In Memory of Nancy Cooley: If You Liked Her, You Loved Her!
by James Coulter
Located along the canal that connects Lake Howard with Lake May is a small town local bar known as the Caribbean Bay. This local bar is one of three situated in this area of the Chain of Lakes, sitting between Old Man Frank’s and Tanners Lakeside.
For the past 30 years, bar patrons and other regular customers have regarded Caribbean Bay for its good drinks, great company, live music on the weekends, and a scenic view of the canal and adjoining lakes. Undoubtedly, the one person responsible for providing such a lively atmosphere was its late owner, Nancy Cooley.
Born in Big Rapids, Mich. on June 6, 1957, Cooley eventually moved to Florida where she opened the Caribbean Bay Bar and Bait Shop in Winter Haven. For the past 30 years, she had owned and operated the bar with her son, Jeremy Cooley. Together, they created a small-town bar that has built up quite a reputation among locals.
“Best rum runners you will ever have and the weekend bands are amazing,” one Facebook review wrote.
“My wife and I go every Tuesday for our date night,” another review wrote. “Just have a great time by the water and seeing all the boats go by!”
Her son, Jeremy, describes her as an “outspoken woman” with “tough love” but an otherwise positive attitude and a good sense of humor that will be missed. Now that the Caribbean Bay is in his hands, he hopes to keep her legacy alive through it.
“She was a very outspoken person who did not care what you thought about her opinion, but if she liked you, she would do anything in the world to help,” he said. “She is one of those people who will never be forgotten. She was a legend in Winter Haven and always will be. But I am going to rock the Caribbean Bay like my mother would want me to just the way she did she will never be forgotten always remembered.”
Nancy Cooley passed away on April 8, 2024. Aside from her son, she is survived by her sisters, Carol Zimmerman and Judy Balliet. A memorial service honoring her life and legacy was hosted at the Caribbean Bay on Sat. June 8.
Her niece, Brittney (Cooley) Burrows, knew Nancy all her life and considered her the “most wonderful person in the world.” In fact, she loved her aunt so much that she could not think of one specific thing she would miss most about her, claiming she would miss “everything about her.”
“I want Aunt Nancy to be remembered by the empire she built for herself from the ground [up], the family that has become her own, but most importantly to always remember how wonderful of a person she was and how much she loved everybody,” she said. “She would give you her shirt off her back if she could just to see someone succeed in life. She may have been a spitfire at times but she knew her worth and she kept it real the entire time.”
Melanie Brown Culpepper Beilke had known Nancy for 20 years, first as a client at her beauty salon, and then as a close friend and colleague. Nancy served as one of the top sponsors of Melanie’s non-profit organization, Culpepper’s Cardiac Foundation, through which she helped donate several AEDs tothe community. She also supported and contributed to The Chain Life and the Humane Society.
Melanie considered Nancy a “straight shooter” who was unafraid to set the record straight with her friends and family, yet continued to love them unconditionally.
“She had one of the biggest hearts and loved our community,” Melanie said. “She would tell you like it was whether you liked it or not she was very opinionated about what meant something to her, but she also would give you the shirt off of her back if it was something she believed in.”
