ROBERT McCOY (1928 – 2021)
Of Charlotte
Mr. McCoy, 92, passed away February 19, 2021
When Bob and Millie McCoy arrived with their five children in Hong Kong on the last day of 1967, the lingering social convulsions from the Cultural Revolution in China were still spilling over into the then British Colony. The family witnessed police Land Rovers outfitted for riot duty and the last terrorist bomb which exploded within hearing distance of their apartment. Moving the family to Hong Kong was a bold and pathbreaking move. The situation soon settled down and living in Hong Kong proved to be an enormous opportunity for the entire family.
The move that took the family to Asia came near the mid-point in Bob’s thirty-six year career with the Dow Chemical Company. Dow was expanding rapidly in several countries in Europe and the Far East and Bob was to play a central role in several key projects. He had started with Dow as a staff attorney in Midland Michigan in 1953 shortly after his graduation from Notre Dame Law School. After a brief fling in local politics with his election to the Midland City Council in 1959, his skill at negotiating complex joint ventures and Dow’s desire to expand in Europe led him to transfer to the emerging Zürich, Switzerland office in 1961. These were the very early days of Dow as a global company: so much so that several colleagues from that period later referred to themselves as the Dow Pioneers. He and the family lived in Küsnacht on Lake Zürich for four years, traveling to most of the countries of Western Europe and learning to ski in Davos, Arosa, Grindelwald, and Zermatt, then still sleepy Swiss villages.
After another brief stint in Midland, he embarked on a planned 3-year tour in Hong Kong which became thirteen years in a variety of senior roles in support of Dow’s expansion in Asia. All five children finished high school in Hong Kong and shared formative experiences of Asia’s diverse cultures. In 1981 he returned to the U.S., eventually accepting an appointment as General Counsel of Merrell Dow in Cincinnati in the fall of 1981. He retired from Dow in 1989 shortly after the completion of the Marion Lab acquisition. After retirement, Bob and Millie first split their time between Cincinnati and Port Sheldon, Michigan on the shore of Lake Michigan. They later moved to Charlottesville, Virginia and finally Charlotte, North Carolina to be closer to their children and grandchildren.
As steadfast as Bob was in his career, the same was true of his unwavering commitment to his family and his Catholic faith. Robert Francis McCoy was born in Bay City, Michigan on October 17th, 1928. His parents Floyd and Inez (Lachance) McCoy were both descendants of early French settlers in Canada. In fact two of his fourth great-grandfathers had been officers who fought on opposite sides in the French and Indian War in Quebec in the 1760’s. Bob was educated in Catholic schools, graduating from Saint Joseph High School in Bay City in 1946 and Aquinas College in Grand Rapids Michigan in 1950, while developing personal values of honesty, intellectual curiosity, loyalty, and generosity that would guide the rest of his life.
At Aquinas he met Millie Haviland, and on January 31st, 1953 in Grand Rapids Michigan, they began almost sixty-eight years of married life that they nurtured until their deaths in Charlotte forty-nine days apart, she on January 1st and he on February 19th 2021. They were true partners, clearly fond of each other, and mutually supportive in numerous ways. Along the way they raised five successful children: finding time for engaged family dinners most evenings, family vacations to interesting corners of the U.S., Europe, and Asia, and supporting all five children through college graduation.
In retirement he faced three challenges that provided further proof of his enduring strength of character. He served on the Board of Directors of the Haviland Enterprises Inc., founded by Millie’s dad, playing a part in guiding the family company through a period of transition and on to greater success. The most significant setback of his life came in 1996 with a major stroke that left him mentally unchanged but with no sense of balance and limited use of his whole right side. While denied his ability to play tennis and golf, his love of sports and competition played out as he continued to attend Notre Dame football games in South Bend. They also attended numerous sporting events, academic lectures, and cultural performances at UVA while living in Charlottesville. He remained actively involved with the Haviland Board for over a decade and maintained most of his prior activities that could be done from a wheel chair. The final mark of his perseverance and loyalty was surviving through Millie’s long fading, and eventual death, suffering his own physical decline while resolutely remaining her connection and anchor through her last hours.
