COUGHLAN, Margaret Josephine

Margaret Josephine Hives was born on the 12th of August 1930 and died on the 21st of September 2021, a life spanning 91 years.

Margaret was not a person that enjoyed being the centre of attention and rarely talked about her life growing up.  She graduated from Ballarat Teachers College in 1949 after working for a year at Pearcedale, then commenced working at Quambatook State School in 1951.  1951 was the year that Margaret caught the attention of a certain John Denis Coughlan, later to become her best friend and husband.

Margaret and John married in 1954 in the Church of the Little Flower Ballarat.

They lived at Buronga NSW for a year before moving to Jung, a small town in the northern Wimmera region of Victoria.  They had 5 children whilst living in Jung (Colleen, John, Gary, Jenny, and Geoff) then a move to Ballarat in the early '60s saw the addition of 4 more children (Peter, Kathy, Paul, and Stephen) making a total of 9 children.

Margaret and John ran a mixed business on Ripon Street for 4 years.  Eventually, the family moved to Kent Street Sebastopol and stayed at this address for 30 years before moving to Tait Street.

In 1972 Margaret resumed her teaching career at St Aloysius School.  Unfortunately for some of the younger family members, Margaret was now teaching at their school !!! Some of the kids found this not so cool.

Margaret loved to be with her friends and in the St. Aloysius community and they showed her much love and support over the years.

In her younger days, Margaret was very athletic, an attribute that would stand her in good stead for the years to come.  At the age of 90, Margaret could still be seen going for a brisk walk around the block.  She loved dancing and was a very good tennis player.  It could be said that raising 9 children kept her in tip-top condition, especially during the children's teenage years.

Margaret is remembered by her family as a warm, compassionate, and vibrant woman who always went out of her way to help others - no matter what.  She taught them many things, good manners, respect, and sound moral values that have shaped their lives and made them who they are today.

Christmas was a big event in the Coughlan household, and Mass was followed closely by Christmas dinner.  This was a time for family and she lived for her family. It was a tradition and Margaret would shine.  A chance for the family to catch up in one place at the same time. None of the family were allowed to bring the meat.  The meat was Margaret's domain.  Home-made meatloaf, roast lamb, ham, and chicken, there would be plenty for all.  

Thank you to Margaret's family for supplying these kind words.

Margaret is buried at the Ballarat New Cemetery with her beloved husband John.  Tanika Lawn Row 7 Grave 1.