By MADDY VITALE
Colleen “Coco” Moon lived in Colorado but her love of Sea Isle City, where her family has a summer home, kept her coming back to the community she loved.
During the 2019 Polar Bear Plunge on the city beaches, she was proposed to by her boyfriend, Chase Foster.
Her plan was to wed in Sea Isle. But she suffered a stroke and died on Aug. 16, 2020, just two months before her wedding day. She was only 30 years old.
In her short life, Coco’s loving and generous spirit influenced so many people around her, from her family to her friends, to her fiance, that they continue to keep her memory alive with fundraisers to help stroke survivors, her family said.
Coco’s uncle, Chris Glancey, co-owner with his wife, Amy, of The Ludlam Bar & Grill, 4004 Landis Ave., held a benefit over Presidents Day weekend in her honor called “Loco For Coco Karaoke.”
The Feb. 19 fundraiser in what was Coco’s “happy place” was also on her favorite weekend of the year, when all of her family would gather in Sea Isle to enjoy each other’s company.
Nearly $12,000 was raised in the fundraiser so far for stroke prevention research, specifically targeting women aged 25-40. To donate go to https://givebutter.com/LocoForCoco.
Coco, who spent her summers in Sea Isle with her uncle, Chris Glancey, worked at several local businesses including his store, Diamonds Liquor.
When Coco passed away, the family created “Coco’s Light,” a webpage that devotes information about her and how to help stroke survivors. It is also a way “to keep Colleen’s loving spirit, family bond, and generous nature alive,” according to the website at https://www.cocoslight.org/about.html.
Her mother, Peggy (Glancey) Tregear, of Broomall, Pa., who has a vacation home in Sea Isle, said a few words about her daughter and the importance of keeping her memory alive.
“Keeping Coco’s loving, kind and generous spirit alive is our mission. Having the Coco’s Light events in Sea Isle on Plunge weekend is a must. This is her favorite place on earth and her favorite weekend of the year,” Tregear said.
Tregear continued, “I miss her every day, and when we have these events, I know how happy she would be to see everyone together and enjoying each other in her happy place, making someone’s life a better in some way.”
Coco’s cousin, Libby Henry, said of the latest benefit, “Our event brought members of our family from all over the country to participate, including Colorado and California. That’s how much keeping her spirit alive means to all of us. Our family’s been a part of Sea Isle for over 75 years, and this is a special place for all of us.”
And over the few short years since Coco passed away, the family has raised thousands in various areas, Tregear said.
The first event raised $4,800 for the Donor Alliance organization. The organization matched Coco with organ recipients and helped her family navigate what needed to be done during a difficult time, Tregear said.
The second event raised $3,400 for a student in the Master’s Speech Pathology program at Coco’s alma mater, East Stroudsburg University.
Tregear said one of the recipients who received one of Coco’s kidneys attended the fundraiser in Sea Isle on Sunday.
“It was an extraordinary day for everyone,” Tregear said.
On the website, https://www.cocoslight.org/about.html, there are some words the family used to describe Coco, what she meant to others, how she touched their lives and some of the things that made her so special.
“Coco was a light in this world. She always had a smile on her face and would lend an ear or shoulder to anyone who needed it. Coco took great joy in helping and improving the lives of others, and she did just that — just by being herself.”