Bob is survived by all five children, eleven grandchildren and five great grandchildren: Bridget and Dan (deceased) Kopetzky, and their sons Brian (Val) Kopetzky and their children Anya, Cora, Quinn, and Brandon (Stephanie) Kopetzky and their children Stephen and Daniel; Bob McCoy and Laurel Kearns, and their children Claire Kearns-McCoy and Christopher Kearns-McCoy; Mike and Eliza McCoy, and their children, Michaela McCoy, Mili McCoy and Ella McCoy, Cathleen McCoy and Nick Snow, and their children Ian Snow and Elizabeth Snow, and Dan and Geri McCoy, and their children Caitlyn McCoy and Kyleigh McCoy. Bob was predeceased by his wife Millie, his parents, and his brother Floyd.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to Appalachian Service Project,
https://asphome.org/give/
His Mass of Christian burial will be held at 11am on Thursday, March 11, 2021 at St. Matthew Catholic Church with Father Binoy Davis Celebrant. Inurnment to follow at the church columbarium.
Arrangements are in the care of Heritage Funeral Home, Ballantyne, NC. Online condolences may be left at www.heritagecares.com
Of Charlotte
Mr. McCoy, 92, passed away February 19, 2021
When Bob and Millie McCoy arrived with their five children in Hong Kong on the last day of 1967, the lingering social convulsions from the Cultural Revolution in China were still spilling over into the then British Colony. The family witnessed police Land Rovers outfitted for riot duty and the last terrorist bomb which exploded within hearing distance of their apartment. Moving the family to Hong Kong was a bold and pathbreaking move. The situation soon settled down and living in Hong Kong proved to be an enormous opportunity for the entire family.
The move that took the family to Asia came near the mid-point in Bob’s thirty-six year career with the Dow Chemical Company. Dow was expanding rapidly in several countries in Europe and the Far East and Bob was to play a central role in several key projects. He had started with Dow as a staff attorney in Midland Michigan in 1953 shortly after his graduation from Notre Dame Law School. After a brief fling in local politics with his election to the Midland City Council in 1959, his skill at negotiating complex joint ventures and Dow’s desire to expand in Europe led him to transfer to the emerging Zürich, Switzerland office in 1961. These were the very early days of Dow as a global company: so much so that several colleagues from that period later referred to themselves as the Dow Pioneers. He and the family lived in Küsnacht on Lake Zürich for four years, traveling to most of the countries of Western Europe and learning to ski in Davos, Arosa, Grindelwald, and Zermatt, then still sleepy Swiss villages.
After another brief stint in Midland, he embarked on a planned 3-year tour in Hong Kong which became thirteen years in a variety of senior roles in support of Dow’s expansion in Asia. All five children finished high school in Hong Kong and shared formative experiences of Asia’s diverse cultures. In 1981 he returned to the U.S., eventually accepting an appointment as General Counsel of Merrell Dow in Cincinnati in the fall of 1981. He retired from Dow in 1989 shortly after the completion of the Marion Lab acquisition. After retirement, Bob and Millie first split their time between Cincinnati and Port Sheldon, Michigan on the shore of Lake Michigan. They later moved to Charlottesville, Virginia and finally Charlotte, North Carolina to be closer to their children and grandchildren.
As steadfast as Bob was in his career, the same was true of his unwavering commitment to his family and his Catholic faith. Robert Francis McCoy was born in Bay City, Michigan on October 17th, 1928. His parents Floyd and Inez (Lachance) McCoy were both descendants of early French settlers in Canada. In fact two of his fourth great-grandfathers had been officers who fought on opposite sides in the French and Indian War in Quebec in the 1760’s. Bob was educated in Catholic schools, graduating from Saint Joseph High School in Bay City in 1946 and Aquinas College in Grand Rapids Michigan in 1950, while developing personal values of honesty, intellectual curiosity, loyalty, and generosity that would guide the rest of his life.
At Aquinas he met Millie Haviland, and on January 31st, 1953 in Grand Rapids Michigan, they began almost sixty-eight years of married life that they nurtured until their deaths in Charlotte forty-nine days apart, she on January 1st and he on February 19th 2021. They were true partners, clearly fond of each other, and mutually supportive in numerous ways. Along the way they raised five successful children: finding time for engaged family dinners most evenings, family vacations to interesting corners of the U.S., Europe, and Asia, and supporting all five children through college graduation.
