Kenneth W Coy

Born on November 10, 1930, in Mattoon, IL, he was the son of the late Theodore and Zeta (Beals) Coy. In addition to his parents, he is preceded in death by his beloved wife, June (Digweed) Coy, to whom he was married for 61 years, daughter Pam Coy, and son-in-law Vince Cameron.

He is survived by his daughter Penny Cameron, son Tim Coy, and grandson Andy Cameron (Chandi Courtney), and two great grand-daughters.

Rev. Coy grew up in Mattoon, where he attended Mattoon High School, playing JV football and varsity tennis. He then attended Eureka College in Eureka, IL, where he received his bachelor’s degree. He married June on the same day that he graduated from Eureka, having been ordained one week earlier. Rev. Coy then went on to receive his Masters of Divinity from Lexington Theological Seminary in Lexington, KY.

Rev. Coy was an ordained minister with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) for over 70 years. Ordained in 1952, he served five churches until his retirement from full-time pastoral service in 1995: Oakley-Hyde Park Christian Church (Cincinnati, OH), Wilson Avenue/Southeast Christian Church (Columbus, OH), Mentor Christian Church (Mentor, OH), Parma Christian Church (Parma, OH), and Karl Road Christian Church (Columbus, OH). After conclusion of full-time ministry in 1995, he served three churches as an interim pastor: Central Christian Church (Springfield, OH), Central Christian Church (Newark, OH) and 4th Avenue Christian Church (Columbus, OH).

Both during, and after his years in pastoral ministry, he remained highly involved in the ecumenical arena, serving for many years in the following positions: member, Ohio Disciples Regional Board; member, New Church Committee; Chairperson of a sub-committee for the Ohio Disciples Retired Clergy; Disciples representative of the Board of Trustees for the Ohio Conference United Church of Christ; Regional Elder for one (sometimes two) districts of the state of Ohio Disciples denomination; 30 years as a member of the Columbus Metropolitan Area Church Council, on which he served positions as both Vice-President and President. Because of his love for, and leadership to youth, he served for over 30 years as a counselor and Assistant Director of CYF Conference at Camp Christian in Magnetic Springs, Ohio and also taught Ohio Adult Conference. Additionally, he spent many years in adult education via seminars and conferences, including those at Bethany College in West Virginia.

Ken enjoyed annual summer visits to the Chautauqua Institution in upstate New York. He was humbled to have a room, within the “Disciples House” on the grounds of that institution, named in honor of him and June. He also had a love for music, especially choral. He sang many solos, duets with June, and loved signing with the various church choirs.

A memorial service will be held at 2 pm, ET, Saturday, November 19, 2022, at Northwest Christian Church, 1340 Fishinger Road, Columbus, Ohio, 43221. Family visitation will be held from 1-2 pm.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to Northwest Christian Church.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.neptunesociety.com/location/columbus-cremation for the Coy family.