He Made Everyone Laugh

By Ann Givens | STAFF WRITER

September 20, 2001

There was something in the way Timothy J. Coughlin told a joke that made it clear he was enjoying life.

He'd lean in, deliver the punch line and let out his trademark, joyful laugh.

"People just wanted to be with him," said Coughlin's brother, Frank Coughlin Jr., of Manhasset. "Other people let friendships come to them, but Timmy was one who worked at it."

Coughlin, 42, died in the terrorist attack of Sept. 11. He was senior managing director of Cantor Fitzgerald Securities at eSpeed, in the World Trade Center's North Tower.

"Timmy was a guy who was passionate about everything in his life, whether it was his family, his friends, his work or sports," said longtime friend Kevin Conway, of Plandome.

A native of Manhasset, Coughlin went to school at St. Mary's Elementary and High schools in Manhasset, and at Stonehill College in North Easton, Mass.

He leaves a wife, Maura, and three young children: Ryann, 4, Sean, 3, and Riley, 6 months. He had homes in Manhattan and Westhampton Beach.

Friends said Coughlin's personality made him an excellent broker.

"He was a natural for Wall Street, with his quick wit, his determination, and his ability to get the trust and loyalty of customers from all walks of life," Conway said.

In high school, Coughlin was St. Mary's Most Valuable Player in basketball and lacrosse, and in his senioryear of college, he was named Stonehill's Most Valuable Player in football.

Even as an adult, Coughlin kept himself in tip-top condition, swimming, playing golf and competing in triathalons, Frank Coughlin Jr. said.

Timothy Coughlin's brother Dennis was also in the World Trade Center at the time of the attack, but he managed to escape before the second building collapsed.

"We came very close to having a double tragedy," said Frank Coughlin Jr.

A funeral mass will be held for Timothy Coughlin today at 10 a.m. at St. Patrick's Cathedral on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan.