Farewell Magnus Mukoro, Father, Husband, Friend, And Founder Of Young Rock Soccer Academy
Farewell, Magnus.
Magnus Mukoro, the beloved soccer coach who co-founded Young Rock Soccer Academy in 2005, passed away on July 29 after falling into a coma following a swimming accident a few days prior. His sudden loss at age 44 stunned generations of Fort Greene-Clinton Hill residents whose lives he touched, whether as a father, husband, friend, coach, mentor, or neighbor.
“In a short period of time, he became one of the favorite people in my life and is my son’s first and favorite soccer coach,” said Clinton Hill mom Melissa Smith. “I was looking for a soccer league and my friend said ‘Magnus’ — not even the name of the league! He’s one of the most wonderful and personable people. He was someone who could encourage, motivate, and teach.”
“I loved his positive attitude,” said 15-year-old Marley Phipps, whose eight-year-old brother Zion is going into his third year with Young Rock. “He was never upset about anything even though he worked with kids so much and they were crazy.”
Asked what she loves about Magnus, Phipps has no shortage of adjectives to describe him. “Calm,” “patient,” “well-dressed,” “passionate,” and “a great hugger,” Magnus was someone who she said: “I wish he was my father because I never had a strong father figure in my life and I always thought he was the ideal father figure.
“When I was part of an off-Broadway show, he and his wife came and he was like the most proud person you’ve ever seen,” she smiled. “He couldn’t stop smiling and talking about it. It made me feel so nice. He saw all these things that I didn’t see in myself.”
Magnus, who also worked as a paralegal, leaves behind a wife, Sheridan, with whom he just celebrated his one-year wedding anniversary, two children Josiah and Marley (not Phipps), and a large family.
Services to celebrate Magnus’ life will be this Sunday-Monday, August 9-10. The viewing and wake in Bed-Stuy will be from 2-7pm on Sunday at Lawrence Woodward Funeral Home (1 Troy Avenue, between Fulton and Herkimer Streets).
Visitation in Clinton Hill will be from 9am-10am at Emmanuel Baptist Church (279 Lafayette Avenue, at St. James Place), where the funeral will also be held from 10-11:30am.
“It’s gonna be really hard [to say goodbye and not have him around],” said Smith, crying. “I still hear his voice ringing in my ear, just cheering for you. I know in the spirit of what he would want us to do is that we continue to go on, continue to encourage our children to have fun no matter their gender, age, physical disability, skill… he used soccer not just as a sport but as a metaphor to life. I will miss him dearly.”