James T. "Jim" Coonan

1937 - 2022

Jim Coonan, 85, of Orwigsburg, passed away Saturday, Aug. 20, at Geisinger St. Luke's Hospital, near Orwigsburg, with his wife, Sherry, and Pastor Stacy at his bedside.

Jim was born July 1, 1937, in Pottsville, the son of Eleanor (Liddle) and John Coonan.

He was the husband of Sherry D. (Swank) Coonan. They were married June 23, 1962.

After graduating from Pottsville High School with the Class of 1955, he went to Penn State, where he participated in the Army ROTC program and graduated in 1959. Embarking on his career as a public high school English teacher, Jim taught for several years in Selinsgrove before teaching in upstate New York (Vestal), while also earning his master's degree from the State University of New York at Oneonta. It was in Commack, Long Island, that Jim became a high school principal after being certified as a public school administrator.

Continuing up through the ranks, Jim was a superintendent of schools on the eastern end of Long Island (Bridgehampton) and then in the same position in the Valley Central School District in Montgomery (Orange County, N.Y.), where he retired in 1992. Jim and Sherry decided to enjoy some milder weather in central Virginia, where he even did another stint as superintendent of schools, as well as teach some English classes at Longwood College. Finally, in 2004 they returned to Pennsylvania to be closer to family.

Jim was a member of the Penn State Alumni Association and an active Lions Club member in both Virginia and in Orwigsburg. He was also active in the Walden, N.Y., Rotary Club, where he received the Paul Harris Fellow award for service. Jim enjoyed sports throughout his life (especially Penn State football) and always supported teams with his presence in the schools where he was employed.

He and Sherry also loved going to NYC, where they enjoyed many Broadway shows, as well as music at Carnegie Hall and at Tanglewood in Massachusetts.

Jim was predeceased by his parents; grandmother, Elizabeth Liddle, who helped raise him; son, Scott, in January 2019; dear aunts and uncles from Port Carbon.

In addition to his wife, Sherry, and daughter, Lori Coonan, of Orwigsburg, Jim is survived by granddaughters, Emma and Audrey Coonan, and daughter-in-law, Lynne Coonan, all of Raleigh, N.C.; sister-in-law, Jane Wendt, of Snyder County; very special cousins, nieces and nephews in Pennsylvania.

A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 8, at Salem United Methodist Church, 133 S. Liberty St., Orwigsburg, with Pastor Stacy Gonzalez officiating. Burial with military honors will be held in Schuylkill Memorial Park following the service. In lieu of flowers, donations in Jim's memory can be made to the Memorial Fund at Salem UM Church in Orwigsburg. Hamilton-Breiner Funeral Home & Cremation Services is in charge of arrangements.