Mary Anne Coogan

Mary Anne Coogan, mother to John Fitzgerald (Katherine), Meghan Milkowski (Ronald), Maryelyn Cousins (David), and Heather Hrap (Don), passed away peacefully surrounded by family on Wednesday, January 17th. Mary Anne was born in Jersey City, NJ on October 31, 1943. She was the middle child to Edward and Grace Coogan and her siblings were Robert and Michael. She was raised in the quiet shore town of Spring Lake, NJ. She attended St. Catherine’s elementary school, Star of the Sea Academy and got her associate’s degree from Mt. Aloysius Junior College.

Mary Anne was one-of-a-kind, spunky and charming. She had opinions and made them known. She was both stubborn and vulnerable at the same time. She was an encyclopedia of knowledge and would dole out advice (solicited and unsolicited) on a wide variety of topics. She lived a colorful life and often took the road less traveled. She was fiercely independent and resilient. She had an infectious laugh and a smile that could light up a room.

She loved being a mom and derived her greatest satisfaction from watching her four children prosper in life. She always said that her best achievement was her children. She was adamant that each of her children graduate from college (and all did). As a single mother, she worked multiple jobs to put food on the table. She was a master at crockpot meals and managed to plan family vacations on a dime. Every year, she maxed out her credit cards to create special Christmas memories for her kids and spent the rest of the year paying off her debt. Displayed in her home is a quote, “Anyone who lives within their means suffers from lack of imagination.” – Oscar Wilde.

Professionally, she worked her way up to the position of Administrator for the Borough of Spring Lake and enjoyed every minute of helping people in town solve problems. She was a dog lover and most recently was ‘dog mom’ to Sam and Maggie. Those dogs were loved! Her other love was gardening. She got her Master Gardener’s certification decades ago and had one of the greenest thumbs in her community receiving Yard of the Year one year. She had a keen eye for a bargain and for decorating and you could fully expect her to land on your doorstep with her next great find from Marshall’s. She loved buying houses that needed TLC and making it a home. She read voraciously and kept her Kindle and her prayer books close to her nightstand. She adored British TV and dreamed about vacationing in Cornwall to experience that life. She never feared death and had absolute faith in the Lord.

Mary Anne is predeceased by her mother and father and her brother Michael. She is survived by her brother, the Honorable Robert Coogan (Helena), four children and ten grandchildren (Jack, Thomas, Allison, Sidney, Matilda, Shane, Skylar, Pierce, Shepherd and Maileigh). She loved and cherished her grandchildren and shared so many wonderful memories with them.

In lieu of flowers, the family is asking for donations to Mary Anne’s favorite charity, Something Special, that helps to improve the lives of victims & survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. A celebration of her life will take place in Spring Lake, NJ in the summer of 2024.