Daniel Coffey
On Sept. 11, Daniel M. Coffey and his son Jason M. Coffey planned to meet for lunch at the World Trade Center, where they both worked for subsidiaries of Marsh & McLennan. Daniel Coffey, 54, needed to have his wedding ring enlarged after 30 years of marriage. Jason Coffey, 25, was going along to pick out a surprise engagement ring for his fiancee, Colleen McDonald.
Daniel Coffey, a senior vice president at Guy Carpenter & Company, worked on the 94th floor of One World Trade. Jason, a senior accountant at Marsh Inc., was on the 98th floor.
Daniel Coffey was the son and grandson of an only child and part of a family that has lived for generations in Newburgh, N.Y.
He and his wife, Francis, broke the mold with three sons, Daniel, Jason and Kevin. Daniel Coffey met his wife when she was trying to fix him up with her friend.
One of his gifts was gab. 'Dad could talk to virtually anyone and get anything he wanted out of them,' said his son Daniel. With his wife, the elder Coffey was fixing up the house in Newburgh. 'My mother is very particular about what she wants done, and my father was particular in how he did it,' young Daniel said.
Jason Coffey was a big guy who loved to play rugby. (His mother did not want him to play football. Too dangerous.) He was also always ready to go out, including to a local bar, Pineapple Larry’s.
But now he was settling down. He was in the process of buying his grandparent’s house in Newburgh and he and Ms. McDonald were going to fix it up, just like his father and mother did to their house. Jason Coffey and Ms. McDonald had planned to get married Dec. 7, 2002.
Copyright (c) 2001 by The New York Times Co. Reprinted by permission.
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Tributes
Dan, working with you was always a pleasure. I think of you every year and pray for you and your family.
Laura Rozycka Feldman , Colleague
"Hi Sandie, it's Dan" was my 1pm UK time call on most days when I worked for Guy Carpenter in London.
His call to me was no doubt his first call when he got into work in the morning in New York, for me in the UK it was the start of my lunch hour.
Every day I'd sigh, knowing my lunchtime was, as usual, not my own. I'd stuff mouthfuls of my sandwich in whilst he talked.
I'd only worked on this particular account a short time so I guess Dan thought it was his responsibility to bring me up to speed as much as he could. I'd end the call reminding him that I had lunch at 1 so it perhaps wasn't the best time to call but the next day the call would come at the exact same time. He was relentless!
I met Dan on a couple of his trips to London when we had several lunches and evening dinners. He was fairly quiet I guess, a thoughtful person - he only spoke when he had something to say. I remember little of what we talked about in those times but what stayed with me was how immensely proud he was of his sons and how his wife didn't travel to London with him as she didn't like flying. Both of those things are brought into sharp focus given the horrific circumstances of 9/11 and the tragedy brought upon the Coffey family.
I'd left Guy Carpenter 4 years before that fateful day. No doubt Dan was calling my successor at 1pm every day!
He was a nice guy, good at his job and I liked him. RIP Dan.
Sandie Goble, Colleague
Such a kind gentleman
Yvonne, Colleague
I am going tomorrow to the 9-11 memorial first time in NYC since a month after 9-11. I still think of my colleagues to this day. May your family find peace and be blessed despite their hardships due to this tragic and unnecessary attack. God Bless the Coffey Family.
Chris, Colleague
Always in our thoughts & prayers
Patricia Barraza, Colleague
I often think of Dan. I worked with him from London when he would come over to collect reinsurance money. He was a tenacious guy who followed up and never gave up. He was also a very kind guy and a good person to spend some social time with. I worked with many U S based people in those days but Dan was the only one I had on speed dial. May The Lord have mercy on his soul. Eternal rest grant unto him O Lord. May he rest in peace. Amen.
John O'Neill, Colleague
Its been many years since I worked at Guy Carpenter, but one of the most pleasant people I met was Dan Coffee. I was not a person of importance there, but Dan said hello to everyone, and MADE you feel like one. When we moved to 2WTC, I remember seeing him walking to the coffee room, cup in hand,saying hello or conversing with everyone he met. He was a great person, and will be truly missed. My condolences on his loss, and on the loss of his son. God bless you all!
Jerry Noone, Colleague
Dear Dan,We shall never forget you, your smile, your voice and your laugh. We shall keep this day as a sacred remembrance of you and what we lost in a moment.We carry on but we never leave you behind. Thank you for helping us daily to carry the tears and the sadness in our hearts but still to move forward with strength and determination. God Bless You and your family today and always. Patricia & Charles Barraza
Patricia Barraza, Colleague
I worked with Dan on various projects over the course of many years. I was impressed by his patience, sincerity and kind, gentle personality. He had a way of making you feel important, as if you were helping him - when indeed he was the one helping you. On this 10th anniversary of 9/11, my memories of him remain strong. My sincere condolences to his family.
Tammy Bilitzky, Colleague
Back in the mid-1970's, I worked with, and reported to, a younger Dan. I remember his easy flair for insurance, his humor, that his family was never far from his thoughts, and a certain wisdom and maturity about life that was beyond his years. He hid his Junior Mints but roared with appreciative laughter when we found especially inventive ways to break into his stash. With enduring respect for Dan and thoughts for his family, Dan's former trainee
Vicki Schultz, Colleague
Seasons change, time passes but what remains the same is your imprint on our hearts. Your smile, your face, your stories & jokes are forever ours. Rest in peace and may God Bless you and your family today on the 10th anniversary of that terrible morning. We miss you and we are better for having known you. We remember you today and always...
