SARA MORSE COUGHLIN
MAY 2, 1952 – NOVEMBER 9, 2019
Sara (Suki) Coughlin of Wellesley Hills, Massachusetts and New London, New Hampshire, passed away after a long illness surrounded by family and friends. She was predeceased by her parents, the late Jacqueline P. Coughlin and John C. Coughlin Jr. Suki attended the Beaver Country Day School, Cazenovia College, and The Arts University, Bournemouth, England.
Suki was a legendary photographer who made her home and photography studio in New London, New Hampshire. She had an amazing eye behind the camera, and caught the Kennedys, the Bushes, the Fords, the late Prime Minister of Pakistan Benazir Bhutto, Jack Nicklaus, Meryl Streep, John Kennedy Jr., The Duchess of York, and hundreds of other notables on film, including nationally known authors Tommy dePaola and Jodi Picoult. Suki was a member of the British Institute of Professional Photographers, and contributed regularly as a freelance artist to The New York Times, The Boston Globe, the Associated Press, and United Press International. She covered four Presidential Primaries in New Hampshire, as well as two America’s Cup Championships in Newport, RI. The famous “1977 Yachtsman of the Year” photo of Ted Turner is © Suki Coughlin.
Suki’s superb architectural interior and editorial photography appeared in various national and international magazines including: TIME, Fortune, LIFE, Sotheby’s, Better Homes and Gardens, Golf Digest, PhotoJournal (France), TimeOut (London), People Magazine, Hello Magazine (England) and Architectural Digest. She was also featured on “Chronicle” WCVB-TV, Boston. Grateful Dead enthusiasts will appreciate her photo of Jerry Garcia, Phil Lesh, and Bobby Weir 'hitching a ride' to Watkins Glen racecourse on July 27, 1973, which appears in the Grateful Dead’s boxed set re-release, as well as the book “The Illustrated Trip”. Suki’s photo also appears in the August 2019 release, “Grateful Dead Meet-Up at the Movies”, where her name appears appropriately in the closing credits.
Suki leaves behind her brothers Bruce S. (Barbara) Coughlin of South Natick, MA, John L. (Christina) Coughlin of Needham, MA, David F. (Lynn) Coughlin of Sudbury, MA, and her sister Deborah Coughlin of Naples, FL. She also leaves behind her beloved nieces and nephews, Gregory, Christopher, Corby, Jack, Caroline, Connor, Evan, Kimberley, Devon, Colby, Brooke, and Courtney, who couldn’t have asked for a better aunt, as her love of life and spontaneous fun was something that they all clung to. Suki was an avid tennis player, snow skier, and a longtime member of the Lake Sunapee Yacht Club. She especially enjoyed the summer months on Lake Sunapee, and will be remembered for her passion for life, her fierce loyalty to her family and friends, and always having a camera in her hand.
A Funeral Mass will be held at St. Paul’s Church, 502 Washington St., Wellesley, MA on Saturday, December 7 at 12:00PM. Relatives and friends are kindly invited. Expressions of sympathy may be made in Suki’s name to The Lake Sunapee Protective Association, P.O. Box 683 Sunapee, NH 03782.