Fair Oaks Ranch couple dies in Sept. 20 plane crash
Heather McCoy’s handiwork hung bright for all to see — purple-dominated mums flashing all throughout the Boerne High School campus during Homecoming week Sept. 8-12.
Unfortunately, the dozens and dozens of mums will stand as McCoy’s swan song. She and her husband, ret. Lt. Col. Michael McCoy, Fair Oaks Ranch residents, died Sept. 20 in a plane crash outside Louise, Texas. Both were 62 years old.
Misty McElhannon Stout, in her ninth year at “That’s What She Said: Mums in Boerne,” knew Heather well from her CraftWerks Ribbon outlet.
“It is with extreme sadness that I share the loss of an incredible member of our community. Heather McCoy was an iconic businesswoman, mum maker, ribbon designer, entrepreneur, pilot, mother, wife, friend and mentor,” Stout said.
“It was an honor to be her friend. We met way back in my very first year in the mum business and she cheered me along every step of the way.”
The Wharton County, Texas Sheriff’s Office confirmed the McCoys were on board a North American T-6, and were both pronounced dead at the scene, near FM 382 in the city of Louise, which is about 85 miles southwest of Houston.
Federal Aviation Administration officials are on the scene. Representatives from the National Transportation Safety Board are looking into the cause of the crash.
The T-6 Texan like the one the McCoys were flying is an American single-engined advanced trainer aircraft, which was used to train pilots during World War II and into the 1970s. The T-6 Texan remains a popular warbird used for airshow demonstrations and static displays.
Social media posts went up shortly after the McCoys — avid aviation enthusiasts — were identified as the crash victims.
One poster commented, “Heather was one of the kindest and most caring persons I’ve ever known as was her husband, Mike. Her son, Gunnar, is my son’s best friend. Her husband Mike was not only a mentor to my son but a great friend to him as well. Both Heather and Mike will truly be missed.”
Another said, “Our boys played football together. Mike was an inspiration to so many young people in the aviation community.”
Melissa and Garlyn Stapleton were close friends with the McCoys, having grown up through scouting with the family.
“When we moved here, our boys were in scouts together. They were heavily involved, even Heather,” Melissa said. “Mike was a huge part in scouting along with my husband. The scouting community was very tight; we were very close.”
When Melissa launched her own business, Texas Gourmet Pantry, Heather was there, offering her knowledge and skill set to the first-time entrepreneur.
“When I first bought my business, Heather was there with me, helping me get computers set up, it was amazing,” she said. “She was a huge asset to her community. She taught so many people how to do mums, she was not a competitive businesswoman, she shared what she knew, which was from the heart.”
The couple’s true love, she said, was aviation.
“They absolutely loved aviation. Mike was a pilot for Delta Airlines. He flew his plane and took a couple of the boys (in scouting) for their aviation badge,” she said. “They both loved flying, and they talked about it all the time. They were doing what they loved.”
Misty McElhannon Stout, right, said Heather McCoy was an “iconic businesswoman, mum maker ... pilot, mother, wife, friend and mentor.”
Courtesy photo
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