Daniel C. Cooney, 20, of Verona, passed away on Sunday, April 9, 2017.
Relatives and friends are invited to visit with the family at Paul Ippolito-Dancy Memorial, 9 Smull Ave., Caldwell, on Sunday, April 16, 2017 from 6 to 9 p.m., and on Monday, April 17, 2017, from 3 to 7 p.m. A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered at Our Lady of the Lake Church, Verona, on Tuesday, April 18, 2017 at 10 a.m., followed by the burial at Gate of Heaven Cemetery, East Hanover.
A 2015 graduate of St. Peter’s Prep in Jersey City, Dan was an Ignatian Scholar, a member of the National Honor Society and one of the baseball team captains his senior year. His former teacher Dom Scabilia called Dan “very much a team player on the field and in the classroom- a stalwart student, in the top of his class. He was one of those students you remember, a quiet leader. He was a center of influence.” Dan’s beloved Coach Pat Laguerre called him “the best player he ever had the opportunity to coach”. While Dan was a First Team All-State selection and Hudson County Player of the Year, he was humble and shunned individual accolades and focused on preparation, playing hard, mentoring younger players and leading by example. The school monogram is what mattered most and his bond with his brothers. He embodied the school’s credo of truly being a “Man for Others”. The impact Dan’s life had on those who knew him far exceeded his exploits on the baseball field. Dan participated in several community service initiatives both at school and in his community.
Dan attended Babson College, in Babson Park, Mass. to study business and play baseball. In the words of Matt Noone, head coach, “At every turn and through each level he played, Dan was a leader and winner on and off the field. In 2016, Dan came out of the bullpen and dominated and later became a starting pitcher and won some of our biggest games as we finished the year as one of the top teams in New England. He was all that we want Babson baseball players to be. His friendly and caring demeanor instantly made him a popular leader on our campus in many different and impactful ways. The Cooney family, the Babson community and the baseball world lost an all-star son, brother, teammate and champion. We are saddened by his loss but take some comfort knowing that our lives have been enriched by his time with us.” Dan’s lifelong friend PJ Walshe simply sums up his feelings of Dan in saying, “he is the finest man I know”. What his friends and family will always cherish most about Dan is his smile, sense of humor, genuineness, humility and kind heart.
Daniel was the beloved son of Sean and Nan (nee Portway) Cooney; cherished brother of Brooke Cooney, and loving grandson of Joseph Cooney and the late Joan Cooney and the late Ann and Thomas Portway. He is also survived by loving aunts, uncles and cousins, dear friends, teammates and coaches.
In lieu of flowers, donations to one of the following would be appreciated: Checks in Dan’s memory can be written out to St. Peter’s Prep at 144 Grand Street, Jersey City, NJ, 07302. Alternatively, donations in Dan’s memory to Babson College Baseball, Babson Park, MA 02457 would be appreciated.
