John Philip Cogley Jr., 77

The Cogley family wants to share the passing of their beloved John Philip Cogley, affectionally known as Papa John and Johnny. He died suddenly at the age of 77 on Saturday, Dec. 31, 2022, while visiting family for the holidays. Johnny was a true Irishman who had a twinkle in his eye, an impish smile and the gift of gab. As his oldest granddaughter said, “He touched a lot of peoples’ hearts by his funny personality.”

John was a professor at Eastern Washington University for 27 years heading the therapeutic recreation program and six years as chair of the Physical Education, Health and Recreation department. He was a passionate educator who guided students of all ages to achieve their educational goals. In the '80s, John was instrumental in creating the adaptive ski program at Mt. Spokane. Recently one of his youngest grandsons participated in a similar program in California. Such is the beauty of life coming full circle. During the past eight years, John and Patty retired in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.

John is survived by his wife Patty, of 46 years, three sons and one daughter: Phil and Lori Cogley; Chris and Sheri Cogley; Ryan and Christie Cogley; and Meghan and Michael Dehdashtian. Papa John had nine grandchildren, who were his pride and joy: Melissa and Trevor; Kien and Dylan; Carter and Kenleigh; and Alessia, Hudson and Andrew John. Their ages ranged from 19 to 5 years old. John is also survived by his sister, Kathy Buchanan.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to Special Olympics Idaho.

https://support.specialolympics.org/a/idaho?ms=IDMP_EOY21_22FUND_WEB&utm_campaign=IDMP_EOY21_22FUND&utm_medium=web&utm_source=web or Therapeutic Recreation (adaptive ski program) of Spokane, Wash.

www.spokaneparksfoundation.org/donate

On June 3, there will be a celebration of life at Eastern Washington University. To RSVP and share photos and stories, please visit https://everloved.com/life-of/john-cogley/.