Francis Maurice McCoy, Jr, 79, of Virginia Beach, loving husband, father, grandfather, uncle, great uncle, friend, and veteran, passed away peacefully on Monday, August 17, 2020. Mr. McCoy was born in Lebanon, Missouri, on June 24, 1941. He was the son of the late Naoma Faye (Frazier) McCoy and Francis Maurice McCoy, Sr. He spent the majority of his youth in Medicine Park, Oklahoma, graduating from Elgin High School in 1959 and then attended the University of Oklahoma on an NROTC scholarship. Upon graduation in 1964, he received his commission in the U.S. Navy. Mr. McCoy served his country honorably for 20 years in various functions across the globe, retiring in 1984 as Lt. Commander. Mr. McCoy relished any opportunity to fascinate family and friends with tales of camaraderie and adventure of his time in the service.
Mr. McCoy was a problem solver and doer, always wanting to work with his hands. He could fix almost anything, given enough time and duct tape. He valued hard-work and celebrated accomplishments, enjoyed being outdoors, and tinkering with tools. He’s been known to build antennas, engines, hydroponic gardens, homemade ‘grenades,’ door desks, as well as make-shift solutions with paper clips and hockey sticks - and anything in between. Mr. McCoy rarely passed up an opportunity to snack on Fritos or pork rinds while watching auto racing or football. He enjoyed working with technology at all levels and was the family IT support staff for a while. He treasured opportunities to teach life skills and values to all of the youth in his life, providing guidance at those big forks in the road of life.
Mr. McCoy leaves to cherish his memory his wife Elizabeth McCoy, children Beth Linden (Jeff), and James McCoy (Kana), step-children Shelly Conrad (Scotty), Karen Griffith, Mark Griffith, and Seth Griffith (Lindsay), his first wife Jane Maiorana (John), his brother-in-law John Mills (Lynn), nephews Matt Mills and Daniel Mills, eight grandchildren, and six grand nieces and nephews. Mr. McCoy was preceded in death by his parents and sister-in-law Patricia Mills.
Smith and Williams Funeral Home Kempsville are handling arrangements, and a private memorial service will take place Wednesday, August 26, 2020, at 10:30 am. Online condolences may be offered at Smith and Williams website. Flowers are welcome. If you wish to make a contribution in his name, three charities of interest to him are JDRF (http://www2.jdrf.org/goto/josie) and United Leukodystrophy Foundation (https://ulf.org/), and the Virginia Beach SPCA https://vbspca.com/.
