Mostly Cloudy, 55° F
(June 12, 2007)
Arthur L. Coughenour, 70, of Powell died Thursday afternoon, June 12 at the Powell Valley Hospital, four days short of his 71st birthday.
Art was born in Syracuse, N.Y. on June 16, 1936, to Arthur G. and Edith P. Coughenour. His family moved to Uniontown, Pa. in 1941 where Art grew up and graduated from high school in 1954. He attended Grove City College where he earned a business degree in 1958.
In the summertime during his college years, Art would travel to Idaho working for the forest service and for a local farmer, and his love for the West was born. After graduating from college, Art enlisted in the United States Army and was deployed to Korea in 1959 after the Korean War.
Upon returning to the states, he worked at the H.J. Heinz Company in Pittsburgh, Pa., where he met his future wife, Bernadette. They were married Dec. 30, 1961. Following their wedding, the couple moved to Outlook, Mont., where Art taught high school English and coached junior high basketball and track. Three years later, they moved to Bigfork, Mont., where Art continued his teaching career and coaching. In 1970, the family moved to Powell where he taught business courses at Northwest College for 27 years.
Art was a loving and giving man. He found great joy in teaching, whether it be in the classroom, at home, or on the field. Art loved the outdoors, building/remodeling, coaching and sports. His true love was his family and friends.
Countless fishing trips and picnic outings were enjoyed in the Shoshone National Forest. He had a special fondness for fishing the North Fork of the Shoshone River with his friends, children, and grandchildren. Art also instructed courses for Northwest College in Yellowstone National Park for two summers.
Art was a talented carpenter and loved construction projects of all kinds. Art constructed two of the family homes and was always eager to lend a hand with each of his children's home projects. He volunteered his building talents through the Mountain Spirit Habitat for Humanity Chapter in Powell. Art's passion to help others, along with his knowledge of construction, was instrumental in building the first two Habitat houses.
Art was always involved in sports. He participated in high school and college athletics. Later in life, he played city league basketball and softball and ran in several local road races. Throughout his life, Art coached all types of sports from youth leagues to college athletics. Art was always playing catch, tossing a football and shooting hoops with his kids and grandchildren.
Survivors include his wife Bernadette (BeeGee) Coughenour of Powell and their children and families: Tim Coughenour of Moscow, Idaho; Steve and Sheri Coughenour, children Colby, Connor, and Tessa of Casper; Kelly and Tiffany Coughenour, children Noe and Sarah of Idaho Falls, Idaho; Aimee and Brian Bolton, children Addy and Brennan of Bozeman, Mont.; brother, Glenn Coughenour of Philadelphia, Pa.; and sister, Carol Paquette of Arlington, Va.
His parents, Arthur and Edith Coughenour, preceded him in death.
A Rosary will be said at Saint Barbara's Catholic Church on Sunday, June 17 at 7 p.m. Funeral services will be on Monday, June 18 at 10 a.m. at Saint Barbara's Church, followed by interment at Crown Hill Cemetery. Concluding the ceremony, a luncheon will be provided at the Catholic Center behind the church.
For those who wish, the family would appreciate memorial gifts to Mountain Spirit Habitat for Humanity, P.O. Box 1226, Cody, WY 82414, or the Powell Free Clinic, Powell Medical Foundation.
