Rosemary G. Coughlin

ROSEMARY G. COUGHLIN, 81

LAKELAND - Wife, mother, daughter, sister, aunt, grandmother, great-grandmother and mother-in-law, Rosemary G. Coughlin passed away peacefully at her home of complications due to a stroke on 5/14/11 surrounded by her family and a wonderful Cornerstone hospice nurse.
Rosemary had a life long passion for learning, reading, traveling, and for lending a helping hand to anyone in need, especially friends, family and neighbors.
Born July 17, 1929 in Pittsfield, MA to Pauline Farrar Goddeau and Alfred J. Goddeau, Rosemary "Ro" grew up during the depression and WWII. At a young age, she would help neighbors weed their gardens for 10 cents or maybe a sugar cookie. By age 14, she was working weekends cooking and cleaning for the family's parish priests. She learned early to save before she spent. Ro and George built their own home, something she was very proud of. Having little money, she became an expert seamstress, making most of the clothes for her 3 daughters for years. She also became an experienced cake maker and decorator and enjoyed making her family wonderfully decorated birthday cakes. Ro enjoyed taking her family on numerous camping trips and teaching her children about the history of this country.
Ro had many jobs, all of them involving finance. She was a bookkeeper, business manager of an architect engineering firm, apartment manager, fiscal manager of an agency for elder services, and a supervisor in clerical services for savings bank life insurance. Ro and her husband George, a retired Pittsfield, MA firefighter retired to Swiss Village in Winter Haven in 1988, but for many years were snowbirds, going back to a small cottage on Richmond Shores in Richmond MA from May until October. Ro spent many happy summers in Richmond with George and her daughter Judy and her 2 grand children, Katie and Colleen. Ro loved to have family picnics at the cottage with all of her nieces and the whole family loved going out for boat rides on Richmond pond.
In Florida, Ro was a member of the Red Hat Society and held various seats on the Swiss Village mobile home owner's association.
Rosemary is survived by her husband of 61 years George P. Coughlin, daughters Patricia C. Krouson (Walter), Debra Merrill (Hank), and Judith Coughlin PhD. Ro leaves behind 5 grandchildren: Major Patrick Farrell (Kate DeBow) U.S. Air Force, Kimberly Merrill Green (Joe), Jeremy Merrill, Katie Mesler and Colleen Mesler. She also had 2 great-grandchildren, Aidan and Ava Farrell. Ro said that she enjoyed being a mother, but thoroughly enjoyed being a grandmother. Rosemary also leaves her sister Betty's 3 daughters Dianne Dudek, Karen Schoenrock, and Sharon Coe, and her brother-in-law, John Friederick and well as 3 nephews in Rochester NY, Kevin, Michael and Brian Coughlin.
Ro will be dearly missed by her family and friends. She leaves us with these words, "You get out of life what you put into it. Use the gifts you've been given and make this a better place to live in."
A celebration of life will be held May 25th at 11:00 at St. Anne's Church in Haines City, FL, followed by a luncheon for family and friends at the Swiss Village Club House. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in her name to Camp Boggy Creek, 330500 Brantley Branch Road. Eustis, FL 32736. This camp for children with special needs was enjoyed by Ro's granddaughter Katie for years.