Margaret (Hall) Coffey, 80, of Little Silver, N.J., and Vero Beach, passed away on Nov. 2, 2014.
She is survived by her beloved husband of 59 years, Gerald D. Coffey; her loving children, Elizabeth Mancuso (Thomas), and William H. Coffey; her cherished grandchildren, Caitlin DeLeonardis (Paul), Colin Cheney (Kerry), Jillian, Caroline, Erica, and Lauren; her brother John H. Hall (Lynn); and brother-in-law Charles A. Coffey (Elizabeth).
She was preceded in death by her parents and her son, John G. Coffey.
Born in Youngstown, Ohio, Coffey was the daughter of John H. and Mary Hall.
A graduate of Wellesley College with a major in Biblical History in 1956, Coffey was among the pioneer women to receive a Master of Divinity degree from the General Theological Seminary in New York in 1983.
She was instrumental in establishing the chaplaincy program at Monmouth Medical Center where she served as Chaplain Coordinator for several years. She went on to serve as Assistant to the Rector at Christ Church, Middletown, N.J., Assistant to the Rector at St. Thomas Church, Red Bank, N.J., Interim Pastor at Holy Communion Church, Fair Haven, N.J., Vicar of St. Andrews Church in Highlands, N.J., and Associate at St. John’s Episcopal Church, Little Silver.
In her retirement, Coffey occasionally served as celebrant on the altar of her home church, St. Augustine of Vero Beach. An active, civic-minded person, Coffey was the past Vice President of the Junior League of Monmouth County, past President and Trustee of HABcore, and a member of the Moorings Yacht and Country Club of Vero Beach.
A memorial gathering will be held at the John E. Day Funeral Home, 85 Riverside Avenue, Red Bank, NJ 07701 on Friday, Nov. 7, from 5 to 8 p.m.. A Memorial Mass will be held Saturday, Nov. 8, at 11 a.m. at St. John’s Episcopal Church, 325 Little Silver Point Road, Little Silver, NJ 07739. Please visit the Reverend Margaret’s memorial website at www.johnedayfuneralhome.com.