Judy Coughlin, wife of former Giants head coach Tom Coughlin, dead at 77

Judy Coughlin, the wife of former Giants head coach Tom Coughlin, died Wednesday at the age of 77. 

“My cherished wife and our beloved mother and grandmother, Judy Whitaker Coughlin, passed away this morning at the age of 77,” Coughlin said in a statement. 

“Judy was a remarkable woman in every way. She lived a life filled with love and unselfishly gave her heart and soul to others. Judy made you feel like an old friend from the first hug to the last. She was a mother to all on and off the field. 

“For everyone who knew and loved Judy, the enormity of her absence cannot be put into words, but the immense kindness she showed to others will always endure. Our hearts are broken, but we know she is free from suffering and at peace with our lord.” 

Last year, Coughlin — who coached the Giants to Super Bowl championships in 2008 and 2012 — revealed that Judy had been diagnosed with progressive supranuclear palsy, an incurable brain disorder. 

“[W]e’ve helplessly watched her go from a gracious woman with a gift for conversation, hugging all the people she met and making them feel they were the most important person in the room, to losing almost all ability to speak and move,” Coughlin said in an essay for The New York Times. 

The Coughlins had been married since 1967. 

“We were saddened to hear of Judy’s passing this morning,” the Giants said in a statement. “She was an incredibly bright light for all of us, and we were blessed that she shared her energy, vitality and love with our organization.”