John C. Cooling Sr.

Friends remember John Cooling as a gentle giant. "He stood around 6'5". It was so interesting to see him walking down the hall with his third graders who barely came to his waist. He was a kind man with a big smile," said Anne Jurgens, his friend and co-worker.

John C. Cooling, Sr., 53, died among family on December 18, 2000. He is survived by his children, Krista, Dana, and John C. Cooling, Jr.; his mother, Thelma Cooling; his sister and brother-in-law, Carl and Richard Webb; his niece and nephew, Katie Webb and Matthew Felice, as well as many friends. He was predeceased by father, Charles Cooling. John was a retired teacher of 27 years in the Hilton School District, and a part time Realtor for Nothnagle.

Cooling graduated from SUNY Brockport in 1969 with a degree in elementary education. Following college, he worked in the Churchville School District, until moving to Hilton in 1973. After three years as an elementary school counselor, he returned to teaching and taught fifth grade for six years, fourth grade for one year, and the remaining 17 years in third grade at the Village Elementary School.

Hilton Superintendent of Schools John Cooper said, "The people at the Village Elementary School especially spoke of his kindness, steady and warm way with children, and his dedication to his profession. As a third grade teacher for so many years, he left a significant mark on the lives of so many children."

Kevin Klock, a former student, said, "He was always very excited about what he was teaching. And that was picked up by his students."

"John has been continually described as a caretaker, a person who looked out for and touched those students who could so easily have been left in the background," Aggie Seneway, a friend and coworker, said. "More than that, though, he was devoted to his family, most proud of his children, whom he nourished, encouraged and protected."

His daughter, Dana, said her father spent much of his free time coaching their sports teams and summer leagues while they were growing up.

In addition to his family and teaching, Mr. Cooling also worked as a home Realtor, specializing in lakefront property. Though only a part-time commitment, his dedication to his clients, even during his illness, was unwavering, winning him the Hilton Nothnagle Realtors' 1999 Citizen of the Year award.

Details on a memorial fund through the Hilton School district will be forthcoming.

Funeral services for Mr. Cooling were held December 21 at Hope Lutheran Church.