Susan Edys Coughren

Susan Edys Coughren, 82, passed away peacefully on June 10, 2026, surrounded by the love of her family and friends

Susan was a proud member/elder of the CSKT tribe and loved to share her knowledge and stories with all.

She lived a life full of adventure, hard work, laughter, and deep devotion to those she loved. A bit of a nomad at heart, Susan was always on the move and rarely stayed in one place for long. For nearly 30 years, she traveled throughout the Pacific Northwest alongside family and friends, operating a powwow food booth, selling beadwork, and making countless connections along the way.

She had a plethora of hobbies that she enjoyed anywhere from hunting, archery, camping, fishing and mushroom hunting to sewing, crocheting, baking, beading.

Susan was proud to call herself a "butcher by trade." Over the years, she worked as a butcher and also worked for Hillshire Farms, at the mall, and at the bowling alley in Arlee. Never one to stop learning, Susan finally settled down a bit and returned to school at the age of 52 to earn her degree from Salish Kootenai College. She later dedicated her career to helping others through her work with the Tribal Crime Victim Advocate Program.

Family was the center of Susan's world. She never met a stranger, and if she knew you, you were family. Her home, her table, and her heart were always open. She was known for her kindness, her stories, her sense of humor, and her ability to make everyone feel welcome. One thing that always made her smile was the fact that she had very little gray hair—a point of pride she happily shared with anyone willing to listen.

Susan was preceded in death by her beloved husband of 54 years, Donald Coughren; her mother, Lucy Matt; her father, Virgil Gilson; four sisters; and one brother.

She is survived by her children, Kathy (Marty) Jensen, Brenda Lee Kay, and Sam (Devi) Coughren; 12 grandchildren; 22 great-grandchildren; one great-great-grandchild; and numerous nieces, nephews, extended family members, and friends whose lives she touched throughout the years.

Susan's legacy lives on in the generations she helped raise, the people she welcomed as family, and the memories she created wherever her travels took her.

A brief graveside service will be held on June 27, 2026, at 12:00 p.m. at Lake View Cemetery, followed by a luncheon of Indian Tacos at the Tribal Senior Center in Polson.

The family invites all who knew and loved Susan to join them in celebrating a life well lived.