Owen B. Kilcoyne Jr.

Owen B. Kilcoyne, Jr., 74, educator, coach, and mentor, died Monday, November 24, 2008 in UMass Memorial Hospital - University Campus, Worcester, surrounded by his loving family, after a brief illness.

He is survived by his wife, Marion I. (Sprague) Kilcoyne, with whom he celebrated fifty years of marriage last January. He leaves five sons: Brian T. Kilcoyne of Shrewsbury, Gary O. Kilcoyne and his wife, Jennifer of Rutland, David M. Kilcoyne of Worcester, Michael J. Kilcoyne of Boylston, and Sean T. Kilcoyne and his wife, Anne Marie of West Boylston; two daughters, Debra L. Germain and her husband, Paul of West Boylston, and Kimberly E. Granger and her husband, Colin of Spencer; a daughter-in-law, Diane M. Kilcoyne of Clinton; 13 Grandchildren: Amy, Erin, Meghan, Ryan, Katie, Sean, Matthew, Cory, Kelly, Kayla, Sarah, Lily, and Owen; a sister, Frances Fallon of Boylston; several nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his son, Kevin F. Kilcoyne, who died in 2004, and a brother, Roderick Kilcoyne.

Owen was born in Clinton, the son of Owen B. and Doris (Seymour) Kilcoyne. A graduate of Clinton High School, he attended the College of the Holy Cross, Worcester, for two years on a football scholarship, playing both football and baseball, and earned a bachelor's degree from Fitchburg State College. He was a US Army Veteran stationed in Alaska.

A teacher and coach whose career spanned more than fifty years, Owen taught at Hudson Catholic High School, where, in 1960, he established the Athletic program, and began his varsity football coaching journey. Over the years, he coached teams at Clinton High School, Framingham North High School, and Ayer High School where he first coached a team to Super Bowl victory. His Ayer teams were featured in Sports Illustrated Magazine. Over his career three of his former players went on to play in the National Football League. Owen eventually settled at St. Peter-Marian High School, where he continued to coach in his semi-retirement.

During his twenty years at St. Peter-Marian, Owen led his teams to great success, winning five consecutive High School Super Bowl Championships, a state record. With 258 wins, 160 losses, and 8 ties, Owen was recognized for his achievements, as one of the top ten winningest coaches in the state. He was inducted into many halls of fame, including the Massachusetts Football Coaches Hall of Fame, the Hudson Catholic High School Coach's Hall of Fame, the Galaxy of Stars, in 2006, and just this month, the St. Peter- Marian Hall of Fame.

He was a member of St. John the Evangelist Church, Clinton, the Clinton Council Knights of Columbus, Clinton Lodge of Elks, and the Massachusetts High School Football Coaches Association, where he served as an executive board member. In 1980, he was honored by the Lowell Sun as Coach of the Year; and in 1981 and 1991, as the Massachusetts Shriner's Coach.

Owen's funeral will be held on Saturday, November 29, 2008, from the McNally & Watson Funeral Home, 304 Church St., Clinton, with a Mass at 10:00 a.m. in St. John the Evangelist Church, 80 Union St., Clinton. Burial will follow in St. John's Cemetery, Lancaster. Calling hours at the funeral home will be held on Friday, November 28, 2008, from 5:00-8:00 p.m. The name of Owen Kilcoyne has always been synonymous with family and Owen considered St. Peter-Marion his second family. In the spirit of this, in lieu of flowers donations may be made to the Owen B. Kilcoyne Memorial Scholarship Fund, c/o St. Peter-Marian Jr./Sr. High School, 781 Grove St., Worcester, MA 01605.

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