Howard Ames Coon Jr.

January 28, 1930 - February 25, 2019

howardTampa, FL - Howard Ames Coon Jr., 89, of Chebeague Island, Maine, and Lutz, Fla., died peacefully surrounded by loved ones on February 25, 2019. Mr. Coon was born on January 28, 1930, in Cortland, N.Y., to parents Howard Ames Coon and Helen Ryder Coon. He was raised in the Ballardvale area of Andover, Mass., and graduated from Essex Agricultural and Technical High School in Danvers. From there, he served for several years in the United States Army and was honorably discharged as a Corporal. He worked for over 30 years at Reichhold Chemical Company in Ballardvale, during which time he married and raised his family in North Andover.

He loved his family above all else, and spent time supporting his children and grandchildren in various activities and sports. Next to family was his love for spending time on Chebeague Island, Maine, where the family had a camp. There he enjoyed sailing, fishing, island picnics and many projects. In the mid 1980s, he rebuilt the camp to a more modern structure with the help of his family. That camp has become a gathering place in summer for friends and family from near and far. He often said that nothing tasted better than a lobster on the deck at Artist Point. In more recent years, he retired to Chebeague Island, spending winters in Florida. Mr. Coon will be remembered as an amazing and generous father, grandfather, uncle, friend and neighbor. He was always ready to lend a hand, to share a joke and enjoy a beer after a job was done.

Mr. Coon was predeceased by his parents and his siblings, Arthur Coon and Rowena Gray. He is survived by his sister Eleanor Oppel of Largo, Fla.; his children, Howard A. Coon III, and Meg of Cumberland, Maine, Susan Coon Opalenik and Timothy of Seminole, Fla.; and their mother, Arlene Stevens Coon of North Andover, Mass. He also leaves behind grandchildren Andrew James Coon of Baltimore, Md., Allison Stevens Coon of Cumberland, Maine, and several dear nieces and nephews.

He is also survived by his loving companion, Joan C. Jones of Lutz, Fla., and Chebeague Island, Maine; her children Gary and Jane Jones of Crown Point, Ind., Kimberly and Robert Stevenson of Hazlet, N.J.; and her grandchildren Bradley and Katie Jones of Chicago, Ill., Gregory Jones and fiancée Michaela Barnett of Winter Haven, Fla., Matthew Stevenson of Seaford, Del., and Amanda Stevenson of Hazlet, N.J.

A private family burial will take place in Lawrence MA in the summer. In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory may be made to a Chebeague Island charity of choice.