EDENVILLE TOWNSHIP -- The Edenville Township community finds a sense of closure after the body of Meridian High School Track Coach Bob Cole is found.
He’d been missing for nearly two months.
NBC25 talked to some of his friends who say he's inspired many.
After nearly two months of searching, the body of Edenville Township resident Bob Cole is found.
“Thank God, thank God,” said Dawn Taylor, a friend of Cole’s.
Cole’s remains were discovered Friday floating in Sanford Lake about three miles from his home.
He left there February 8th to search for the family dog.
The dog was found dead a few days later on the Tittabawassee River.
There was no sign of Cole until now.
“I thought it was a dream when my dad told me. I didn't really know what to expect and I was happy that it was over, but it’s scary knowing that he's gone for good now,” said Edenville resident, Trina Snyder.
Cole was Trina Snyder’s track coach at Meridian High School.
“I think it’s really brought us closer as a team because we expect more out of each other now,” said Snyder.
Snyder says she wasn’t going to run track her senior year until the tragedy.
“I know if I push through I can reach my goals in track. I know that would make him proud,” said Snyder.
Trina’s mother Trica is a former shop student of Cole’s and struggles with the loss.
“His daughter comes into where I work. I’ve talked to her and that's made it a lot easier to have someone to talk to,” said Trica Snyder.
Throughout the search process many of the community members would come to the Edenville Market to look for updates.
Dawn Taylor is the clerk there and a good friend of Cole’s.
“They've just been asking, has he been found? It’s so sad for the family, they need closure, and I am glad they have it now,” said Taylor.
Taylor says Cole would chat with her at his daughter's coffee shop.
"He was funny, loved his family, and if you had a problem and went to him, he'd say the solution would be to go run," said Taylor.
The Snyders say they've taken his advice to heart.
“He was a great man and he's going to be missed a lot,” said Trica Snyder.
Autopsy reports found Cole drowned.
Cole’s friends say his funeral is scheduled for mid-April.
