TRUDI COAKLEY

COAKLEY--Trudi. Trudi Coakley, born December 8, 1929, in Brooklyn, New York, died peacefully at home on July 21, 2025, surrounded by her loving family. The daughter of Isidor and Lillian Novina, and the eldest of three siblings, Trudi's early years were spent in Brighton Beach and Lower Manhattan, where she often helped her parents operate small businesses including candy stores and ice cream parlors. She attended PS1 and Seward Park High school in lower Manhattan. She went on to graduate from Brooklyn College, where she worked at the college newspaper, The Vanguard. She was proud to have stood for press freedom in 1950, when the college shut down The Vanguard over its critical coverage of campus affairs. Trudi and her peers continued publishing under the rebellious masthead "Draugnav" ("Vanguard" backwards). In 2019, this band of former "Vanguardites", many of whom became notable journalists and lawyers - was honored by Brooklyn College for their courage. After college, Trudi became a journalist at the New York World Telegram and Sun. She then worked in public relations, initially with Donald Degnan and Associates. In the 1960's she began a multi-decade career, managing the publicity department of Allied Chemical's (later Allied Signal) Fibers Division. She became legendary in the home furnishings publishing world, known for the excellence of her writing and deep understanding of the industry. It was during this time that she earned her MBA at Fordham University. Trudi married her first husband, Leo Papazian, in 1956 and they had two children, Lyssa and Greg. After Leo's premature death in 1964, Trudi married Charles Coakley in 1968. They met in Kismet on Fire Island, later building a house together in the neighboring community of Saltaire, where Trudi was an enthusiastic tennis player. Later in life, Trudi wrote articles for the New York Public Library newsletter, where she also volunteered her time. In her 70s, Trudi took up contract bridge and became a devoted player at two Manhattan clubs. She was a world traveler, ultimately making it to every continent, except Antarctica. Trudi was fiercely independent and remarkably resilient throughout her life, rebounding from multiple setbacks. Trudi survived several health challenges over the course of her 95 years, including cancer and the loss of her hearing. Intrepid to the end, at the age of 88 she led a memorable family adventure to the Galapagos Islands. Trudi will be remembered as a loving and generous mother and grandmother. Trudi was predeceased by her brother, Philip Novina, and sister, Beatrice Fand, as well as both of her husbands. She is survived by her children, Lyssa Papazian and her husband Glenn Littledale, Greg Papazian and his wife Kim Whittaker as well as her four grandchildren: Tess Littledale, Nicholas Papazian, Sylvie Littledale and Mitchell Papazian. The family will hold a private memorial gathering. In honor of Trudi's lifelong love and support for libraries, friends are invited to make a donation to the New York Public Library in her memory.