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Dorothy Shanahan Coakley - Youngstown, Ohio

Dorothy Shanahan Coakley - Youngstown, Ohio

Posted: 27 Jun 2014 6:16PM GMT
Classification: Obituary
HUDSON, Ohio - Dorothy Folan Shanahan Coakley, 97, died peacefully June 24, 2014, surrounded by family, at the Laurel Lake Retirement Community.

Dorothy was born Feb. 7, 1917, in Pittsburgh, PA. as the only daughter of Marie Folan and George Shanahan.

After her mother died in the flu epidemic of 1919, her father and stepmother, Alice, raised Dorothy in Pittsburgh.

Shortly after graduating from Rosemont College in 1939, Dorothy married John Aloysius Coakley Jr., “Jack” of Cleveland Heights, Ohio where they lived before moving to Youngstown, Ohio (Mahoning County) in 1942.

Over the next 46 years in Youngstown, Ohio they raised nine children within a vibrant community of friends and relatives that continue to define the character of this large and happy family.

Dorothy and Jack moved to St. Simon’s Island, Ga., in 1988, with Dorothy relocating to Hudson in 1998, shortly after Jack’s death.

She was a wonderful, fun-loving woman, a devoted wife and mother, as well as an avid gardener who loved art classes and painting, and was forever active with her many charitable organizations, particularly The Friends of American Art at the Butler Art Institute and the Ladies of Charity.

She is survived by nine children, Caren Hurley Dalton (Ryerson) of Youngstown, Jan McCulloch Peck (Neil) of Denver, Denise Hickey (Jerry) of Lake Bluff, Ill., John Aloysius III (Anne) of Savannah, Ga., George (Colleen) of Cleveland Heights, Ohio, Peter (Pam) of Denver, James (Lisa) of Alexandria, Va., Henry (Cindy) of Atlanta, and Dorothy “Dosie” Rymond (Rick) of Shaker Heights, Ohio; 27 grandchildren, and 44 great-grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Jack, and their daughter, Monica; her stepsister, Louise Shanahan Gilleaudeau; and her stepbrothers, Dennis, Barry and James Shanahan.

A Mass of Celebration will be held at the Our Lady of Peace Church, 12601 Shaker Blvd., Cleveland, OH 44120, on Monday, June 30, 2014, at 11 a.m. In Dorothy’s honor, the family requests that memorial contributions be made to The Butler Institute of American Art, 524 Wick Ave., Youngstown, OH 44502.

The family is deeply grateful to the entire staff of the Laurel Lake Retirement Community and Crossroads Hospice for their exceedingly tender care of their beloved mother.
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