Retired newspaperman Rodney Marshall Coggin dies at 88

For 43 years, Rodney Marshall Coggin ran a weekly newspaper that made champions of the Northern Neck's people.

Mr. Coggin, who lived in Warsaw and was a former editor, owner and publisher of the Northern Neck News, died Sunday. He was 88.

A dive-bomber pilot during World War II, Mr. Coggin bought the paper from his grandfather, W.Y. Morgan, in 1949, four years after he returned from the Pacific.

In 1992, Mr. Coggin sold the paper to Whitney Communications, but not before leaving a significant mark in the Northern Neck area with his decades of dedication to local characters and happenings.

"He cared about people's stories, and it was important to him to keep a connection with the community," said Evelyn Parker, who started working for the Northern Neck News in 1962.

"He had a genuine interest in the local happenings. He believed in integrity, honesty and truthfulness. He was outspoken and so often, I found him to give constructive criticism," said Parker, who continues to write a weekly column for the newspaper. "He was a beacon in this community, a man of great, great knowledge. .. He was a great man."

Mr. Coggin had a particular interest in the history of the Northern Neck area and used the newspaper to bring that history to people's attention, said former Secretary of the Army John O. Marsh Jr., who met Mr. Coggin while representing Virginia's 7th District in the U.S House of Representatives.

Marsh remembers that Mr. Coggin ran stories of the Northern Neck's role in advocating for freedom of the Philippines before World War I.

"He was a great newspaper historian," Marsh said. "He was sensitive to history and understood it, and saw the Northern Neck's contributions to American history."

Storytelling was one of Mr. Coggin's passions, said his son Rodney A. Coggin, a Richmond resident. He was aware of recent changes and challenges in the newspaper industry, but he remained faithful to the newspaper's "goals and their accomplishments to the end," his son said.

"He never lost faith on what newspapers can contribute to communities," he said.

A small family memorial service will be held today at 1 p.m. at St. John's Episcopal Church in Warsaw.

In addition to his son Rodney, survivors include his wife, Mary Ames Coggin; another son, Turner Coggin of Richmond; a daughter, Rebecca Hubert of Warsaw; and seven grandchildren.

Contact Luz Lazo at (804) 649-6058 or .