Nancy Jean Coughlin

Nancy J. Coughlin (Stives), 71, of Woodbury, Minnesota passed away in her home on March 28, 2022 following a courageous battle with cancer. Nancy was born on November 20, 1950 to Frederick and Marjorie Stives in Princeton, New Jersey.

Nancy is survived by her husband of fifty years John Coughlin Sr., their three children, Christine Coughlin (Roger Champagne), Jennifer Nicolai (Matthew), John “JJ” Coughlin Jr. and two beloved grandchildren Ava and Allie Nicolai. She is also survived by her brother Robert Stives (Jeanne), nephew Sean Stives and many other nieces, nephews and cousins.

During the family’s journey of adopting three children, Nancy dedicated her life to being a loving mother and a passionate advocate for so many. Using her endless creativity, Nancy made it her mission to improve the lives of others. While living in Connecticut, Nancy founded an organization to help dozens of families navigate the very difficult process of international adoption. She also used her talents to collect and send large amounts of medical aid supplies and clothing to orphanages in South Korea. In recent years, she coordinated with an orchard in Wisconsin to provide thousands of pounds of donated apples to schools, food shelves and shelters in the Twin Cities.

The family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations be sent to the Christian Cupboard Emergency Food Shelf in Oakdale, Minnesota. This is an organization Nancy proudly supported throughout the years.

Please click on the link below this obituary if you wish to make a donation. Please note in the “additional information” section of the online donation form that the donation is in honor of Nancy Coughlin. www.ccefs.org

For those interested, our family will be hosting a Celebration of Life from 12–3 pm on Sunday, April 24, 2022 at the Ojibway Park Building, 2695 Ojibway Drive, in Woodbury, MN 55125.