Rosemary Ann (Coughlin) Campbell

Rosemary Campbell died peacefully at her home on April 26, 2023. Rosemary was born on July 13, 1937 to Neil Coughlin and Dora (Logue) Coughlin and lived in Boulder County almost all of her life. She graduated from Boulder High School and the University of Colorado and completed a year of internship as a dietician at the Colorado State Hospital in Pueblo. She made her living in banking and later in medicine, but she spent the most meaningful times of her life working toward a more humane and just society for everyone.

Her first volunteer position was as an interviewer at A Woman’s House – a place where women could network and receive support. She then joined the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom and spent many hours organizing and protesting at the Rocky Flats plutonium trigger manufacturing plant. She also escorted patients past anti-abortion protesters at the Boulder Valley Clinic (now the Boulder Valley Women’s Health Center). She and her daughter Becky travelled to Washington DC in April of 1989 and marched with hundreds of thousands of others to protest increasingly restrictive anti-abortion laws. She joined the Board of Directors of Boulder County Safehouse (now Safehouse Progressive Alliance for Nonviolence, SPAN) and eventually became Chair of the Board. After her term ended, she joined the board of Community Table – a hot meal program, and also became Chair of the Board there. Next, she turned her attention and love to the LGBTQIA+ community. She joined the PFLAG (Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) Boulder County Board of Directors, eventually becoming Board President. She spent many years helping to organize and participating in the annual Boulder County Pride Event. Her most recent volunteer position was with a coalition of churches providing sanctuary for immigrants at risk of being deported. This group supported a family who lived in sanctuary for five years at a local church. The group has now formally organized as the Boulder Area Sanctuary and Immigration Coalition (BASIC). She sometimes got frustrated that many of the causes for which she worked still had a long way to go, but she was often reminded by others that she made a big difference in the lives of many individuals.

Rosemary was preceded in death by her parents, Neil and Dora Coughlin and her son, Shawn Campbell. She is survived by her daughter, Becky Campbell-Howe and husband, Jim Howe; her granddaughter Megan Howe and husband Paul Johnson; grandson, James Howe; brother, Larry Coughlin and wife Elaine; niece Sheryl Hatch and husband Dave; nephews Steve Coughlin and wife Tammy and Mike Coughlin and wife Tammy; as well as numerous grand nieces and nephews, cousins, and the extended Howe family. She will also be missed by her many close friends at Cairn Christian Church and Alta Vita Independent Living.

Rosemary was warm, compassionate, a good listener and a good friend. She had a great sense of humor, which she never lost, even in the most difficult times. Her capacity for unconditional love was felt by the many people whose lives she touched. She will be deeply missed by all who knew and loved her and her memory will live on in the hearts of her family and friends.

Her family would like to thank Trail Winds Hospice and Tailored Lifestyles for the excellent care they provided to Rosemary in the last months of her life.

A Celebration of Life will be held at Howe Mortuary, 439 Coffman St., Longmont on Friday, May 26 at 11:00am with lunch to follow. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Cairn Christian Church (www.cairnchristian.com), the Trail Winds Foundation (https://trailwindshospice.com/our-foundation/) or the Boulder Area Sanctuary and Immigration Coalition (boulderbasic.org).