In retirement he faced three challenges that provided further proof of his enduring strength of character. He served on the Board of Directors of the Haviland Enterprises Inc., founded by Millie’s dad, playing a part in guiding the family company through a period of transition and on to greater success. The most significant setback of his life came in 1996 with a major stroke that left him mentally unchanged but with no sense of balance and limited use of his whole right side. While denied his ability to play tennis and golf, his love of sports and competition played out as he continued to attend Notre Dame football games in South Bend. They also attended numerous sporting events, academic lectures, and cultural performances at UVA while living in Charlottesville. He remained actively involved with the Haviland Board for over a decade and maintained most of his prior activities that could be done from a wheel chair. The final mark of his perseverance and loyalty was surviving through Millie’s long fading, and eventual death, suffering his own physical decline while resolutely remaining her connection and anchor through her last hours.
Bob is survived by all five children, eleven grandchildren and five great grandchildren: Bridget and Dan (deceased) Kopetzky, and their sons Brian (Val) Kopetzky and their children Anya, Cora, Quinn, and Brandon (Stephanie) Kopetzky and their children Stephen and Daniel; Bob McCoy and Laurel Kearns, and their children Claire Kearns-McCoy and Christopher Kearns-McCoy; Mike and Eliza McCoy, and their children, Michaela McCoy, Mili McCoy and Ella McCoy, Cathleen McCoy and Nick Snow, and their children Ian Snow and Elizabeth Snow, and Dan and Geri McCoy, and their children Caitlyn McCoy and Kyleigh McCoy. Bob was predeceased by his wife Millie, his parents, and his brother Floyd.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to Appalachian Service Project,
https://asphome.org/give/
His Mass of Christian burial will be held at 11am on Thursday, March 11, 2021 at St. Matthew Catholic Church with Father Binoy Davis Celebrant. Inurnment to follow at the church columbarium.
Arrangements are in the care of Heritage Funeral Home, Ballantyne, NC. Online condolences may be left at www.heritagecares.com
ROBERT McCOY (1928 – 2021)
Of Charlotte
Mr. McCoy, 92, passed away February 19, 2021
When Bob and Millie McCoy arrived with their five children in Hong Kong on the last day of 1967, the lingering social convulsions from the Cultural Revolution in China were still spilling over into the then British Colony. The family witnessed police Land Rovers outfitted for riot duty and the last terrorist bomb which exploded within hearing distance of their apartment. Moving the family to Hong Kong was a bold and pathbreaking move. The situation soon settled down and living in Hong Kong proved to be an enormous opportunity for the entire family.
The move that took the family to Asia came near the mid-point in Bob’s thirty-six year career with the Dow Chemical Company. Dow was expanding rapidly in several countries in Europe and the Far East and Bob was to play a central role in several key projects. He had started with Dow as a staff attorney in Midland Michigan in 1953 shortly after his graduation from Notre Dame Law School. After a brief fling in local politics with his election to the Midland City Council in 1959, his skill at negotiating complex joint ventures and Dow’s desire to expand in Europe led him to transfer to the emerging Zürich, Switzerland office in 1961. These were the very early days of Dow as a global company: so much so that several colleagues from that period later referred to themselves as the Dow Pioneers. He and the family lived in Küsnacht on Lake Zürich for four years, traveling to most of the countries of Western Europe and learning to ski in Davos, Arosa, Grindelwald, and Zermatt, then still sleepy Swiss villages.
After another brief stint in Midland, he embarked on a planned 3-year tour in Hong Kong which became thirteen years in a variety of senior roles in support of Dow’s expansion in Asia. All five children finished high school in Hong Kong and shared formative experiences of Asia’s diverse cultures. In 1981 he returned to the U.S., eventually accepting an appointment as General Counsel of Merrell Dow in Cincinnati in the fall of 1981. He retired from Dow in 1989 shortly after the completion of the Marion Lab acquisition. After retirement, Bob and Millie first split their time between Cincinnati and Port Sheldon, Michigan on the shore of Lake Michigan. They later moved to Charlottesville, Virginia and finally Charlotte, North Carolina to be closer to their children and grandchildren.
