Joseph S. Coughlin

Joseph S. Coughlin, age 92 of Hudson died Friday, April 24, 2015 at the Christian Community Home in Hudson. Joseph was born on in 1922 in La Crosse, Wisconsin to Ambrose and Helen Coughlin, Joe was raised in Madison with his three brothers and three sisters.  He graduated from East High School before attending the Seminary at Notre Dame University for two years.  After the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, Joe enlisted with the Navy and eventually was admitted to flight school.  While assigned to the Navy Flight Station in Ottumwa, Iowa, he met the love of his life, Elaine Van Dyke at the USO.  They dated every weekend until Joe was transferred to the Naval Air Base at Corpus Christi, Texas.  Elaine took the train to Corpus Christi where she and Joe were married on August 22, 1945.  After almost 3 months of instrument flight training in Atlanta, they were back in Corpus Christi and Joe was a Navy Flight Instructor.

Joe was discharged from the Navy in 1946.  He and his wife and a new baby girl moved back to Madison, where Joe returned to school at the University of Wisconsin to study Corrections.  While in school, he worked as a Madison Police Officer at night, but managed to have another daughter.  He would enter the field of Corrections as a Guidance Officer at the State Prison in Waupun.   While at that job, he and Elaine had a third daughter.  In the years that followed he would work as a Probation and Parole Officer in Milwaukee, while finishing his Masters Degree and finally get a son.  During his career in Corrections, in addition to having another son, Joe would work as a member of the Wisconsin Parole Board, Chief of Administrative Services for the Wisconsin Department of Corrections, Director of Corrections for the State of Iowa, Director of the Illinois Youth Commission, Illinois Assistant Director of Corrections for Juvenile Services, and Acting Director of Corrections for the State of Illinois.  Upon leaving state service Joe took a position as a Professor, and later Department Chairman, at Southern Illinois University’s Center for the Study of Crime, Delinquency, and Corrections in Carbondale, IL.  He taught at SIU for 13 years before retiring.  Joe belonged to a number of professional associations, including a term as President of the American Correctional Association.  Joe and Elaine then moved back north to be closer to their children.

Above all, Joe was a devoted husband, father, grandfather, and great grandfather.  Joe spent as much time as possible with his family, enjoying all kinds of activities, including boating, camping, ice skating, and an annual fishing trip with his sons.  After retirement, Joe was a persistent volunteer wherever he and Elaine lived.  He used his woodworking skills to build gifts and to make repairs for others.  Joe was known as a person of great integrity, modesty, and compassion, and will be greatly missed.

Survivors include his wife of 69 years, Elaine of Hudson, his five children, Jennifer (John) Borup of N. Hudson, WI, Charlotte (Kevin) Hofer of Tulare, CA, Melinda (Harry) Neumayer of Channahon, IL, Joseph (Deborah) Coughlin of Chippewa Falls, WI, and Marvin (Cari Robeck) Coughlin of Brooklyn Park, MN, his 13 grandchildren, John (Karen) Borup, Matt (Kristin) Borup, Casey (Susan) Miller, Abby (Erik) Schneider-Miller, Karissa (Drew) Kondo, Kevin Hofer, Aaron (Lorena Guerrero) Neumayer, Nicole (Aric) Fick, Katelyn Neumayer, Joseph (Molly) Coughlin, Timothy (Brittany) Coughlin, Charlotte (Donny) Smoot, Lucas Coughlin, his 14 great grandchildren, Gavin and Cameron Borup, Bennet and River Borup, Zephyr Miller, Haley, and Madison  Neumayer, Jocelynn Neumayer, Riley Fick, Eli, Ezra, and Noah Coughlin, and, Broderick and Evan Smoot.

Joe was preceded in death by his sister Virginia, brothers Jim and Bill and a granddaughter Jessica Miller.

Mass of Christian Burial for Joseph will be 1:00PM Tuesday April 28th at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Hudson. Interment will be in the Willow River Cemetery in Hudson with his grandsons serving as casketbearers. Visitation will be on Monday from 5pm to 7pm with a prayer service at 7pm at the O’Connell Family Funeral Home of Hudson as well as one hour prior to the mass at church. Memorials preferred to ‘Care’; a humanitarian organization assisting the poor.