CANTON – The Rev. Clinton A. “Clint” McCoy, Jr., 62, of State Street, died unexpectedly Sunday, September 12, 2010 at River Hospital in Alexandria Bay.
A memorial service will be held on Saturday at 11 a.m. at the First Presbyterian Church of Canton with Rev. Michael P. Catanzaro officiating.
Calling hours will be held on Friday from 3 to 5 and 7 to 9 p.m. at the Lawrence Funeral Home, Canton.
Burial will be held at the convenience of the family.
Surviving are his wife Barbara of Canton; one son, Paul Clinton McCoy and wife Jennifer of North Conway, N.H.; one daughter, Erin McCoy Alarcon and husband Michael of Stoneham, Mass.; four grandsons, Isaiah Scharnowske, River McCoy and Matthew and Patrick Alarcon; two sisters, Joyce Murphee and husband Patrick of Los Altos, Calif., and Karen Nottelmann and husband William of Grand Rapids, Mich., and seven nieces and nephews.
Born January 12, 1948 in Canton, Ohio, a son of Clinton A., Sr. and Zella Dempsey McCoy, he graduated Lehman High in Canton, Ohio, in 1966.
In 1970 “Clint” graduated from Grove City College and furthered his education at Princeton Theological Seminary (Master’s of Divinity) and later at Lancaster Theological Seminary (Doctorate of Ministry).
On June 23, 1973 he married Barbara Reed in the Laurelton Presbyterian Church in Rochester.
Rev. McCoy had served the Synod of the Northeast since 2006.
He was pastor emeritus of Western Presbyterian Church in Palmyra, N.Y., where he served from 1979-1994.
For 12 years before his synod position, McCoy served as executive presbyter for the Presbytery of Northern New York.
While in Palmyra, McCoy served as a director of the Newark-Wayne Community Hospital and was instrumental in the creation of the chaplain’s position there.
He was the founding president of Habitat for Humanity of Wayne County and was named a Paul Harris Fellow w/ Rotary International in Palmyra.
In his role at the synod, Rev. McCoy served as co-executive and was given the tongue-in-cheek description of “Executive for Loose Ends.” He staffed programmatic ministries such as the Early Ministry Institute, the synod’s international fellowship with the Church of Jesus Chris in Madagascar, the African American Caucus and Church Growth Strategy Steering Committee and the Tri-Synod Latino Leadership Development project. At the time of his death, he was also president of the New York State Council of Churches.
In 2007 Rev. McCoy represented the World’s Council of Churches at the International Convention in Athens, Greece.
“Clint” was a passionate fisherman and enjoyed fly-fishing for trout and angling for fish in Lake Ontario.
He was a die-hard Cleveland Browns Fan and a gifted musician, playing guitar, piano and brass horns.
He was an avid reader and history buff, a writer, model rail-roader, philosopher and world traveler.
He also enjoyed making wine, video technology, photography, boating and of course spending time with family at “Camp McCoy” at Lake of the Woods.
Memorial contributions may be made to McCoy Venture Scholarship at Norman Howard School, Jen’s Friends Cancer Foundation, Ministry to Malawi, c/o First Presbyterian Church of Canton, 17 Park Street, Canton, NY 13617 or to a charity of one’s choice.
Condolences may be sent online c/o [email protected]
