Joseph Kevin Cooney

Joseph Kevin Cooney, 71, a husband, father, brother, friend, and attorney, passed away peacefully on August 17 at his home in Estero, Florida, following a six-year fight with Multiple Myeloma. His wife and two children were by his side. Joe, known to family and friends as “Buddy,” was born in Jersey City on August 23, 1950. He was the first of six sons born to Joseph Martin and Joan Ann Cooney (nee Healy). Joe grew up in Hasbrouck Heights, living out his childhood at the family’s homes on Springfield Avenue and Henry Street, the latter of which was purchased by the Cooneys in 1963 and in which his father lived until his death earlier this year. Joe’s parents afforded him and his brothers a childhood filled with happiness and opportunity. The Cooney family belonged to Corpus Christi Roman Catholic Church, where Joe and his brothers served as altar boys and attended grammar school. Growing up, Joe reveled in playing stickball and stoopball with neighborhood friends and competing in spirited pickup basketball games on the backyard basketball court built by the Doherty family—the Cooneys’ closest family friends. Joe relished summer camp at Camp Notre Dame on Lake Spofford in New Hampshire and extended summer vacations to the Jersey Shore, where he would later settle. Following in his father’s footsteps, Joe attended high school at Saint Peter’s Prep in Jersey City, which was pivotal to his formation. He thrived there as a student and athlete, lettering in baseball, basketball, and soccer, developing lifelong friendships, and adopting Pride and Glory—the school’s motto—as values of his own. He maintained an enduring connection to the institution, proudly serving alongside his father on the Board of Trustees. After graduating from The Prep in 1968, Joe earned his Bachelor of Arts (’72) and Juris Doctorate (’75) from the University of Notre Dame. Joe’s admission to Notre Dame was a momentous accomplishment not only for him, but also for his parents, who were devout Roman Catholics and “Subway Alumni” of the elite Catholic University—the Cooney family cheered Irish football on Saturdays as hard as they prayed at Corpus Christi on Sundays. Joe was proud to send his children, J.P. (’99) and Meghan (’01), to Notre Dame and recounted among his fondest memories the fact that he was able to share their graduation days with his own parents. After earning his law degree and clerking for a New Jersey Superior Court judge, Joe settled in Monmouth County, where he practiced medical malpractice defense law for more than 40 years. In 1981, he partnered with Doug Widman to co-found the law firm of Widman & Cooney. Widman & Cooney thrived for 37 years, employing and developing dozens of attorneys and legal staff. Joe was a force in the New Jersey legal community, trying hundreds of cases to verdict and promoting professionalism and mentorship through his participation in the New Jersey and Monmouth Bar Associations, Haydn Proctor Inn of Court, and the Civil Certification Committee of the Board on Attorney Certification. Joe was widely respected as an impeccable advocate, honest broker, dedicated mentor, and hard worker. Joe also actively contributed to and participated in the Jersey Shore community. Around 1990, he initiated and sponsored a summer service project for Notre Dame undergraduates at the Jersey Shore Medical Center, which afforded aspiring doctors and nurses the opportunity to participate in a hands-on medical internship. Many of the service project’s participants have gone on to successful medical careers. Joe retired in 2018 and moved to Estero, Florida, where he lived in Shadow Wood with his devoted wife, Michele. Joe and Michele met in 2008 at the Shipwreck Grill in Brielle. They fell in love at first sight and spent virtually every moment of the next 15 years together. They married in 2017 and shared a companionship filled with love, joy, and unconditional support. They built a wonderful life together, traveling frequently and cementing memories for themselves and their loved ones by devoting time to friends, relatives, and grandchildren. Joe loved Michele with all his heart. In 2016, Joe was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma. For the next six-and-a-half years he battled bravely, enduring grueling outpatient and inpatient chemotherapies and other treatments. He spent much of that time in significant discomfort and even severe pain, which he barely betrayed and about which he never complained. Joe’s relentless courage and optimism were matched only by Michele’s, who undertook every moment of the fight at his side. Joe was grateful for and humbled by her love, devotion, and support. Joe was an avid sports fan and athlete and was intensely competitive. He loved the Fighting Irish and New York Yankees. The walls of his office and home were adorned with Notre Dame and Yankee memorabilia, which featured prominently in the background of Joe’s Zoom calls with family and friends during the pandemic. In addition to his athletic accomplishments at The Prep, Joe played baseball and Freshman basketball at Notre Dame. He found much joy in, and always spoke fondly of, his membership on The Ducks, an intramural team at Notre Dame that competed in virtually every sport. Joe’s teammates on The Ducks dubbed him “Big Cat” for his ferocious competitiveness. The Ducks captured Notre Dame’s 1974 Bookstore Basketball Tournament, which is believed to be the largest outdoor five-on-five tournament in the world, in which Joe was named the MVP. As an adult, Joe spent his free time playing softball with his much-loved Silber Knights and prized summer weekends playing tennis with friends at the Seabright Lawn and Tennis Club. In retirement, Joe played tennis as often as possible and laid awake at night crafting the lineup for the Brooks Cup, an annual tennis competition for which Joe captained his Shadow Wood community team. He also volunteered as a coach for Challenger Baseball, a league for kids with intellectual and physical challenges. Ironically, Joe coached the Red Sox. Nothing brought more joy to Joe than his family. He adored his children, J.P. and Meghan; doted over his five grandchildren and many nieces and nephews; and placed immense value on his relationship with his brothers. Joe revered his father, with whom he enjoyed playing Scrabble in the living room of the Cooney family’s Henry Street home while reminiscing about Cooney family history as they both grew older. Among Joe’s favorite things in life was family Thanksgiving gatherings at Henry Street and at other Cooney family homes, which over time spread to other New Jersey towns, Virginia, and North Carolina—Joe looked forward to those gatherings all year long. Most of all, Joe loved spending time with his grandchildren, watching them play baseball, soccer, and basketball, attending their swim meets, playing H-O-R-S-E, treating them to Hibachi every Thanksgiving Eve, and sharing belly-aching laughter. Joe lived a rich and meaningful life marked by his devotion to family, dedication to friends, and abiding faith. He is survived by his beloved wife and companion, Michele; two children, J.P. and Meghan, along with their spouses Maureen Cooney and Michael Rinehart; five grandchildren, Eleanor, Ryan, Mary, Connor, and Annie; four brothers, Brian (Christy), Kevin (Theresa), Terry, and Sean (Nan); sisters-in-law Debbie (Len) and Jacquelyn; an aunt and many nephews, nieces, and godchildren; and countless friends he considered as family. Joe is pre-deceased by his father, Joseph; mother, Joan; brother, Dennis; and nephew, Danny. A viewing will be held on Sunday, August 21 from 2:00 to 5:00pm at Shikany’s Bonita Funeral Home in Bonita Springs. A funeral Mass will be held on Monday, August 22 at 12:00pm at Our Lady of Light Catholic Community in Fort Myers. In lieu of flowers, the Cooney family would appreciate donations to Saint Peter’s Prep in Jersey City or the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation. To sign Joe’s guest register or to leave online condolences, please visit www.ShikanyFuneralHome.com.

Joseph Kevin Cooney

August 23, 1950 - August 17, 2022