Vance Cooney, a retired professor of management information systems at Eastern Washington University, died of cancer on Jan. 31, 2021. He was 69.
Cooney received his PhD from the University of Arizona and worked at Eastern from 1999 until his retirement in 2017.
Health information technology was Cooney’s passion. He co-created EWU’s Health Information Technology Management (HITM) program and was the HITM program coordinator and HITM student club advisor for a long time. He also served on Washington Healthcare Industry Information Council and Spokane Community College HIT Board of Advisors.
Coworkers remember Cooney as a warm and passionate professor and colleague. Students and colleagues were impressed by his voice, fun-loving personality and laughter. When students entered his classroom, he always had music playing, such as the Beatles, establishing a lighthearted environment before the students began their education. Colleagues in the College of Business say they’ll miss his laughing so much.
Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, a memorial service is not possible at this time. Prior to his illness, Cooney had planned to volunteer with Meals on Wheels. If you would like to memorialize him, please consider making a donation in his name to support their important work.
