Date of death: 9/24/2023
Saint Meinrad Class: O 1972
Daniel Joseph McCoy, 77, of Carmel, IN passed away on Sunday, September 24, 2023. He was born in Indianapolis, IN to his parents Walter and Elizabeth McCoy, the 4th of 7 children. Dan was a devoted husband of 55 years to his wife Karen and father to his 2 children, Danny Jr and Charity. He adored his 2 grandchildren, Carter and Cora.
Dan was a 1964 graduate of Latin School of Indianapolis and also attended St. Meinrad Seminary. Dan graduated from Marian College in 1968 with B.S. degrees in Chemistry and Mathematics. He taught at Ladywood St. Agnes High School for 2 years before receiving his PhD in toxicology from Indiana University Medical School in 1974.
Dan and Karen moved to Grand Rapids, MI with their family in 1974 to pursue special education programs available to Danny, their autistic son. Dan accepted a position as Director of the Toxicology Lab, Research and the Poison Center at Blodgett Memorial Hospital. While in Michigan, he was a founding member of the Western Michigan Poison Control Center and served as an adjunct professor at Michigan State University. He also worked as a forensic toxicologist and expert witness for 4 decades. Additionally, he was the director of multiple drug testing labs across the country.
Dan was an advocate for autistic and developmentally disabled individuals throughout his life. He and Karen founded the Autism Society for Western Michigan. Dan served as president of the Autism Society for many years. He also served as a board member for an organization that helped with housing for the developmentally disabled population all his life.
Dan was an avid sports enthusiast, especially for IU! He loved playing basketball in high school and college and passed his love of the game on to his family. As well as sports, Dan also had a love of music and played acoustic guitars since he was a teenager. He was known for playing at family gatherings, and also played the Wedding Song at his daughter’s wedding mass. Fishing was also one of his favorite outlets, which he passed down to his children and grandchildren.