Obituary for John V. Corcoran
John Vincent Corcoran, of Acton, Massachusetts, passed away on Wednesday, March 15, 2023. John is survived by his beloved wife Nancy (Ann), his children Larry, Ellen and Bill, his grandson Samuel, his granddaughters Cecilia, Caitlyn, Meaghan and Shannyn, his daughter-in law Karen, his son-in-law Bob, his brother Richard and his sister Susan Shaffer.
Although it is impossible to convey in a short obituary John’s life and his impact on those people who were fortunate to live with and share his experiences, he demonstrated to his family and his colleagues that he deeply cared about them on a daily basis. John was born on July 14, 1937, and graduated from Boston College, Harvard University and Indiana University. He had a wide-ranging career as an educator, including as Director of Federal Programs for the City of Worcester and as a teacher of English as a second language at several colleges in New England. He served as President of the National Association of Federal Program Administrators, and as president of Case Collaborative in Massachusetts, and nationally for TESOL, (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages). One of his most impactful experiences was traveling to the Soviet Union in 1965, at the height of the Cold War. He continued to engage and explore education through multiple lenses, working towards his PHD at the University of Massachusetts.
His colleagues in Worcester remember him as one of the kindest, most well-spoken people they have ever worked with. He loved arriving to work in the morning and the simple pleasure of walking to nearby coffee shops with his friends. In his travels to educational conferences throughout the country and his visits to school systems in most of the cities and towns in central and eastern Massachusetts, John made friends wherever he went.
He met his wife Ann (Nancy) during his years at Boston College when she was acting in various plays in Boston and Cambridge. After their marriage, they spent summers in southern Maine, swimming in lakes, listening to the cries of loons, and sharing the traditions of people who lived in the towns they visited, including corn on the cob eating contests, lobster festivals, and sitting on docks on foggy mornings watching the world come to life.
John was thoughtful, kind and empathized with people naturally. He will be remembered as a dedicated little league coach who always made time to attend his children’s games and other events. His love of education and teaching was evident in the books that he read and shared with his children, two of whom have also had personally fulfilling careers in education. He loved trying to recapture his fluency in the Russian language (which he studied at Indiana University), playing table tennis and pick-up basketball with his sons, and acting as Santa Claus at Christmas parties for his family and friends.
May His Memory Be A Blessing
Although it is impossible to convey in a short obituary John’s life and his impact on those people who were fortunate to live with and share his experiences, he demonstrated to his family and his colleagues that he deeply cared about them on a daily basis. John was born on July 14, 1937, and graduated from Boston College, Harvard University and Indiana University. He had a wide-ranging career as an educator, including as Director of Federal Programs for the City of Worcester and as a teacher of English as a second language at several colleges in New England. He served as President of the National Association of Federal Program Administrators, and as president of Case Collaborative in Massachusetts, and nationally for TESOL, (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages). One of his most impactful experiences was traveling to the Soviet Union in 1965, at the height of the Cold War. He continued to engage and explore education through multiple lenses, working towards his PHD at the University of Massachusetts.
His colleagues in Worcester remember him as one of the kindest, most well-spoken people they have ever worked with. He loved arriving to work in the morning and the simple pleasure of walking to nearby coffee shops with his friends. In his travels to educational conferences throughout the country and his visits to school systems in most of the cities and towns in central and eastern Massachusetts, John made friends wherever he went.
He met his wife Ann (Nancy) during his years at Boston College when she was acting in various plays in Boston and Cambridge. After their marriage, they spent summers in southern Maine, swimming in lakes, listening to the cries of loons, and sharing the traditions of people who lived in the towns they visited, including corn on the cob eating contests, lobster festivals, and sitting on docks on foggy mornings watching the world come to life.
John was thoughtful, kind and empathized with people naturally. He will be remembered as a dedicated little league coach who always made time to attend his children’s games and other events. His love of education and teaching was evident in the books that he read and shared with his children, two of whom have also had personally fulfilling careers in education. He loved trying to recapture his fluency in the Russian language (which he studied at Indiana University), playing table tennis and pick-up basketball with his sons, and acting as Santa Claus at Christmas parties for his family and friends.
May His Memory Be A Blessing