Mrs. Winifred Lynch Coughlin

Winifred Lynch Coughlin, a Baltimore native, died of complications of Alzheimers on October 29 in Chatham, New Jersey. Formerly a resident of Ednor Gardens and Homeland, Coughlin was 89. Coughlin was a graduate of the Institute of Notre Dame, where she served as president of her senior class, and attended the College of Notre Dame of Maryland. Referred to in her IND yearbook as “winsome, witty Winnie,” Coughlin had a lifelong love of learning. Honored to have received a partial scholarship from the College, she was crushed to learn that her family could not afford the remaining tuition. When a colleague of her mother’s paid the remaining part of the tuition, this gave Coughlin a lesson she never forgot. When she later returned to the donor with an offer to repay him, he asked instead that she pay it forward to help others. In subsequent years, Winnie and her husband established several scholarships to do just that. She was thrilled over the years to receive letters from students who were the recipients of these scholarships. Coughlin interrupted her college education when she married Patrick J. Coughlin Jr. in October 1944. The couple immediately left Baltimore for California so Mr. Coughlin could serve in the Navy in the Pacific during World War II. With her husband still deployed, Coughlin returned to Baltimore in 1945 to have the first of her six children. She was proud to boast that she could claim the distinction of being both among the youngest and oldest mothers, as she had six children over a 20-year period. Coughlin retained deep ties to the College of Notre Dame—she returned for classes after a 40-year hiatus rearing her children and she served as a Trustee Associate. On the occasion of her 85th birthday, Coughlin was awarded The President’s Medal in recognition to her lifetime of service and commitment to the mission of College of Notre Dame. At the time, Notre Dame’s President, Mary Pat Seurkamp, described Winnie as representing “the very best of what a Notre Dame education provides—learning, leadership and service to others.” Coughlin enjoyed the travel she and her husband undertook over the years. She truly loved spending many summers at her home in Ocean City, Maryland and in later years enjoying beach vacations with her children and grandchildren. To her, the beach embodied beauty and a great peacefulness. She was a former member of the Baltimore Country Club and Country Club of Maryland. She is survived by three children - Sean Coughlin, of Berlin, MD, Eileen Bress of New Bern, NC and Meaghan Williams of San Antonio, TX and six grandchildren [Colleen Herron of Chicago, Brendan Herron of San Francisco, Caitlin Herron of New York, NY, Katie Thompson of Chapel Hill, NC, Ryan and Claire Williams of San Antonio, TX]. She was predeceased by her husband of 55 years, Patrick J. Coughlin Jr. and by three children, Patrick J. Coughlin III, Barbara C. Herron and Colleen Coughlin. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to either of the following: Colleen Marie Coughlin Scholarship at Notre Dame of Maryland University 4701 N. Charles Street Baltimore, MD 21210 http://www.ndm.edu/giving/ Winifred and Patrick J. Coughlin, Jr. Scholarship at Loyola University Maryland 4501 N. Charles Street Baltimore, MD 21210 http://www.loyola.edu/support.aspx

Mrs. Winifred Lynch Coughlin

August 31, 1924 - October 29, 2013