As steadfast as Bob was in his career, the same was true of his unwavering commitment to his family and his Catholic faith. Robert Francis McCoy was born in Bay City, Michigan on October 17th, 1928. His parents Floyd and Inez (Lachance) McCoy were both descendants of early French settlers in Canada. In fact two of his fourth great-grandfathers had been officers who fought on opposite sides in the French and Indian War in Quebec in the 1760’s. Bob was educated in Catholic schools, graduating from Saint Joseph High School in Bay City in 1946 and Aquinas College in Grand Rapids Michigan in 1950, while developing personal values of honesty, intellectual curiosity, loyalty, and generosity that would guide the rest of his life.
At Aquinas he met Millie Haviland, and on January 31st, 1953 in Grand Rapids Michigan, they began almost sixty-eight years of married life that they nurtured until their deaths in Charlotte forty-nine days apart, she on January 1st and he on February 19th 2021. They were true partners, clearly fond of each other, and mutually supportive in numerous ways. Along the way they raised five successful children: finding time for engaged family dinners most evenings, family vacations to interesting corners of the U.S., Europe, and Asia, and supporting all five children through college graduation.
In retirement he faced three challenges that provided further proof of his enduring strength of character. He served on the Board of Directors of the Haviland Enterprises Inc., founded by Millie’s dad, playing a part in guiding the family company through a period of transition and on to greater success. The most significant setback of his life came in 1996 with a major stroke that left him mentally unchanged but with no sense of balance and limited use of his whole right side. While denied his ability to play tennis and golf, his love of sports and competition played out as he continued to attend Notre Dame football games in South Bend. They also attended numerous sporting events, academic lectures, and cultural performances at UVA while living in Charlottesville. He remained actively involved with the Haviland Board for over a decade and maintained most of his prior activities that could be done from a wheel chair. The final mark of his perseverance and loyalty was surviving through Millie’s long fading, and eventual death, suffering his own physical decline while resolutely remaining her connection and anchor through her last hours.
Bob is survived by all five children, eleven grandchildren and five great grandchildren: Bridget and Dan (deceased) Kopetzky, and their sons Brian (Val) Kopetzky and their children Anya, Cora, Quinn, and Brandon (Stephanie) Kopetzky and their children Stephen and Daniel; Bob McCoy and Laurel Kearns, and their children Claire Kearns-McCoy and Christopher Kearns-McCoy; Mike and Eliza McCoy, and their children, Michaela McCoy, Mili McCoy and Ella McCoy, Cathleen McCoy and Nick Snow, and their children Ian Snow and Elizabeth Snow, and Dan and Geri McCoy, and their children Caitlyn McCoy and Kyleigh McCoy. Bob was predeceased by his wife Millie, his parents, and his brother Floyd.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to Appalachian Service Project,
https://asphome.org/give/
His Mass of Christian burial will be held at 11am on Thursday, March 11, 2021 at St. Matthew Catholic Church with Father Binoy Davis Celebrant. Inurnment to follow at the church columbarium.
Arrangements are in the care of Heritage Funeral Home, Ballantyne, NC. Online condolences may be left at www.heritagecares.com
Of Charlotte
Mr. McCoy, 92, passed away February 19, 2021
When Bob and Millie McCoy arrived with their five children in Hong Kong on the last day of 1967, the lingering social convulsions from the Cultural Revolution in China were still spilling over into the then British Colony. The family witnessed police Land Rovers outfitted for riot duty and the last terrorist bomb which exploded within hearing distance of their apartment. Moving the family to Hong Kong was a bold and pathbreaking move. The situation soon settled down and living in Hong Kong proved to be an enormous opportunity for the entire family.
The move that took the family to Asia came near the mid-point in Bob’s thirty-six year career with the Dow Chemical Company. Dow was expanding rapidly in several countries in Europe and the Far East and Bob was to play a central role in several key projects. He had started with Dow as a staff attorney in Midland Michigan in 1953 shortly after his graduation from Notre Dame Law School. After a brief fling in local politics with his election to the Midland City Council in 1959, his skill at negotiating complex joint ventures and Dow’s desire to expand in Europe led him to transfer to the emerging Zürich, Switzerland office in 1961. These were the very early days of Dow as a global company: so much so that several colleagues from that period later referred to themselves as the Dow Pioneers. He and the family lived in Küsnacht on Lake Zürich for four years, traveling to most of the countries of Western Europe and learning to ski in Davos, Arosa, Grindelwald, and Zermatt, then still sleepy Swiss villages.
