Crestwood Man Dies After Last Wish To Marry In A Church Wedding

CRESTWOOD, IL — A Crestwood man whose final wish was to marry his wife in a church wedding has died. Dan Coghlan passed away after a long battle with brain cancer early Friday morning. He was 33.

“He went peacefully in his sleep, which is exactly what doctors said would happen,” said best friend Art Mrumlinski. “I never once heard him complain or feel sorry for himself.”

Last December, Patch wrote about Dan and Lisa Coghlan, whose love story will forever be entwined with the stars. Before the couple met during the holidays in 2012, Dan already had undergone two surgeries and treatment for a malignant brain tumor. Because of Dan’s past radiation treatments, they thought they would never be able to have children. But Lisa soon became pregnant with the couple’s first daughter, Riley.

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Dan and Lisa went downtown to the Daley Center where they were married by a judge on July 19, 2015. They promised that they would one day have a church wedding, but two more children arrived in rapid succession — a son, Brody, and a daughter, Harper — and they became busy with their young family.

Less than a month after the birth of their third child in 2017, Dan learned on his birthday that the brain tumor had resurfaced as a glioblastoma grade 4 tumor. He was fitted with an Optune device that creates an electrical field around the tumor to disrupt the growth of cancer cells in the brain. The family became accustomed to towing Dan’s 3-pound batteries.

Although Lisa stopped working to care for Dan full time, they managed to pack a lot of happiness into their years together despite their troubles. Dan’s grammar school friend, Nicole Sarko, who had lost a young son and father to cancer, donated a trip she won from her employer Keller Williams Realty. The Coghlans took their children on an all-expenses paid trip to Disney World.

“When my son relapsed, taking our family to Disney World was one of the most amazing experiences of my life,” Sarko said. “We would never have had those memories. Unbeknownst to me, Lisa had some of my favorite pictures of my son with Minnie Mouse initialed. We just bonded."

As Dan’s condition worsened, it became difficult for him to hold long conversations. Lisa worked hard to ensure that her husband did not become isolated by his illness, answering his friends’ texts and managing all aspects of his medical care.

Dan’s friends learned that his only regret was not marrying Lisa in a church before all their family and friends, but the expense was out of the question. Friends quickly pulled together a wedding, soliciting donations from generous business owners who provided a wedding gown, tuxedo, photography reception hall and a DJ.

"We were floored," Lisa told Patch last year. "Dan was immediately excited. It was two straight-days before we could wrap our heads around it. It's been something really fun to look forward to at a hard time in our lives."

Dan and Lisa renewed their vows on Dec. 29, 2018, at the Wayside Chapel at the Center in Palos Park. Daughters Riley and Harper, dressed in miniature bridal gowns, served as their mother’s co-maids-of-honor; son Brody was his dad’s best man. Afterward guests headed to the Palos Country Club for a reception dinner.

Dan was born Oct. 20, 1985, and died on June 21, 2019, the longest day of the year, by his beloved Lisa's side. He was a 2004 graduate of Mount Carmel High School. Before his illness took hold, he was a union foreman for a scaffolding company. Besides his wife and children, Dan was the beloved son of Susan (Bill) Darlington, and the late Malachy Coghlan; cherished brother of James (Erica) Coghlan; dear son-in-law of Donna Giovannetti, and Anton Zeman; beloved uncle of Sophie and Tyler; and the dear grandson of Jim (Carol) Wintercorn, and Claire (late Malachy) Coghlan. He was the fond nephew, cousin and friend to many.

"You go through life and you don't know your purpose," Lisa said in a previous interview. "I feel like the stars aligned for Dan and me, that we were destined to meet."

Visitation will take place from 3 to 9 p.m. Sunday, June 23, at Curley Funeral Home, 6116 W. 111th St., Chicago Ridge. A funeral mass is planned for Monday, June 24, at 11:30 a.m., at St. Damien Church, 5250 W. 155th St. Oak Forest. Family and friends may condolences on Dan’s tribute wall.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Standing Behind Lisa & Dan #coghlanstrong GoFundMe campaign. Due to Dan’s young age there is just enough insurance left to cover his funeral expenses. Lisa has dedicated herself the last few years to being Dan’s 24/7 caregiver and is now a single mom to three children, all under the age of 4. Their friends want to ease Lisa’s financial burden, so she can focus on healing herself and their children.