Obituary of William Coughlan

William J. Coughlan, 79, formally of Mystic, CT, died in Glastonbury Oct. 26 after a long battle with Alzheimer's, with his daughter at his side. Bill was born on Jan. 14, 1934 in Dorchester, MA, the son of the late James F. and Anne (Spillane) Coughlan. He was the youngest of five children raised during the end of the depression. He attended Tufts University then became a naval aviator serving overseas for four years. He held engineering degrees from Boston University, MA and Union College, NY. Bill raised his family in Burnt Hills, NY, worked for GE/KAPL as a mechanical engineer and served as a volunteer fireman. He was proud to graduate from GE's power school in his late 40's and earned a position as a field engineer. Following this remarkable achievement, he relocated to Mystic, CT and worked for GE at Electric Boat in Groton, CT on the power plants of the 688-class nuclear submarines. Mystic became his new home where he enjoyed some of the best years of his life. He loved to fix things and there was nothing he couldn't fix with his abundance of tools and gadgets. He especially enjoyed fixing things for his friends. He taught himself to be very proficient with computers and sat for hours developing spreadsheets to keep track of everything! Bill also enjoyed sailing his Hobie Cat, riding his bike, spending time in Jamaica and being with his daughter. His proudest accomplishment was raising his young teenage children as a single parent while working full time and going to night school. Bill is survived by his daughter, Janene Willsey and her husband Robert of South Glastonbury; his grandchildren, Ryan and Billy Willsey; his son, William J Coughlan Jr., of Santa Rosa, CA; his sister, Anne Wencek, of Hingham, MA and many nephews and nieces. He was predeceased by his brother Jim and sisters Mary and Catherine. There are no calling hours and a private memorial service will be at a later date. Memorial donations may be made to the Alzheimer's Association CT Chapter, 2075 Silas Deane Highway, Rocky Hill, CT 06067. For