Obituary - James H. "Chris" Coffin, former Swampscott High School teacher

James H. "Chris" Coffin, Jr., 73, of Peabody and formerly of Middleton, died Sunday, May 5, 2013, at Providence Regional Medical Center in Everett, Wash., surrounded by his children. He was the husband of the late Susanne (Wisniewski) Coffin. James is survived by his children, Jamie Coffin and wife, Amber Agne, of Seattle, and Kristen (Coffin) Merrill and husband, Michael Merrill of Arlington; his grandsons, Owen and Eli Merrill; and his sister, Donna (Coffin) Butler and husband, Theodore Butler of Middleton.

Raised in Middleton, he was the son of the late James H. and Dorothy (Smith) Coffin. He was a graduate of Holten High School in Danvers and went on to obtain a Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering from Tufts University, a Master's degree in Business Administration from Northeastern University, and a Master's degree in Physics from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He lived in Peabody for over 40 years.

Chris taught high school chemistry for over 30 years, most of those in the Swampscott Public Schools. He was an avid sports fan who loved calculating statistics, and he loved to cook and travel. He enjoyed spending time with his family at Kimball Lake in Fryeburg, Maine.

ARRANGEMENTS: There will be no public funeral service, at the request of the family. Memorial donations may be made to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, P.O. Box 849168, Boston, MA 02284-9168.