Gerald C. Coughlin

Gerald Charles Coughlin

Selfless, Devoted, Practical, Grateful

Gerald C. Coughlin, age 86, resident of Walton, NY, formerly of Oceanside & Bohemia, LI, and St. Petersburg, FL, died on September 11, 2025.

Gerry is survived by his loving son & daughter-in-law, Drs. Michael & Denise Freeman, his adoring grandchildren, Michael & Caitlin Freeman and Emmaline & Christopher Mingone, his sister Mary Terrill, brother and sister-in-law Larry and Lee Sadler, sister-in-law Carol Coughlin, and many dear nieces and nephews.  Gerry was predeceased by his beloved wife Barbara, parents Gerald & Isobel Coughlin, brother John Coughlin, sister Margaret Barberis, brother-in-law Al Barberis, brother-in-law Hugh Terrill, and first cousin George Koch.

Gerry’s work as a Credit Manager at NBC and ABC/Disney Networks was intertwined with his passion for life-long education and his devotion to providing generously for his family.  He had a love for learning, particularly for reading historical and religious literature, for studying photography, and for researching trends in finance and technology.  Gerry was a meticulous steward and instilled this into Michael early.  “Edge to edge” became a metaphor to doing things throughly and referred to instructing Michael as a boy how to shovel the sidewalk on a snowy day, “edge-to-edge”.  He readily shared the lessons he learned in life, promising his loved ones “If you stick with me, you’ll have emeralds, diamonds and ‘poils’.”  Indeed, those close to Gerry have been profoundly bettered by his many pearls of wisdom, his blue eyes that sparkled like diamonds, and an inheritance of love as treasured and enduring as emeralds.

Gerry married Barbara on December 3rd, 1971, and they were blessed with 49 years of marriage.  “Barb and Gerr” spent the prime of their lives in Oceanside, Long Island.  Gerry often said the two best things to happen in his life were marrying Barbara and being given the privilege of raising Michael as his father.  He cherished those years and memorialized them with Barbara on Christmas Eve in their Rugby Road home.  Family and friends would gather after enjoying Barbara’s Italian feast, and Gerry would project onto a white screen a slide show cataloguing the special times in their lives, captured in kodachrome and synchronized with music.  He titled the slide show of these blessed years ‘A Moment In Time’.  He reflected in later years that these ‘moments in time’ were the prime of life, years to be remembered as time passed.  And God allowed him much more time.

Upon retiring, he shared Barbara’s steadfast desire to be in close proximity to what they saw as their most precious gifts in life, their grandchildren Michael and Emmaline.  This required a selfless uprooting from the familiar suburbs of Long Island to rural life in Walton, New York.  Here they bought a home around the corner from Michael and Denise and were centrally devoted to their grandchildren as they grew from young childhood through high school graduation.  In retrospect, this was a parallel blessing to their prime Oceanside years, when they raised Michael.  Gerry and Barbara treasured those ten years living so close to their children and grandchildren.  And then, God allowed him even more time.

In their later years, when the grandkids had grown, Gerry and Barbara enjoyed their retirement home in Florida.  They sold their Walton home and downsized to a rental home in Bohemia, Long Island, which had familiarity from their younger years and a closeness to Gerry’s siblings, nieces, nephews, and friends.

One day, when he was nearing 80 years old, Gerry was talking on the phone with his close childhood friend, Bob Conlin, and his cousin George.  They loved talking sports and were describing how their lives were “In the second half of the fourth quarter,” “At the two minute warning” and how some of their mutual friends were “In overtime.”  These were nostalgic years.  And then, God allowed him more time, though it came with much trial.

Gerry tried hard to go on living as best he could after his beloved Barbara endured illness and passed away.  However, he too was called to suffer illness and without her by his side, earthly time meant much less to him.  The glimmering light which still brought the most brightness to his life were the marriages of Michael and Emmaline to their wonderful spouses, Caitlin and Christopher, respectively.  He proudly spoke of how they accomplished their educational goals, would succeed and do great things in life and would, someday “make him famous.”

Gerry lived in Michael and Denise’s home during the last years of his life.  All of the needs of his older age were met with compassion and comfort.  He retained a sense of dignity and an increased spirituality up to and including his last breath with Denise at bedside.  It is remarkable that even when Gerry required total care at the end of his life, he still gave to us, more than we could possibly give to him.  Specifically, the opportunities to render loving and compassionate care, was replete with lessons.  He was selfless, devoted, practical and grateful, and he is already greatly missed.

Family will receive visitors on Friday, September 19th from 4:00 - 8:00 p.m. at Raynor & D’Andrea Funeral Home, 245 Montauk Hwy., West Sayville.  Funeral Mass will be celebrated by Rev. Matthew H. Frisoni, on Saturday, September 20th 10:00 a.m. at St. John Nepomucene RC Church, 1140 Locust Ave., Bohemia.  Interment will follow at St. Charles Cemetery, Farmingdale.  In lieu of flowers, you may donate to one of Gerry’s favorite charities:  Tunnel to Towers Foundation or International Fellowship of Christians and Jews.