Obituary of Donna Brogle Coggshall

MOUNTAIN LAKES - Donna B. Coggshall, age 63, died peacefully on Friday, December 3, 2010, at her home in Mountain Lakes. Born in Boston, Massachusetts on December 5, 1946, to the late Albert P. Brogle and Dorothy Martin Brogle, currently of Pennington, Donna was a 1964 graduate of Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School. She earned her bachelor's degree in English from Cornell University in 1968 and went on to earn her Master's degree in Library Science from Columbia University. While successfully raising four children, Donna worked as a freelance editor for publishing companies around the world. She gamely led the rehabilitation of several homes, including a beautiful Victorian in Allenhurst, where she lived 24 years. The gardens she cultivated from scratch were consistently admired, and her Christmastime recipes will be replicated, not quite as well, in kitchens across the country, this year, and for many Christmases to come. Nothing made her happier than her front porch, except, on occasion, her children, grandchildren, and dear friends. In addition to her mother, Dorothy, Donna is survived by her beloved husband of 42 years, Gordon E. Coggshall, for whom she worked tirelessly to maintain his quality of life, his dignity, and his good looks. Also surviving are her children, Emily C. Kahn, and her husband, Daniel of Mountain Lakes, Jane G. C. McConnochie, and her husband, Timothy of University Park, Maryland, Paul Daniel Coggshall, and his wife, Vanessa of Stockton, and Elizabeth L. Coggshall, and her husband, Paul Ellis of Jersey City. Her grandchildren, to whom she was known as "Baba," are Lily Josephine Kahn, Max William Kahn, and Charlotte Simone Coggshall. Also surviving are her siblings, Andrea B. Cagle, South Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, Melissa A. Brogle, Pennington, and Paul M. Brogle, Hopewell. Memorial contributions in Donna's name may be made to the Parkinson's Disease Foundation, 1359 Broadway, Suite 1509, New York, NY 10018 ( www.pdf.org) to help support families of those with the disease. A memorial gathering for family and friends will be held at her home in Mountain Lakes on Saturday, December 11th from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. All other services will be private. Arrangements were by Mackey Funeral Home (mackeyfh.com), 107 Essex Ave., Boonton.