Coughtry mourned
Perpetual Boy Scout, wood-worker, mountain climber

NEW SCOTLAND – Howard C. Coughtry – a master carpenter, dedicated Boy Scout, and friendly, knowledgeable Christmas-tree farmer – died on Tuesday, March 27, 2007, at his home on Hilton Road in New Scotland. He was 86.
Mr. Coughtry was an avid outdoorsman who enjoyed camping, hiking, and bicycling. "His greatest joys were the many adventures he has shared with generations of Scouts," said his son, Robin Coughtry.

Mr. Coughtry was born in Albany on April 19, 1920 to the late Frank and Julia (Flagler) Coughtry, and spent most of his life in New Scotland.
He met his wife, Jannette Kling Coughtry, at Voorheesville Elementary School. "He dated her for a long time," Robin Coughtry said. The two were married in 1948 after Mr. Coughtry returned from the service.

He served during World War II in the United State Army Air Corps, delivering supplies to the air fields, Robin Coughtry said.
"My father was a gentle man," said his son. He was very much into reasoning, he said.
"He would sit you down and talk to you," Robin Coughtry remembered. He could make you understand the rights, wrongs, and consequences, he said. "He was always very easy-going," he added.
"We had to really, really work at it to make him angry," Robin Coughtry said with a chuckle.
Robin Coughtry began working with his father at an early age, he said. He, too, is a master carpenter. "He just loved working with wood," Robin Coughtry said of his father. "It was his way of expressing himself."
Mr. Coughtry took great pride in everything he did, his son said. "He was very talented. He built some of the most beautiful homes in town.
"He liked showing people what he could do with wood," Robin Coughtry said. The home that Mr. Coughtry and his son shared has boards lining the walls and ceiling that Mr. Coughtry harvested and then hand-planed himself.

Mr. Coughtry did most of his woodworking in the 200-year-old house he turned into a workshop in the front of the Hilton Road property.
Robin Coughtry said that his father would often work late into the night when he and his brother and sister were young. But, he said, "He always came down to tuck us in."

"Iron man"

Throughout his life, Mr. Coughtry was fascinated with the Boy Scouts of America, Robin Coughtry said. When he was young, he didn’t have the money to buy a uniform, his son said.
Mr. Coughtry’s son, Alan, joined the Boy Scouts in 1961, when he was 11. "Dad joined shortly after and never left," Robin Coughtry recalled. "He loved the program," he said of his father’s admiration for the Scouts. "It pretty much meant the world to him."
Robin Coughtry spent a lot of time with his father. "We did an awful lot together," he said. He became his caretaker in later years, after Mr. Coughtry suffered a stroke. "I loved camping with him, being outdoors with him" We just had a lot of fun," said Robin Coughtry.
Mr. Coughtry "loved adventure," his son said.

One of his adventures took him cross-country on a three-speed bicycle to visit his daughter, Susan, in San Francisco. Mr. Coughtry was in his late-60s when he embarked on the journey, Robin Coughtry said.
"Howie was rugged on a bicycle," said Bob Shedd, a friend of Mr. Coughtry for 50 years.
Mr. Shedd recalled that his friend took very little with him on his bicycle voyage. "Every night he would wash his clothes, and hang them to dry as he slept." If they were still damp in the morning, Shedd recalled with a smile in his voice, "So be it" He was an iron man."
Ray Ginter has known Mr. Coughtry "since I was a boy," he said. "He was one-of-a-kind," he said.

Mr. Ginter is a Scout leader with Troop 73, with which Mr. Coughtry was deeply involved. The troop, Ginter said, was chartered in 1920, just less than two months before Mr. Coughtry was born.
Mr. Coughtry "dedicated his life to the Scouting program," Mr. Ginter said of his friend. "He was always there for the kids."
Mr. Coughtry wore his uniform proudly, and encouraged the kids to do so, too, he said.

Mr. Ginter remembers many winter camping trips in sub-zero weather with Mr. Coughtry. He would always get the fire going to keep us all warm and dry, Mr. Ginter recalled.
"He was quick-thinking," Mr. Ginter said of his friend. "He always had a way to resolve a problem."
"He was a man of many talents, an excellent craftsman," Mr. Ginter said. "A lot of troop awards over the years were hand-crafted with care by him and his son," he said.

Mr. Coughtry was the author of many articles submitted to The Enterprise on behalf of the troop, Mr. Ginter said. "Every week, he had an article," he said. He detailed Scout adventures and waxed philosophical on life.

Mr. Coughtry opened his home to the Scouts and other organizations, Mr. Ginter said.
There were no "Posted" signs on Mr. Coughtry’s property, Mr. Ginter said. He welcomed anyone to come and enjoy his property, but to please not hunt, he said.

Many local families looked forward to an annual trek to the Coughtrys’ land to select the perfect Christmas tree.
The Coughtrys equip their customers with a buck saw and a sled to haul the tree back with, and the customers head into the woods to search for their tree. Robin Coughtry said that the business has never been about money. "It was fun doing it with my father," he said.
"We don’t sell the trees with the roots, because when they’re gone, we’re left with the holes," Mr. Coughtry himself told The Enterprise last winter.
"He was always giving of himself," Mr. Ginter said of Mr. Coughtry. "His friendship and his leadership will be missed most," he added.

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Mr. Coughtry is survived by his two sons, Robin Coughtry of New Scotland, and Alan Coughtry of Hawaii; and his daughter, Susan Sullivan, and her husband, Craig, of California. He is also survived by his two grandchildren, Casey and Kelly Sullivan; and his brother, John Coughtry, of California; and his sister, Jane Rauch, of Voorheesville.

His wife, Jannette Kling Coughtry, and his brother, David Coughtry, both died before him.

Funeral arrangements will be private at the convenience of the family, and will be handled by Reilly & Son Funeral Home in Voorheesville.

Memorial donations may be made to Boy Scout Troop 73, Care of Ray Ginter, 83 Voorheesville Ave., Voorheesville, N.Y. 12186.