On behalf of my dear mentor, Neal, I am organizing this GoFundMe to honor and support him after the sudden and unimaginable loss of his beloved wife, Elizabeth Anne “Marie” “Sunshine” Laferriere, who passed away unexpectedly on August 7, 2025, while they were on a date at the State Fair of West Virginia. She was the love of his life.

Neal, a poet and a true warrior, has been a guiding light in my life — a man with a huge heart, and a source of wisdom and compassion. I had the privilege of meeting Elizabeth during one of our coaching sessions, and it was clear she was every bit as extraordinary as Neal — a powerful healer in her own right. When I say that these two people touched your soul, I don’t take those words lightly. Together, they radiated love, kindness, and a deep commitment to helping others.

Elizabeth, known to many as Mom, Momma Beth, and simply “love,” lived a life overflowing with compassion, laughter, and connection. She was a devoted wife to Neal and a nurturing mother to Ion Mocco, Neal “Bubba” Laferriere, Gunnar Brown, Kyle Brown, Aloura Laferriere, Cody Laferriere, and Ally “Rambler” Laferriere. She was also a beloved sister to Amber Mocco and Aaron Mocco, and a friend to countless others.

Elizabeth found joy in tending her gardens, caring for animals, traveling, and welcoming anyone in need with a warm smile and an open heart. Her home was a sanctuary. Her heart was boundless. And her family was the center of her universe. She gave of herself freely, leaving every life she touched lighter, brighter, and more whole.

Her life and spirit are beautifully captured in this tribute, written by Neal himself:

Sand Castles on Your Shore

(for Elizabeth)

Written by Neal Laferriere

We built you in the high summer,

when the light lingered past bedtime,

and laughter spilled

like buckets brimming with ocean.

Grain by grain,

you rose in quiet majesty,

walls carved with open hands,

arches shaped to welcome anyone

who wandered from the long stretch of beach.

Our children ran in and out of your gates,

barefoot and certain

that your towers could never fall.

Other children came too,

the ones we never birthed

but claimed all the same

resting in your shade,

pressing their small palms to your cool walls,

feeling the safety you carried.

You stood through every tide of our years

mornings when waves kissed your foundation,

nights when stars crowned your tallest spire.

And then, the ocean called.

It wasn’t sudden

the tide had been gathering,

pulling farther out,

then returning with more insistence,

until one morning,

we stood ankle-deep in its reach,

watching it carry you home.

The children cried,

their voices rising against the wind,

as if they could hold you together

with the sound of their grief.

I wanted to join them,

to scoop the sand back into your form,

but the sea is an older keeper than we are.

Now the shore is flat and endless,

but if you walk it barefoot,

you’ll feel you still there

in the cool press of damp earth,

in the shapes the tide leaves behind,

in the memory of a castle

that taught us all what it meant

To belong.

Neal is now facing the devastating reality of life without his soulmate, along with the unexpected financial burdens that come with such a sudden loss. This GoFundMe is a way for friends, family, and compassionate souls to surround him with the same love and support Elizabeth so freely gave to others.

Your contributions will help Neal cover immediate expenses and allow him the space to grieve and honor her memory without the added weight of financial strain.

If you are able, please give. If you cannot give, please share this link and carry her legacy forward by planting something in her memory, sharing kindness with a stranger, or taking time to truly listen to someone who needs to be heard — because that is what she would have done.

Thank you for your love, generosity, and prayers.