Indianapolis official who ensured safety at city’s Super Bowl, Final Four, dies

Longtime Central Indiana public servant Gary Coons died Sunday morning, his family told IndyStar.

The 46-year-old's cause of death is not yet known. Coons, former chief of Homeland Security for the city of Indianapolis, had been battling Parkinson's disease for more than a decade.

He leaves behind a legacy of public service, kindness and advocacy, his brother Tom Coons said.

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Gary Coons worked for fire departments in Franklin Township and Beech Grove, and he acted as deputy coroner for the Marion County coroner's office, according to his LinkedIN profile and his family. He served as Perry Township trustee from 2007 to 2010.

Later, as chief of the city's Homeland Security, Coons was responsible for ensuring safety and security during some of the city's largest events, including Super Bowl XLVI, the Final Four and Indianapolis Colts games. He also was in charge of the investigation into the Richmond Hill explosion that killed two people and destroyed dozens of homes.

Coons was manager of the city's Emergency Operations Center at the time of his death.

"How dedicated he was to the people of Indianapolis, to its visitors, to his family, to his friends, to anyone he would meet," Tom Coons said. "He would go over and above to make sure you were happy and safe and had a good time."

Gary Coons didn't let his fight with Parkinson's disease keep him from focusing on the positive, his family said.

"Parkinson's may affect your life, but I refuse to let it ruin my life," Coons wrote March 5, 2017, in a Facebook post. "Still believing that no matter what Parkinson's tries to take, you will be blessed twice more."

Coons was 33 when he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, his family said. He believed his diagnosis was linked to toxic exposure during his time as a firefighter. He founded the Firefighters with Parkinson’s Disease Network to educate firefighters and public servants on the dangers of emergency response and to raise funds for research.

"Gary was a tireless public servant and Indianapolis is a safer place because of his decades of leadership," Mayor Joe Hogsett said Sunday on Twitter. "I would ask that our community join Steph and I in expressing our deepest sympathies and heartfelt gratitude to Blake, Bailey, and the entire Coons family."

Indianapolis Fire Chief Ernest Malone thanked Coons for his service.

"Firefighter, Friend, Father, Brother, Son & selfless servant to our city," Malone said Sunday on Twitter. "On behalf of all @IFD_NEWS we mourn the unexpected loss of Chief Gary Coons today and hope that his family finds peace knowing he was loved by all."

Coons' family said he loved to laugh and be around loved ones.

His niece, Elizabeth Coons, said he used to bring her out with him when she was little, using her as a "chick magnet" to get girls to talk to him.

"That was always our joke," she recalled. "I was his little wing girl. One time, he returned me and my diaper was on backward. We teased him relentlessly."

She said her uncle also advocated for anyone who needed to be heard.

Tom Coons said Gary Coons befriended Jordan McLinn, an Indianapolis boy with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, and the two had a saying: "Be kind to everyone, because you have no idea what battle they might be fighting."

Call IndyStar reporter Marisa Kwiatkowski at (317) 444-6135. Follow her on Twitter: @IndyMarisaK.