JACKSONVILLE, Fla — The Jacksonville community mourns and lays to rest a "force for love" on Monday.
The funeral for Judy Coughlin, the wife of former Jaguars Coach Tom Coughlin, takes place at St. Paul's Catholic Church in Jacksonville Beach at 11:00 a.m.
Judy Coughlin is remembered as a bright light that shined on everyone around her. A philanthropist and supporter of her husband's football teams, she died from an aggressive brain disorder earlier this month at 77 years old.
Last year Tom Coughlin, former Jaguars and Giants coach, Super Bowl champion and Jay Fund Foundation president, wrote a piece published in the New York Times about being her full-time caregiver and the challenges and heartbreak that go with it.
"I've spent my entire life preparing for some of the biggest games a person could play," he wrote. "But nothing can prepare you to be a caregiver who has to watch a loved one slip away."
The Jay Fund Foundation, which supports families affected by childhood cancer, has now added a caregiver program.
A statement from the Jaguars reads in part: "Judy Coughlin, who alongside her husband Tom, helped lay the foundation of our franchise more than a quarter century ago."
Judy Coughlin has been credited with helping Tom Coughlin's coaching style with the Giants, helping lead them to be Super Bowl winners. Family friend Ernie Bono says Judy Coughlin always took care of Tom and her love was felt by everyone around her.
"Right before she really started to get sick they came here for dinner," Bono said. "She came in and she gave us this gift that says, 'I love Nocatee.' She didn't even know where Nocatee was, but that's the typical thing she would do is she would care about the person that she had."