Obituary of C.R. Coughlan

Cyril Richard "C.R." Coughlan Q.C. Of Bridgewater, died peacefully at home surrounded by his family on July 28, 2003. Born January 30, 1903, in Saint John, N.B., he was a son of the late Thomas Louis Coughlan and Mary Elizabeth (Roberts) Coughlan. He was educated in the public schools of the City of Saint John and at the University of New Brunswick in arts and graduated from Dalhousie Law school with a bachelor of laws degree in 1926. Upon admission to the Bar on December 21, 1926, he joined his uncle Arthur Roberts, K.C., in the practice of law in Bridgewater. He was named King's Counsel on January 14, 1950. He enjoyed an active practice as a trial lawyer in the various courts having jurisdiction in the Province of Nova Scotia and in the Supreme Court of Canada. For 20 years he served as town solicitor for the Town of Bridgewater. From 1933 he served for more than 30 years as sole agent in Lunenburg County of the Eastern Canada Savings & Loan Company. He was appointed Vice-Chairman of the Board of Commissioners of Public Utilities for the Province of Nova Scotia in 1962, where he served for ten years before returning to the practice of law in Bridgewater. In 1975 his son C. Richard Coughlan joined him under the firm name of Coughlan and Coughlan in the family law practice started in 1890 by his uncle Arthur Roberts, K.C. During his entire professional life he took an active part in the work of the organized Bar, having been recognized on several occasions for his outstanding contribution to the legal profession. He was President of the Nova Scotia Barristers' Society in 1958-1959. During his presidency he presided over an international gathering marking the 75th anniversary of Dalhousie Law School. In 1986-87 he was named Honourary President of the Nova Scotia Barristers' Society. He served as Vice-President for Nova Scotia of the Canadian Bar Association and was a Life Fellow of the Institute for Legal Research which is limited to five per cent of the lawyers in any province. He had also served as President of the Western Counties Bar Association. During the Second World War, after serving in an anti-aircraft battery in Halifax, he raised platoons in the Caledonia and New Ross areas of Queens and Lunenburg counties for the Second Battalion of the West Nova Scotia Regiment and served as Company Commander with the rank of Major. He had a distinguished record of service to community organizations which included the following: the first Secretary-Treasurer of the Kiwanis Club of Bridgewater and later its President, then Lieutenant-Governor of Kiwanis for the Province of Nova Scotia; for several years he served as President of the Lunenburg County Home & School Association, served as President of the Bridgewater Curling Club, was a member of the Bridgewater Volunteer Fire Department and an Honourary Member of the department. From 1979-1981 he was President of Bridgewater Branch No. 24 of the Royal Canadian Legion. He was a life member of the Royal Canadian Legion and at the time of his death Honourary President of Royal Canadian Legion Branch No. 24. He was holder of the Meritorious Service Award, the highest award granted by the Legion. He was a member of the West Nova Scotia Regiment Memory Club. Surviving are his daughters, Mary Patrick Payne (Gerald W. Payne), Kentville; Eileen Mary Smith (Raymond S. Smith), Dartmouth and Ottawa; son, the Honourable Justice C. Richard Coughlan, (M. Estelle Theriault, Q.C.), Halifax; grandchildren, Margaret Ann Payne Mayheu, Gregory W. Payne, Richard Thomas Payne, Colin Smith, Craig Smith, Owen Smith, Elizabeth B. MacKinnon Cameron; six great-grandchildren and good friend Rena Lantz. He was predeceased by his wife, Eileen Frances (McDonald) Coughlan; first-born son in infancy; daughters, Margaret-Ann MacKinnon and Elizabeth Kathleen Coughlan; brothers, Edward Roberts Coughlan, Thomas Louis Coughlan and sisters, Eileen Mary Coughlan Graves and Agatha Gwendolyn Coughlan Ainsworth. Visitation 2-4, 7-9 p.m. today with a public Legion Tribute Service being held at 8 p.m., both in C.F. Sweeny's Funeral Home, Bridgewater. Funeral 2 p.m. Thursday in St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church, Bridgewater, Most Rev. Martin W. Currie officiating. Burial in St. Joseph's Cemetery. Family flowers only. Donations may be made to the Health Services Foundation of the South Shore or Canadian Cancer Society.