Obituary of Mary K. Coogan
Mary Keating Coogan died peacefully on December 20, 2017 at the age of 92. Known for her love of community and family, she embraced life and was an idol to many as a beacon of strength, integrity, health and humor. She was an avid athlete, enjoying tennis, paddle tennis, skiing, golf and cheering on her beloved Giants!
Mary, the daughter of Vincent Leo Keating, Esq. and Mary Radel Keating, was raised on Toilsom Hill Road in Fairfield, CT with her siblings Nancy and Vincent. She attended Baldwin School in Bryn Mawr, PA and graduated from Brown University, Class of 1947, where she met David, the love of her life, at a Phi Gamma Delta Fraternity party. David and Mary were married on May 7, 1949 and settled in Mountain Lakes, NJ where they raised their four children.
Mary, a founding member of The Barn Theater in Montville, NJ, served on the Board of Directors and remained an active volunteer for many years. She served on the Saint Claire's Hospital Board of Trustees and co-founded, along with her husband David, the Harvest Festival which ran from 1974 - 2003, raising over $5 million for the hospital. The Harvest Festival often featured surprise appearances by the ladder-climbing, roof-dancing black lab Chester who was cherished by Mary and tolerated by David and the rest of the family. She was a founding member of St. Catherine of Siena Church in Mountain Lakes and active at the Rockaway River Country Club where she captained the Metropolitan Women's Golf Team and Paddle Tennis Teams.
Mary is survived by her four loving children, Mary Coogan of Rockaway Township, Dede Coogan Beardsley of Boulder, CO, David Coogan of Palm Harbor, FL and Patty Coogan Smith of Cohasset, MA; ten grandchildren, Alex, Jill and Emily Macina, Drew and Ali Beardsley, Kelly and Maggie Coogan and Reed, Devin and Gordon Smith; nine great-grandchildren and the secret recipe for her famous Mary's Mustard!
A funeral mass will be offered Saturday, January 13, 2018 at 10:00 am at St. Catherine Siena Church, 10 N Pocono Road, Mountain Lakes, NJ 07046 with reception to follow. Arrangements in care of Codey & Mackey Funeral Home. To share a memory or condolence, please visit www.codeymackeyfh.com. But to share any spicy or inappropriate memories not suitable for the internet, please reach out to the surviving children directly!