Brian Toomey: ‘Howard’ will be missed

I knew about Howard Coble even before moving to North Carolina in 2005. At the time, I was executive director of a community health center in Boston, and I had accepted a similar job here.

When an aide to a Democratic congressman in Boston heard that I was moving here, he instructed me to relay greetings from his boss. “I’ve got to tell you, I’m a little surprised,” I told him, explaining that I didn’t expect a Democrat from the Northeast to be good friends with a Republican from the South.

Once I got here and had the chance to meet Coble, however, I understood.

In the state’s congressional delegation, he was one of the strongest supporters of community health centers and our SeniorCare programs and of our mission of providing high-quality health care to everyone, regardless of ability to pay.

Coble was a faithful and enthusiastic attendee at our open houses during National Health Center Week. People always wanted to get a photo with “Howard” – he wasn’t Congressman Coble to his constituents. He was just Howard.

Coble was a great American and a great North Carolinian. He lived out his humility every day. He will be greatly missed by the Piedmont Health family.

This story was originally published November 6, 2015 at 5:40 PM with the headline "Brian Toomey: ‘Howard’ will be missed."