Robert Corcoran, 1930-2014
PUYALLUP
Robert Corcoran, a longtime member of All Saints Parish who headed the Archdiocese of Seattle’s Catholic Fund Office from 1987 to 2000, died Feb. 12. He was 83.
Born July 4, 1930, in Kalispell, Mont., he became a decorated Korean War veteran, Jell-O salesman, minor league baseball player, TV talk show host, theater manager, wrestling announcer, college play-by-play announcer and businessman.
But when he retired in 2000, he called his tenure as the founding director of the archdiocesan Catholic Fund “the brightest 14 years I’ve ever spent in my work career.”
Working under Archbishops Raymond G. Hunthausen, Thomas J. Murphy and Alexander J. Brunett, Corcoran led the office’s work in soliciting donations to support tuition assistance for Catholic schools and Catholic Community Services, among other initiatives. He also led the Gift of Faith fundraising campaign that helped launch the Fulcrum Foundation, which supports Catholic education in the archdiocese, and helped transition the Catholic Fund into the current Crozier Society, which supports seminarian formation, said Crozier Society director Patti Fersch.
He was preceded in death by his daughter, Susan Kay.
He is survived by his wife, Lee; sons, Christopher, Robert F., Michael and Robert Arthur; 10 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren, with two more on the way.
A funeral Mass was celebrated Feb. 17 at All Saints Church.
March 11, 2014