COOGAN, RICHARD JOSEPH, age 85, of Middleboro, formerly of Duxbury He passed peacefully December 11, 2016 at the Seasons Hospice House in Milton, MA. He was the beloved husband of Ditty Coogan; son of the late Luke J. and Rita (Catherwood) Coogan; father of Dennis of Weymouth, Joanne Glass and her husband Kerry of Hanson, Michael of Bridgewater, T.J. and his wife Liz of Hanover, and Brian and his wife Erin of Amherst, NH; grandfather of Kaity Crowley and her husband Michael of Hanson, Meghan and Sean Glass of Hanson, Abbie and Timmy of Hanover, Ryanne and Isla of Amherst, NH; great-grandfather of Norah Crowley of Hanson. A proud native of Brooklyn, NY, he was a 1948 graduate of the Brooklyn Preparatory School. He continued studying with the Jesuits at St. Peter’s College in Jersey City, NJ before entering the Immaculate Conception Seminary in Huntington, NY in 1950. He was ordained in the Diocese of Brooklyn in 1956 and spent several years happily serving at St. Michael’s, Brooklyn, and Queen of Angels, Queens. He left the priesthood to begin a family with his beloved wife Ditty, and after several years living in Connecticut they settled in Stony Point, NY. While serving as a human resources executive with GTE (Verizon) he was transferred to Massachusetts and the family spent the next 20 years in Duxbury. He became a fixture in the Duxbury community, serving as the president of Duxbury Youth Football, and as a founding member and president of the Duxbury Music Promoters. He was a dedicated parishioner at Holy Family Church, where he volunteered in various roles, including lector, confirmation retreat leader, and Pre-Cana instructor. He served the Town of Duxbury for several years as a member and chairman of the Duxbury Cemetery Trustees. In this role he was instrumental in the planning stages of the Mayflower Cemetery Columbarium. After retiring in 1996 he relocated to Falmouth, MA and later to Middleboro, MA. After leaving GTE and establishing his own consulting firm, he served as the General Manager of the Holyhood Cemetery Association in West Roxbury, MA. In addition he was a long time Adjunct Professor of Management at the Saunders School of Business at Newbury College in Brookline, MA. Upon retirement he entered what he referred to as his “final career” when he served as a Teacher’s Aide at schools in Falmouth and Marshfield. He ended this career with four years at the Martinson Elementary School in Marshfield. In addition to his varied professional and public service duties, his passion was his role as Santa Claus, which he filled each December since 1978. Starting with his volunteer work with the Chandler School PTA’s Breakfast with Santa, to his portrayal at private parties, at local nursing homes, and at various community events, and finally with his role at Colony Place in Plymouth. For four decades thousands of children across the South Shore believed that he was the REAL Santa. It brought him great joy to keep the magic of Christmas alive with each child he met. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11:00 AM on Friday, December 16, 2016 at St. Joseph the Worker Church in Hanson, MA. In lieu of flowers please make donations in Richard’s memory to: Brigham and Women's Hospital Development Office 116 Huntington Ave., 3rd floor Boston, MA 02116
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