Scott James Coonan

Scott J. Coonan, 55, passed away peacefully in his sleep from heart failure on January 18, 2019. A former resident of Atherton, California, and most recently of Raleigh, North Carolina, Scott was a beloved husband, father, son, brother, friend, and colleague. Born in Binghamton, New York, Scott excelled in academics and was a number-one ranked tennis player in high school. He attended Duke University on a ROTC scholarship, graduating in 1985 with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering, and joined the U.S. Air Force. After receiving an Honorable Discharge, Scott attended William & Mary Law School, graduating in 1992, and had an illustrious career in patent law working at Litton Industries, Hewlett-Packard, Thales North America, and since 2004 at Juniper Networks in Sunnyvale, California, handling IP strategy and litigation.

Over the years, Scott enjoyed traveling to new and old places, watching sports, cooking and running. Scott and his wife, Lynne, traveled as much as possible together and were fortunate to explore much of France while Scott was working for French-based Thales. Having met in Washington, D.C., Scott and Lynne moved to the Silicon Valley in 2004 when their older daughter, Emma, was three months old. There, they explored much that California has to offer. Returning to the East Coast in 2012 to live in Raleigh (not too far from Duke), Scott and his family, now including their younger daughter, Audrey, packed up their Prius and drove cross-country, with many great stops along the way. An avid sports fan, Scott's favorite teams were the Miami Dolphins and Duke's Blue Devils, and watching their games and playing Fantasy Football were a passion. A long-time runner, Scott ran multiple marathons, including the Marine Corps Marathon.

Scott had an infectious laugh, a genuine interest in others, and a way of putting people at ease. He was proud of his daughters and never tired of hearing about their latest endeavors at school, with friends, on the tennis or basketball courts, or sailing on Cape Cod. He was often seen holding his daughters’ hands and walking them to school in Atherton--tall Daddy holding his little girls’ hands through the parking lot—sweet and tender. He also loved to cook gourmet meals for friends and family, as well as delighted in making creative meals for his children. As an IP attorney at Juniper, Scott was personally invested in the company’s success and could be fierce in his representation of his client. He was actively involved in many of Juniper’s cases: testifying under oath several times, and always present for trials and key hearings. He designed and implemented strategies that aggressively defended Juniper’s interests against those who sued the company. In 2014, he was humbled to receive Juniper’s CEO Staff Excellence Award, an honor generally reserved for top Juniper engineers.

Scott is survived by his wife, Lynne, and their daughters, Emma and Audrey; his parents, Sherry and James Coonan, and his sister, Lori; his in-law family: Jeanine Simoneau; Paul and Joanne Simoneau; John Simoneau; Janice Simoneau and Chip Scully; and niece Allison Simoneau, and nephews Matthew Simoneau and Lucas Scully. There are many others who will miss Scott’s keen intellect, generous nature, and overall presence here on earth.

A celebration of Scott’s life will be held on Friday, February 8, at 2:00 PM at the Menlo Church, 950 Santa Cruz Avenue, Menlo Park, CA 94025, followed by a reception.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health, 400 Hamilton Avenue, Suite 340, Palo Alto, CA, 94301; Ronald McDonald House, 506 Alexander Avenue, Durham, NC 27705; Mary Jane Simoneau Fund for Glioblastoma Research, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, P.O. Box 27106, New York, NY 10087-7106; or the Brain Injury Association of America, 1608 Spring Hill Road, Suite 110, Vienna, VA 22182.

Arrangements by Brown-Wynne Funeral Home & Crematory, 300 Saint Mary's St., Raleigh, NC.