After another brief stint in Midland, he embarked on a planned 3-year tour in Hong Kong which became thirteen years in a variety of senior roles in support of Dow’s expansion in Asia. All five children finished high school in Hong Kong and shared formative experiences of Asia’s diverse cultures. In 1981 he returned to the U.S., eventually accepting an appointment as General Counsel of Merrell Dow in Cincinnati in the fall of 1981. He retired from Dow in 1989 shortly after the completion of the Marion Lab acquisition. After retirement, Bob and Millie first split their time between Cincinnati and Port Sheldon, Michigan on the shore of Lake Michigan. They later moved to Charlottesville, Virginia and finally Charlotte, North Carolina to be closer to their children and grandchildren.
As steadfast as Bob was in his career, the same was true of his unwavering commitment to his family and his Catholic faith. Robert Francis McCoy was born in Bay City, Michigan on October 17th, 1928. His parents Floyd and Inez (Lachance) McCoy were both descendants of early French settlers in Canada. In fact two of his fourth great-grandfathers had been officers who fought on opposite sides in the French and Indian War in Quebec in the 1760’s. Bob was educated in Catholic schools, graduating from Saint Joseph High School in Bay City in 1946 and Aquinas College in Grand Rapids Michigan in 1950, while developing personal values of honesty, intellectual curiosity, loyalty, and generosity that would guide the rest of his life.
At Aquinas he met Millie Haviland, and on January 31st, 1953 in Grand Rapids Michigan, they began almost sixty-eight years of married life that they nurtured until their deaths in Charlotte forty-nine days apart, she on January 1st and he on February 19th 2021. They were true partners, clearly fond of each other, and mutually supportive in numerous ways. Along the way they raised five successful children: finding time for engaged family dinners most evenings, family vacations to interesting corners of the U.S., Europe, and Asia, and supporting all five children through college graduation.
In retirement he faced three challenges that provided further proof of his enduring strength of character. He served on the Board of Directors of the Haviland Enterprises Inc., founded by Millie’s dad, playing a part in guiding the family company through a period of transition and on to greater success. The most significant setback of his life came in 1996 with a major stroke that left him mentally unchanged but with no sense of balance and limited use of his whole right side. While denied his ability to play tennis and golf, his love of sports and competition played out as he continued to attend Notre Dame football games in South Bend. They also attended numerous sporting events, academic lectures, and cultural performances at UVA while living in Charlottesville. He remained actively involved with the Haviland Board for over a decade and maintained most of his prior activities that could be done from a wheel chair. The final mark of his perseverance and loyalty was surviving through Millie’s long fading, and eventual death, suffering his own physical decline while resolutely remaining her connection and anchor through her last hours.
Bob is survived by all five children, eleven grandchildren and five great grandchildren: Bridget and Dan (deceased) Kopetzky, and their sons Brian (Val) Kopetzky and their children Anya, Cora, Quinn, and Brandon (Stephanie) Kopetzky and their children Stephen and Daniel; Bob McCoy and Laurel Kearns, and their children Claire Kearns-McCoy and Christopher Kearns-McCoy; Mike and Eliza McCoy, and their children, Michaela McCoy, Mili McCoy and Ella McCoy, Cathleen McCoy and Nick Snow, and their children Ian Snow and Elizabeth Snow, and Dan and Geri McCoy, and their children Caitlyn McCoy and Kyleigh McCoy. Bob was predeceased by his wife Millie, his parents, and his brother Floyd.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to Appalachian Service Project,
https://asphome.org/give/
His Mass of Christian burial will be held at 11am on Thursday, March 11, 2021 at St. Matthew Catholic Church with Father Binoy Davis Celebrant. Inurnment to follow at the church columbarium.
Arrangements are in the care of Heritage Funeral Home, Ballantyne, NC. Online condolences may be left at www.heritagecares.com
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