Edward J. Coughlan Jr

Hancock, NH Edward James Joseph Coughlan, Jr, 68, of Hancock, died peacefully on February 13, 2015 at his home and surrounded by his family. He was born in Concord, NH on January 29, 1947, the son of Edward Coughlan, Sr and Alice (Dickey) Duggan. Ed was a lifelong resident of the area, attending local schools and raising his own children in Hancock. He was a star basketball player in high school and carried on his love of sports by coaching and umpiring baseball and basketball, including Little League and All Star teams. He was passionate about teaching kids in sports and was always available to his players. He coached and mentored hundreds of kids over the years. Ed graduated from the 35th Class of the NH Police Academy in August of 1977 and then served as the Police Chief for the Town of Hancock for over 22 years. During his career as Police Chief, he hired and trained four officers who later followed in his footsteps to become Police Chiefs in the local area. After he retired from his full time service to the town, he worked at the Hancock Market and Roy's Market as a butcher. He was a Deputy Fire Warden for many years and served on the Select Board in Hancock for 3 years. Ed served in the United States Army during Vietnam and was awarded multiple medals including the National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, Vietnam Campaign Medal, Air Medal and the Army Commendation Medal. He was a member of the VFW Post in Bennington. He was an avid Patriots, Celtics and Red Sox fan and enjoyed watching Nascar. He loved being outdoors, whether in his vegetable garden, fishing, splitting wood, or spending time at the Ocean, which was his favorite place to spend his anniversaries and vacations with his wife. He was a great cook and would spend hours combing through his 500+ collection of cookbooks for new recipes. Ed will be remembered for his kindness, compassion and quirky sense of humor, and as a good friend to all who knew him. He is survived by the love of his life, his wife of more than 31 years, Linda (Hendrickson) Coughlan of Hancock (Blondie), his daughters Heather Wallace and her husband Jeff of Nashville, TN and Melanie Ferry and her husband Marshall of Greenfield; his son Shawn Coughlan of Cornish, NH; his three grandchildren, Kylan, Sienna, and Wyatt Ferry; his two sisters Nancy Coughlan and Sue Coughlan; his mother in law Eleanor Hendrickson, his brother in laws Alan and Mark Hendrickson, Gary Hendrickson and his wife Karolee; his sister in laws Cindy Day, and Karen Longever and her husband Dana. He also had many beloved nieces and nephews. A memorial service will be held on Sunday, February 22, 2015 at 2:00 PM at The First Congregational Church of Hancock, 47 Main Street. The Reverend Judith Copeland will officiate. A reception will follow immediately in the Vestry. Burial will take place in the spring. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in Ed's memory to: Hancock Fire and Rescue.

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