Family and community mourning the loss of a business leader in Jacksonville
A family and community are mourning the loss of a respected business leader in Jacksonville. Thirty-nine-year-old Sarah Rocco, a local real estate agent, died in a car crash earlier this month. Now, family members are just trying to pick up the pieces.
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Sarah Rocco leaves behind four siblings and three kids. She built a real estate company and became a beacon in the Jacksonville community. After more than two weeks of losing her, Sarah’s brother, Matt Rocco says the entire family is mourning her loss and will be holding a Celebration of Life, soon.
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“It’s brutal, absolutely brutal,” Matt Rocco said.
Matt said his sister’s death has completely devastated the family.
“For me and my siblings, she meant the world to us to have her around,” Matt Rocco said. “She gave so much to all of us.”
Matt says on December 11th, she was driving home from Lake City to Jacksonville when a van hit her, head-on.
The Florida Highway Patrol says there were three cars involved in the crash. It happened in Baker County on U.S. Highway 90 near Warden Circle just before 10 a.m.
Read: Man dies after struck by car on Merrill Road, Jacksonville police investigating
Sarah was in her Tesla traveling east on Highway 90 and the van was heading west. The van struck Sarah’s car, and the jeep behind her swerved out of the way.
FHP says everyone else involved in the crash had little to no injuries. Sarah was taken to the hospital in critical condition and passed away two days later.
“I really, really wanted to see her pull through,” Matt said.
Matt says Sarah was a respected real estate agent in Jacksonville, who was dedicated to building strong relationships with her clients and her team. She was the former CEO of the Rocco Group at Keller Williams.
“She had just a real, genuine interest in, in people’s lives,” Matt said.
Since her passing, the Rocco family has received an outpouring of love. Just yesterday, Sarah’s family shared the details of her Celebration of Life, and they say more than 700 people have already RSVP’d for the event.
“It’s blown me away,” Matt said. “It’s been a really supportive, amazing thing. And I’m grateful for it.”
Matt says he wants his sister to be remembered as a woman of faith who loved her family deeply and a woman who was kind to others.
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“She was such a person of action,” Matt said. “It wasn’t someone who just thought of things and let them fit every single thing that she did, she was very intentional.”
The Celebration of Life is on Friday, January 19th, and is open to the public. The family asks that you RSVP.
As for the crash, FHP says it’s being investigated as a criminal case since the driver of the vehicle that hit Sarah, did not have a driver’s license, only a Mexican passport.
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The investigation is still active, and no charges have been filed at this time.
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