Deacon John A. Coffin

John A. Coffin, an area religious education director, was pronounced dead of natural causes April 9 at 12:57 a.m. in the emergency room of Reading Hospital.

Coffin, 63, Greenwich Township, was the husband of Barbara (Quellmalz) Coffin.

Born in Guilford, Vt., he was a son of the late Elroy C. and Dora M. (Martel) Coffin.

Coffin began his career as a teacher in Cleveland schools, where he taught from 1966-68. He was then executive director of the Southeastern Vermont Community Action Agency, Bellows Falls, Vt.

He later worked as assistant director of the Eastern Middlesex Opportunity Council, Malden, Mass., and from 1976-81 was director of religious education at St. Mary's Parish, Kutztown.

Since 1983, Coffin had served as director of religious education at St. Ignatius Loyola Roman Catholic Church, Whitfield, last working April 8.

He was a member at St. Ignatius Loyola. He served as deacon at the parish since 1982, after graduating from the first deacon formation class of the Allentown Diocese.

Coffin also developed and directed the RCIA program at St. Ignatius for the past 18 years.

During his association with the Allentown Diocese, Coffin had served as a member of its deaconate board and was a past president of its Association of Coordinators of Religious Educators.

Coffin was a 1960 graduate of St. Michael's High School, Brattleboro, Vt.; a 1965 graduate of St. Francis College, Biddeford, Maine; and received his master's degree in education from John Carroll University, Cleveland.

He was also a life member of the Knights of Columbus.

Coffin is also survived by two sons, Tom Levan, Fleetwood, and Jared Coffin, at home; and three daughters: Lisa (Saraceni) Coffin, in Massachusetts; Rebecca (Coffin) Shields, St. Louis; and Tara Levan, Philadelphia.

There are also seven grandchildren.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Wednesday at 8 p.m. in St. Ignatius Loyola RC Church. Private entombment will be in Gethsemane Cemetery Mausoleum, Laureldale. Edward J. Kuhn Funeral Home Inc., West Reading, is in charge of arrangements.