Carolyn L. Coughlin

Carolyn Lee Coughlin of Lake Panamoka, NY passed away Thursday, April 11, 2024 after a harrowing battle with Alzheimer’s Disease.  She was 81 years old.  Carolyn is survived by her husband of 60 years, Kirby; her daughter Kerin; her daughter Kate (married to Steven); and her two beloved granddaughters, Kate’s children Rosaria Lee (three years old) and Liliana James (seven months).   

Carolyn was born in Lynnfield, Massachusetts to Anthony J. Gregory and Doris C. (Bailey) Gregory.  She was sister to Joyce E. Gregory.  When she was about thirteen, Carolyn and her family moved to Forest Hills, NY, where she lived across the street from Kirby.  After high school, Carolyn worked at J.P. Stevens textile company and at the Clothes Barrel retail store in Forest Hills.      

After Carolyn’s parents moved to New Jersey, she and Kirby moved into the Forest Hills home where she grew up.  When Kerin started school, Carolyn undertook her longest and most enjoyable career, at Billy’s Restaurant in Manhattan, serving food, drinks, and laughs to a loyal clientele that included many celebrities.

Carolyn was a talented seamstress who made Halloween costumes, First Communion dresses, and many other beautiful clothes for Kerin and Kate.  She was also a skilled craftsperson, mastering all kinds of crafts from macrame to decoupage to cross stitch to ceramics.  She was an excellent gardener, and continued showing off her knowledge of plants through her final months in her nursing home’s gardening sessions.  She loved to attend and especially to throw parties, and you couldn’t get her off the dance floor.   

After she and Kirby retired, they moved permanently to the Lake Panamoka home that had previously been their summer and weekend retreat.  They enjoyed many winters migrating to Florida as “snowbirds.”  Carolyn spent her last months under the outstanding compassionate care of the Sisters of St. Joseph and their remarkable staff at Maria Regina Residence in Brentwood, NY. 

Wake will be Sunday, April 14, 2-4pm & 7-9pm at Alexander-Rothwell Funeral Home, Wading River, NY.

Funeral Mass is Monday, April 15, 11am at St. John the Baptist Roman Catholic Church, Wading River, NY.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Carolyn’s honor to the Sisters of St. Joseph-Brentwood, 1725 Brentwood Road, Brentwood, NY 11717, https://brentwoodcsj.org/