Martha Harrison Coughlin was born at her parents' Steilacoom Lake summer home in Pierce County, Wash., on July 4, 1916. She died Saturday, June 9, in Boise, Idaho.
The youngest of seven children of Manelious P. Harrison and Elizabeth McGrath, Martha grew up on Twelfth Street in Tacoma, down the street from St. Patrick's Church where she attended grade school and regular Catholic Mass. Martha graduated from Aquinas High School in Tacoma, and then attended Marylhurst College in Lake Oswego, Ore., graduating with a degree in sociology in 1938. Martha was the first and only female in the Harrison family to attend college, and she then went on to St. Louis University on a scholarship to attain a master's degree in social work.
It was at St. Louis University that she met James J. Coughlin of Boise, a third-year medical student. Thus began nearly 70 years of courtship and marriage. After completing his internship in 1942, Jim shipped out as a medical officer in the 155th Field Station Hospital, and Martha returned to the Pacific Northwest to work and await his return from the South Pacific. During this four-year separation, Martha patiently and eagerly awaited Jim's letters. With the end of World War II in 1945, and Jim's safe return, Martha and Jim were married at St. Patrick's Church in Tacoma. They then returned to St. Louis for Jim's orthopaedic residency.
Their first son, James H., was born in December 1946, and their second son, Michael J., was born in June 1948, in St. Louis. In January 1949, with the completion of his medical training, Jim placed Martha and their two young sons on the Union Pacific train to Boise, and he then drove their 1945 Pontiac across the country, returning to Boise where he began a 35-year orthopedic practice. Their third son, Timothy J., was born in March 1953.
Martha was a woman of great faith, unconditional love and bright intellect. She was an avid reader, took great interest in the outdoors and was an expert on the wildflowers of southern Idaho. Both Stanley Basin and Ketchum were favorite places of Martha's. As a young family, Martha and Jim spent many summers together at their Lowman cabin on the South Fork of the Payette River. In addition, Martha and Jim enjoyed traveling, visiting Africa, Australia, Indonesia, Ireland and England, as well as much of the United States.
Martha was a strong proponent of education, and took quiet pride in the achievements of both her children and grandchildren. She was a devoted mother and loving grandmother, and rarely had a negative word for anyone. Martha never gave a second thought to giving up her career to be at home and raise her children, routinely ironing 15 white, collared shirts a week for the uniforms of her boys attending Boise Catholic schools.
Martha was always generous of her time, treasures and talents, not only for her family, but in the community as well. She was a charter member of the St. Alphonsus and Elk's Rehabilitation Hospital auxiliaries, spending hours in service to the patients at these institutions. She taught sociology at the old St. Alphonsus School of Nursing, and was a sustaining member of the Boise Junior League.
Martha was a lifelong member of St. John the Evangelist Cathedral, and the St. John's Altar Society, which later became "the Women of St. John's." She was also a parishioner of Our Lady of the Snows Catholic Church in Sun Valley. Martha served on the board of directors of the Warm Springs Children's Home of Boise for many years, during its transition from an orphanage to an out-patient counseling center. Jim and Martha also were longtime members of Hillcrest Country Club.
In addition to her three sons, Martha is survived by her three daughters-in-law, Jane and Kirsten of Boise, and Janet of Madison, Wisc., and four grandchildren, Erin M. of Los Angeles, Calif., Elizabeth H. of Corvallis, Ore., Patrick R. and Kathleen A., both of Madison, Wisc., a favorite sister-in-law, Eileen Coughlin Smith, and several nieces and nephews. Martha was preceded in death by four sisters and two brothers, and by her loving husband, Jim, just 12 weeks ago.
Martha's family would like to thank the caregivers at Willow Park Assisted Living and at Marquis Manor for their attentive and loving care these past several years and weeks.
A rosary will be held at Summers Funeral Home, Twelfth and Bannock Streets in Boise, on Monday, June 11, at 7 p.m., with Father Thomas Faucher, pastor of St. Mary's Church, presiding, accompanied by Sisters Patricia and Beth Mulvaney of the Congregation of the Holy Cross. Mass of Christian Burial will be on Tuesday, June 12, at 11 a.m., at St. John's Cathedral, 775 N. Eighth St. in Boise, with Father Donald J. Riffle officiating. Internment will be in the family plot at Morris Hill Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that donations be made to The Coughlin Conference Center in the new Saint Alphonsus Tower, c/o Saint Alphonsus Foundation, 1055 N. Curtis Rd., Boise, ID 83706.
