Elmwood Township’s harbormaster, Pete Moon, is settling down after a busy season, both personally and professionally. He kept up with his duties this summer despite heart attacks putting him in the hospital on two separate occasions. The first one occurred just before the 2023 Cherry Festival in June, as Moon began experiencing chest pain near the end of the day.
“I was getting ready to leave the marina, and I started to get chest pains — quite a binding in my chest,” Moon said. “I prayed. I said, ‘God, what should I do?’ I just ended up turning the corner towards the hospital. I went to the ER, and it was a good thing that I did.”
After a few medical tests, hospital staff quickly diagnosed Moon with a heart attack. As the harbormaster said above, this was the right decision. According to Mayo Clinic, a heart attack that goes unrecognized increases the risk of another heart attack, which can cause complications like heart failure.
Moon was discharged from the hospital after six days, and prescribed medication to help treat the chest pain caused by reduced blood flow to the heart. Unfortunately, Moon was prescribed the wrong medication, which directly lead to a second heart attack later that summer.
This led to an ambulance ride to the hospital, but the doctor made sure to write the correct prescription after this second visit. Moon said that once he started this new medication, his heart function returned to normal, and he hasn’t had any further issues.
Recalling the events of this summer to the newspaper, Moon said that he almost ignored the signs of his first heart attack, feeling that he should work through the discomfort to continue managing the marina in the busiest time of the year. But as a religious man, Moon decided to consult with a higher power through prayer, and ultimately chose to check himself into a nearby hospital.
Moon said that before coming to northern Michigan to work at the Elmwood Township marina, his background was in ministry. And since moving up here with his wife and their two children in 2000 — they’ve since welcomed two more children into the family-he has done “chaplaincy work” at the U.S. Army Reserve Center in Traverse City.
Moon said he has also been invited to serve as a chaplain for the 500 employees at the Sara Lee Frozen Bakery, and at the Harbor Light Christian Center in neighboring Garfield Township.
However, Moon started working at the Elmwood Township Marina in 2005. After more than a decade working there, he was appointed harbormaster in 2016. There were a lot of changes at the marina both before and after that appointment, Moon said.
“We were kind of second or third, or even fourth, to places like Elk Rapids, (Duncan L.) Clinch Marina, and Suttons Bay, but now we have about 250 people on the waiting list to get into Elmwood marina, and they’re wanting to leave some of the other marinas and come to ours,” Moon said.
Now, in a good season, the marina will sell over 200 season passes and have anywhere from 2,500-3,000 daily launches. Moon attributes the transformation to the excellent staff serving alongside him, trust and support from the various township boards, and good relations with the marina users.
The township’s marina is currently closed for the season, but Moon says that they’re already preparing for next year. He said he is currently participating in talks with contractors for improvements to the Brewery Creek parking lot, as well as for other infrastructure improvements at the marina including accessible parking and walkway improvements, new utilities to the Boater building, stormwater management, and other site amenities.
