George K. Coyne Jr.

OSTERVILLE — Retired Navy Capt. George K. Coyne Jr. passed away at the Bethesda Naval Hospital in Bethesda, Md., on July 14, 2010.

A resident of Alexandria, Va., and Osterville, George was a devoted and loving father and grandfather. He was preceded in death by his wife, Jane Harris Coyne.

The sea and sailing were a passion of his. As a young boy, summering in Cotuit with his family, he learned to sail at the CMYC. This led later to competing in many Newport to Bermuda ocean races.

George was a 1954 graduate of Exeter Academy and a member of the class of 1958 of the U.S. Naval Academy. Later, he would earn a post-graduate degree at the Naval Post Graduate School in Monterey, Calif.

After graduation from Annapolis, he was selected and graduated from Naval Flight School. As a naval aviator, he served in numerous attack squadrons before being selected to command VA 86. During the Vietnam conflict, George flew more than 200 missions. Retiring from the Navy after 30 years, he worked for Delux Corp. in Fairfax, Va., until his death.

In his spare time, hobbies included collecting and restoring Lionel trains and being a licensed ham operator. This led to being a member of the Emergency Broadcast Team for the commonwealth of Virginia.

He is survived by a son, George III, daughter-in-law Allison, and two grandsons, Jackson and Gavin, all of Alexandria, Va., and Osterville; and a brother, Bob, and sister-in-law Susan Lewis Coyne of Osterville and Longboat Key, Fla. George was the son of the late George and Eleanor Coyne.

A viewing will take place from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday, July 27, at Demaine Funeral Home, 520 S. Washington St., Alexandria, Va. A Mass of the celebration of his life will be held at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 28, at the Church of the Good Shepard, 8710 Mt. Vernon Highway, Alexandria. Burial will be held with full military honors at 3 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 9, 2010, in Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Va.