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Maurice Coady

December 28, 2020
Portage, MI

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Coady, Maurice 7/4/1918 - 12/28/2020 Portage Maurice "Maurie" Thomas Coady, commonly and affectionately called Rocket, passed away December 28th at the age of 102. His kindhearted affection for family, shameless repertoire of jokes, love of sports, and photographic memory will live on as the cherished memories of his loving family. Maurice, the twin brother of Manus "Pat", was born July 4, 1918 in Grand Rapids, Michigan the son of the late Thomas and Margaret (McDonald) Coady where he was brought up on a farm in Coral, Michigan. From his depression-era childhood grew his love of baseball, spending hours with his siblings playing with an old rag ball and an old broken bat. Maurice and Pat played well enough to earn tryouts with the Detroit Tigers, but when they were assigned to different minor league teams, they opted out of contracts so they would not be separated, and enrolled in college at Michigan State University. Maurice was an avid Spartan fan, talking several of his grandchildren into attending Michigan State University by offering the lure of season football tickets. While at Michigan State University, war clouds were hanging heavy over Europe, and Maurice and Pat were drafted to the United States Air Corps. After basic training, Maurice and Pat were elected to become officers and continued their training at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut where they received their commissions as 2nd Lieutenants specializing in photo reconnaissance. Maurice was deployed to Italy and his brother Pat to India. It was the first time they were separated. Maurice escaped the tragedy of the 32nd Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron when he, along with a handful of other officers, were transferred to another ship on the convoy just before leaving for Italy. The remainder of the squadron, 580 men, embarked at the same time but met disaster when the SS Paul Hamilton was bombed on the Mediterranean Sea. The officers and men of the 32nd Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron were all lost. Maurice never got over losing so many friends so quickly, but always realized how fortunate he was to have lived through the attack. This defining moment is without a doubt one of the reasons he doted on his loved ones, always mindful of the safety and well-being of his family. With no command remaining, Maurice was assigned to escort boxer Joe Lewis from base to base for boxing exhibitions until receiving his next command and was promoted to 1st Lieutenant of the 12th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron in charge of the photographic laboratory and camera installation for aerial reconnaissance missions throughout Southern Europe. Maurice was in Italy when the war came to an end and was hoisted onto the shoulders of civilians as they celebrated in the streets of Venice. After the War, Maurice returned to Michigan where he met and married the love of his life, Carolyn Virginia "Ginny" Carter, on July 16, 1946. They soon settled into the small northern Michigan town of Barryton and built a life for themselves with three children. Maurice continued his commitment to serving others through his career as a social worker. The 'Golden Years' brought the Coady home to Portage, Michigan with a winter retreat in New Port Richey, Florida where they delighted in life as grandparents. Maurice was a wonderful father and an even better grandpa, doting on his grandchildren by always making sure gas tanks were full, sneaking special lunches into school cafeterias, and reveling in the laughter brought on by his shamelessly bad jokes. If riches were measured in family euchre games, then Maurice was a rich man. Maurice leaves behind a son Jim (Kathy) of Paw Paw, Michigan, a son Terry (Laurie) of Tarpon Springs, Florida, and a daughter Sue (John) of Scotts, Michigan, seven (7) grandchildren; Ryan (Noreen) Thomas (MI), Brett Coady (FL), Landon Coady (FL), Lindsay Dodd (Kevin) (FL), Ashley Smith (Nate) (CO), Kim Hawkins (Dan) (IL), Alysse Thomas (MI), four (4) great-grandchildren – Liam & Una Thomas and Macy & Brooks Dodd, his beloved sister, Theresa Klein, and several great-grand puppies. Maurice is preceded in death by his loving wife, of 71 years, Ginny, his parents, Thomas and Margaret Coady, his twin brother, Manus "Pat" Coady, older brother, John Coady, sister, Marie Coady, and many beloved friends. May we meet again someday. Interment services with Military Honors will be held at Fort Custer National Cemetery, Augusta, MI.