John Coady, Sr

JOHN TINGLE COADY, SR.


John Tingle Coady, Sr., “Black Jack” of St. Michaels, MD, formerly of Towson, MD, died Friday evening, April 29, 2011 at Memorial Hospital, Easton, MD at age 85.

Born on September 6, 1925 in Baltimore, MD, he was the son of the late Charles Pearce Coady and Emma Louise Tingle Coady. His great-grandfather, David P.B. Tingle from Berlin, MD fought in the Confederate Army. His grandfather, Charles P. Coady passed the Maryland Bar in 1894 and established Coady & Farley, Attorney’s and Counselors at Law in Baltimore, MD. His grandfather also served in the U.S. Congress from 1915-1921, representing East Baltimore.

Mr. Coady attended Govans Elementary, Roland Park Public, Baltimore City College, Johns Hopkins University, and the University of Baltimore Law School, earning his Law Degree and passing the bar in 1952.

Mr. Coady served his country in the United States Navy from 1943-1946 where he was honorably discharged as a signalman second class after serving on a Landing Craft Infantry (LCI) in the Pacific Theater.

On June 30, 1951 he married the former Mary Ellen Andrews of Pikesville, MD.

He and his family spent all of their summers at Dewey Beach, DE in their two cottages from the late 1920’s. The storm of March 1962 destroyed the oceanfront cottage and damaged the second cottage. His father later sold the lots and the cottage in 1970.

Mr. Coady was very proud to be a third generation Maryland lawyer where he practiced in Baltimore City, Baltimore County and Talbot County for over 47 years, mostly in the real estate field. He enjoyed making house calls to his clients if they were unable to come to his office, something you don’t hear too much of today. The firm Coady & Farley is still practicing law after 117 years, one of Maryland’s oldest established law firms.

Mr. Coady established the Central Towson Property Owners Association in order to have the roughly two blocks of homes west of the newly constructed Court House for office use without changing the outward appearance of the homes. He enlisted the help of T. Bruce Hanley, an expert court lawyer and friend, which resulted in obtaining a new “RO” zoning allowing the homeowners in this two block area to utilize the said property as an office and add an addition to it, but not allowing them to tear down the building and replace it with an office building. Today, this zoning has been a harmonious blending of office and home usage.

Mr. Coady was the Chapter Counsel of his Fraternity from Johns Hopkins, Beta Theta Pi. With his good friend Walter C. Pohlhaus, known as Neil, they helped run a drive to purchase a new home for their fraternity which was then located at 2721 N. Charles St. They purchased 3906 Canterbury Rd., north of the campus, and sold the Charles St. property which up until then had been a home for many Beta’s since 1921.

Mr. Coady was a member of the Baltimore City, Baltimore County, Talbot County and State and Federal Bar Associations. He was also a member of the Elks Club, The St. Andrews Society, The Eastern Shore Society, The Navy League, his college fraternity Beta Theta Pi, The Wig and Pen Club, The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in St. Michaels, Pickering Creek and a lifetime member of the Project Liberty Ship, S.S. John W. Brown.

Mr. Coady enjoyed hunting, fishing and working on his farm located on Solitude Creek just outside of St. Michaels.

Surviving besides his wife of 59 years, Mary Ellen Andrews Coady, is a daughter Paula C. Petry, both of St. Michaels and son John T. Coady, Jr. of Easton; four grandchildren Christopher W. Petry, Andrew T. Petry, William T. Petry and Mary E. Coady; and four great-grandchildren.

A Celebration of Life Service for Jack will be held at 3 p.m. on Saturday, June 4th at the family farm where the family will receive friends an hour prior to the service and for a reception there following the service.

Cremation entrusted to Mid Shore Cremation Center by Colleen Curran-Bromwell, P.A. of Cambridge. To view online condolences, please visit www.curran-bromwell.com