Ed McCoin

Edgar Royce McCoin, 78, of Cookeville, Tennessee, passed away on Wednesday April 15 at home surrounded by his loving family. Born December 18, 1947, in Livingston, Tennessee, Ed was the second of three children born to Herbert Donald and Thelma Frances (Roberts) McCoin, and brother Donnie McCoin, all deceased.

Ed grew up across middle Tennessee, spending formative years in Jackson County where hard work was simply a way of life. Raised by a father who could build nearly anything with his hands, Ed absorbed that same ethic of self-reliance early on. Whether farming, building fence rows, working construction summers during college, or later fixing what broke around the house, Ed approached every task with quiet determination and figured things out as he went. It was a trait that served him well throughout his life.

He graduated from Hendersonville High School in 1965 and earned his degree from Tennessee Technological University in 1969. That same day, he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army. Before deploying to Vietnam, Ed studied the Vietnamese language at the Defense Language Institute in El Paso, Texas, spending seven months mastering a discipline that few soldiers undertook. He served as an officer in Military Intelligence, working out of the Combined Intelligence Center, Vietnam (CICV) in Saigon, where his language training and analytical skills put him at the center of sensitive intelligence work during one of the war's most consequential periods.

Returning home brought its own set of challenges. The job market was difficult, opportunities were scarce, and the welcome was not always warm for returning veterans. Ed met those circumstances without complaint, methodically rebuilding his footing one step at a time. He joined Magic Chef, Inc. in Cleveland, Tennessee as an Industrial and Manufacturing Engineer, and it was there that he met Catherine Tye, whom he married on April 20, 1974. That partnership became the steady center of everything that followed.

The family settled in Cookeville, where Ed built a long career at Fleetguard, holding positions in industrial engineering and employee relations over 30 years before retiring in February 2003. In later years he faced additional trials, including a serious esophageal condition and a diagnosis of Parkinson's disease, both of which he met with the same composure that had defined him. He also taught courses in the Industrial Engineering and Manufacturing Technology departments at the Tennessee Tech University (TTU) for more than two decades, mentoring students with the same practical, no-nonsense approach that shaped his own career. Ed was honored by the TTU Army ROTC Battalion in 2012 with his induction into the unit’s Hall of Fame, permanently marking his contributions to the Army and the TTU Battalion.

Faith was not a peripheral part of Ed's life; it was the foundation of it. He and Catherine searched carefully for a church home early in their marriage, determined that their faith would be shared and grounded in Scripture. When they found Collegeside, Ed recommitted his life to Christ and never looked back. His belief shaped how he worked, how he loved his family, and how he faced hardship. He was a longtime member of Collegeside Church of Christ, where he chaired the Missions Committee for fifteen to twenty years.

That same spirit extended well beyond the church walls and into every corner of his daily life. Those who knew Ed well came to understand something about him early: he was among the most giving people they would ever know. It was not a quality he advertised, nor one he reserved for those closest to him. A man’s circumstances or station in life held no bearing on whether Ed would offer his time, his resources, or his steadiness, only the need itself mattered. It was generosity in the truest sense, rooted not in obligation but in genuine care for others without expectation of reward or acknowledgement of Ed’s contribution to another’s goodwill.

Ed was also a member of several genealogical societies, including the Order of the Crown of Charlemagne and the Jamestowne Society, pursuing with genuine curiosity the deep roots of a family that had helped settle Tennessee generations before him.

He is survived by his wife of 52 years, Catherine T. McCoin; his sister, Mary McCoin; four children, Ann Marie McCoin, Lauren and Jon Rucker, Carrie and Nathan Davis, and Clay and Amanda McCoin; six grandchildren, Alexander and Grace Vinson, JW and Brenna Rucker, Luke Vinson, Mazie Davis, Zoie Davis, and Edgar Royce McCoin, II (EJ); and one great-grandchild, Bo Rucker. Nothing brought Ed greater joy than watching his children and grandchildren flourish; in them, he saw his finest work, and he never missed an opportunity to make sure they knew it.

To simply summarize his life, and for the benefit of those who would come after him, Ed would say: I was a Christian, I prayed to conduct my life as a Christian should, and very clear that God's grace was the only hope for salvation. Going home to meet Jesus is the most important thing on which we all should be focused. Edgar Royce McCoin lived accordingly.

A funeral service honoring Ed will be at 2 p.m. Friday April 17 at the Cookeville Chapel of Hooper Huddleston and Horner Funeral Home. JW Rucker will officiate. Visitation for friends and family will be Friday from 12 - 2 p.m. Interment with military honors will follow the service at Cookeville City Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers and to honor Edgar R. McCoin's courageous battle with Parkinson's, the family requests memorial contributions be made to The Parkinson's Foundation. This organization was chosen because of its international presence and rating and low administrative costs, ensuring 96% of your donation goes directly to medical research. Contributions can be made at https://The Parkinson's Foundation/?form=19983&tribute=true.

Hooper Huddleston & Horner Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements. (931)526-6111. Share your thoughts and memories at www.hhhfunerals.com.