Patricia Barraza, Colleague
I worked with Dan at Guy Carpenter. We rode the train back and forth from Bacon to NYC many times. He was so proud of his kids and talked about them often. Dan was a good man and a good father.
Lee Simmons, Colleague
Today, a day very much like that Tuesday nine years ago we are remembering you with love. Keeping your memory forever in our hearts and praying for you, your family and friends. Patricia and Charles Barraza
Patricia Barraza, Colleague
I miss you, Mr. Coffey. I miss you so much. I've spent the past 8 years talking about you and what a great soul you were. I will never forget you. For the rest of my life I will tell the world what a great person you were.
Bill Pieper, Colleague
Dan, Remembering you and your son on this sad anniversary. God Bless you and your family today and always. Pat
Patricia Barraza, Colleague
I got to know Dan when I was a Helpdesk tech at Guy Carpenter and more so while supporting his group on the 94th floor on an upgrade project in August 2001. Dan sure knew how to give a ribbin', but also we had many a good conversation about life, politics, whatever was the topic of the day. I enjoyed that... Dan was a good man. I only knew him briefly, but I think of him every year on this day. RIP Dan
Jonathan Williams, Colleague
Another year has passed, please know you and Jason are always in my thoughts and prayers.
friend, Friend
I'm so sorry for your loss.This shouldnt have happen. My father Was Dan Coffey not the same.I have been looking for the family of Daniiel F. Coffey from Malden, Mass. ...Fran
Frances Coffey, Friend
Remembering you ... today. tomorrow, always
m-, Friend
More than a moment of silence, on this day and everyday may we use our lives to honor and respectfully remember you. With careful consideration we continue on where you could have gone, good left undone, countless gifts not given. We will not fail; we will not forget you, our precious family, our dear friend, our inspiration. Patricia & Charles Barraza
Patricia Barraza, Colleague
With a terrible sadness we mark this day, the third anniversary of the morning we lost each of you. In the end it is only a marker. The grief, sorrow and the incredible possibilities that we lost in those horrific moments remain with us every day. We weep, no, sob from a place deep, deep inside that has been left empty by your absence. And we pray, for you, your families, your friends, and your colleagues. And for ourselves may God give us the strength to go forward and honor you with our lives. We will never forget you. Patricia Barraza
Pat Barraza, Colleague
Remembering - I wanted to write to say we remember you and think of you as we go on. We miss your being, but feel your presence. I believe that your spirit is our angel watching over us in a dangerous world. Remembering you keeps you with us and brings us peace in turmoil. In this season of renewal and everyday since we “lost” you we keep you and your loved ones in our thoughts and prayers. Peace to you.
Pat Barraza, Colleague
I met Dan in London through his work on the Carpenter Management Pool, His job was to collect money from me, my job was to resist paying anything. Of all the people I met in that period Dan was almost the only one that it was always a pleasure to meet. Despite the business pressures on both of us he never allowed those pressures to create a hostile relationship. I remember him with great affection, I describe my relationship with him as a colleague as we only met through business but I will remember him as a friend. Tony James
Tony James, Colleague
Over the many years that I knew Dan the one thing you could always count on was an extended chat when he called or happened to be in town. When he phoned the conversation would often start at midstream without a 'Hello Ed'. He expected you would know right away who was on the other end of the line. Those talks would most often drift away from business topics to the pride and joy of mutual family adventures. One subject that stands out from earlier years was Dan's obvious love of going to watch his sons perform at their swim team meets. He and I later developed still another excuse to avoid talking reinsurance for very long when Jason decided to enroll at Bryant College, which happened to be the same school where my daughters had graduated. That set off another round of important topics for discussion centered around the joys of college financing. Dan had steadfast principles and never left a conversation before it reached a happy ending. All of us here in Connecticut who knew and worked with him will forever carry fond memories of our friend and colleague. Ed Suchecki Guy Carpenter, Hartford
Ed Suchecki, Colleague
Do not stand at my grave and weep; I am not there, I do not sleep. I am a thousand winds that blow. I am the softly falling snow. I am the gentle showers of rain. I am the fields of ripening grain. I am the morning hush. I am the graceful rush of beautiful birds in circling flight. I am the star shine of the night. I am the flowers that bloom. I am in a quiet room. I am the birds that sing. I am in each lovely thing. Do not stand at my grave and cry; I am not there.I did not die.' ...Mary Frye, Baltimore MD, Circa 1933 Alive in our hearts forever... In loving memory of dear Dan & Jason Patricia & Charles Barraza 9-11-2002
Patricia & Charles Barraza, Colleague
Dan and I used to have a few knock down drag out sessions about a property account when I worked as a facultative broker for Guy Carpenter in both New York and Hartford. We were just two Irish guys going at it but at the end we always were friends. Dan did enjoy ribbing me when I'd show up with another account and he'd encourage his boss, the late James Bennett, to join in. Those were really good times in the business and in life. Dan truly added much to the transaction and I know God threw away the mold when he created Dan. God bless his family now and always and God bless his memory too. John Cosgrove
John Cosgrove, Colleague
I worked with Dan at Guy Carpenter before I retired in 1996. He had a great sense of humor. I remember him and his family in my prayers.
Rosemarie Raiola, Colleague
His son was right about him being able to talk to any one and get done what he wanted done. He was a wonderful person. I loved talking to him. I processed his expense checks and I would drop whatever I was doing to process it for him. It is very sad to me that he is gone. May God bless his soul and keep his family strong.
pauline swain, Colleague