Ltc William Joseph Coughlin Ret.

LTC William Joseph "Bill" Coughlin, US Army (Ret.) went home to be with the Lord on July 5th, 2022. Our sadness is tempered by the joy of knowing he is reunited with his beloved Viki, and we will see them both again. Bill was born on August 4, 1950, in Atlanta, GA. He was one of four children and the oldest son of Robert Lee and Roxie Anna (Herring) Coughlin. He came from a military family and called Fayetteville, NC home.
He met his lifelong sweetheart Viki, in high school, and they married and started a family young. He enlisted in the US Army, 82nd Airborne and was a proud paratrooper for several years before pursuing a higher education. After graduating from UNC at Pembroke he rejoined the Army, as an officer, and realized his dream of flying by becoming a US Army helicopter pilot. Bill was a determined and respected soldier and served across the Southeast and abroad. He retired from active duty in 1997 as a LTC and ended his military career where it began – Ft. Jackson, SC. He and Viki settled in Columbia, SC and he taught JROTC at Hartsville High School. He enjoyed teaching and mentoring young people considering a career in the service.
The guiding principles of his life: integrity, loyalty and commitment were homed in the military and evidenced in the life he led. Bill was dedicated to his wife, his children, and his grandchildren but most importantly to God. He was introduced to the Lord as a boy, by his mother, and came to a saving faith in Jesus as a young husband and father. He was a member of North Trenholm Baptist Church for the last twenty years where he enjoyed serving most recently with the Cru Ministry at Ft. Jackson. He always had a way of relating to young soldiers and enjoyed sharing his faith in a personal way with those beginning their service to our country.
We will miss his sense of humor, his witty stories, and his ability to take charge in any situation and get the job done. He was a man of his word, and you could always count on him. His stalwart presence and guidance are a grand loss.
Bill was predeceased by his wife of 51 years, Viki Coughlin, his parents, and his brother-in-law Charles Weber. He leaves behind his children, Lisa Elsenheimer, Robert (Heather) Coughlin; grandchildren, Kelsie Hane, Austin Elsenheimer, and Jack (Raeyven) Coughlin; siblings, Kathy (Harry) Adamson, David (Debby) Coughlin, and Steve (Wanda) Coughlin; sister-in-law, Sherrie (Ken) Rutledge as well as numerous nieces and nephews whom he loved.
The funeral service for LTC Coughlin will be held at 11 o'clock on Wednesday, June 13th, at Shives Funeral Home, Trenholm Road Chapel, 7600 Trenholm Road Ext., Columbia, SC. The family will receive friends prior to the service beginning at 10 o'clock. Burial to follow at Fort Jackson National Cemetery, 4170 Percival Road, Columbia, SC.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Epworth Children's Home at http://www.epworthchildrenshome.org or Samaritan's Purse at https://www.samaritanspurse.org/.