Salvatore Louis Coco

Salvatore “Sam” Louis Coco

Salvatore (Sam) Coco died December 15, 2020 at a Bangor Hospital. He was 95 years old and had been a Brewer resident since 1963.

Sam was born April 27, 1925, in Lawrence, Massachusetts, the oldest son of Gaetano Alfio Coco and Rosa DiFrancesco, both natives of Trecastagni, Sicily (province of Catania). He attended Lawrence schools, including the Prospect Street School and Hood School and graduated in 1943 from Lawrence High School. In his later high school years, Sam played in the high school band and worked the afternoon shift in one of the local woolen mills.

As his 18th birthday approached, Sam decided to serve his country in uniform and enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Force, completing his basic training in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Shortly following his basic training, Sam was instructed one weekend to return home and pick up his musical instruments - a saxophone and clarinet, and returned to duty in Atlantic City as a member of the 678th Army Air Force (AAF) Band, formed in the summer of 1943 to replace the AAF band of Major Glenn Miller, who had shipped off with his band to the European theater. Later during the war years, Sam was assigned to AAF bands at Cochran Field, North Carolina, in Macon, Georgia and in San Antonio, Texas, where in February 1946 he was honorably discharged. Sam was proud of his years in the service and was always grateful to one of his officers in Atlantic City, a Major Gerloff, who had assigned him to the AAF band. His assignment to the band brought Sam many new friends and cultivated his musical talents and love for band music.

After enrolling at New York University for a semester after the war, Sam returned to New England to focus on his music. He moved to Maine briefly, working with the Floyd Cropley Orchestra. After returning home in 1948, he pursued bachelor studies in music at Boston University, studying clarinet with Pasquale Cardillo and saxophone with Joe Viola. While at BU, Sam played with the Charlie Annaloro Orchestra at the Capri Restaurant in Lawrence and with the Ted Herbert Band at the ballroom in Hampton Beach, NH.

After finishing musical studies in 1953, Sam began his first teaching job as director of school music in Washburn, Maine, where he met the love of his life, Carolyn Harmon, a registered dietician and the Washburn High School home economics teacher. They married in August 1956 at St. Mary’s Church in Presque Isle, Maine. The newlyweds then moved to North Attleboro, Massachusetts, where Sam started a masters of education program at Boston College, commuting into Boston for evening classes while serving as director of school music at Pawtucket, RI. Upon completing his masters, Sam and Carolyn returned to Maine, where Sam served as guidance counselor in Newport and Corinna schools and later at Rumford High School. In 1963, Sam became a guidance counselor at Bangor High School, serving Bangor students until his retirement in 1985.

While in Maine, Sam continued his music avocationally, playing in several area bands, including the Paul Dinsmore Band, the Nat Diamond Band, the Hal Wheeler Band and the Bangor Band. For over 35 years Sam played alto sax with the Al Corey Big Band.

During his retirement Sam enjoyed substitute teaching in Dedham, practicing his alto sax, gardening, and taking coffee breaks with his wife Carolyn, the staff librarian at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Bangor. He enjoyed reading World War II history books, Italian cooking, having a glass of wine with his meals and telling stories about growing up in an Italian-American family in Lawrence, MA. After his beloved wife Carolyn passed away, Sam joined the team of volunteers at St. Joseph’s Hospital working at the front desk for over 10 years. He loved greeting people at the hospital and made it his mission to welcome everyone who walked through the door with a kind word and smile. Dad was a faithful member of Bangor area grief groups and played many years with the Sentimental Journey Band at All Soul’s Church in Bangor. He was a member of St. Joseph’s Parish in Brewer and was a communicant of St. John’s Catholic Church in Bangor over the last 40 years.

Sam is survived by his sons, John of N. Clarendon, VT and David of Berlin, Germany, three grandchildren Andrew, Betsy and Eleonora and a sister Mary and brother-in-law Donald Delauter of Southern Pines, North Carolina. He was predeceased by his dear wife, Carolyn, his parents and two younger brothers, John and Freddy.

Sam was grateful to have many dear friends associated with St. Joseph’s Hospital over the years and blessed to have a group of special friends from his volunteer work at the hospital who were his lifeline during his many months of home isolation due to COVID. These friends passed by regularly to bring him groceries, accompanied him to doctors’ appointments, helped him with household tasks and offered him encouragement and love. We are indebted to them for the love and care they gave Dad.

Due to the current COVID pandemic, a celebration of Sam’s life will be held later this year in the spring. An announcement will be made at a later date. For those who would like to remember Sam in a special way, donations may be made to St. Joseph’s Hospital, P.O. Box 1638, Bangor, ME. 04402-1638 the St. John’s Organ Society (www.hookopus288.org, Saint Paul the Apostle Parish, 207 York Street, Bangor 04401) or the Bangor Public Library, 145 Harlow St., Bangor, ME. 04401.
Condolences to the family may be expressed at BrookingsSmith.com.