She also served as an adjunct instructor of English. While courageously fighting Hodgkin's lymphoma, Kimberly was promoted to public relations manager in 2011. Kimberly is survived by her mother and father Georgetta and Carl McCoy (Athens), twin sister Courtney (Jacquay) Waller (Atlanta), niece and nephew Carys and Asher Waller (Atlanta), grandmother Lois Andrews (Augusta), aunts and uncles Andrena and Leon Carpenter (Augusta), Edward and Sadie McCoy (Augusta), and a host of loving great aunts, uncles, cousins and friends. The family will receive visitors and friends at Gardenview Funeral Chapel, 605 Olympic Dr., Athens, Wednesday, February 8, 6:00 PM-7:00 PM. Kimberly's home going service will be Thursday, February 9, 11:00 A.M., at Hill First Baptist Church, 205 N. Pope St., Athens. Gardenview Funeral Chapel is coordinating the service and the Rev. John Menefee will be officiating. Interment will be at Westover Memorial Park, 2601 Wheeler Rd., Augusta, Ga.