Rebecca Havenstein-Coughlin

Even though our hearts are broken, we celebrate the life of someone who was very special to us all, Rebeccca Havenstein-Coughlin. She was “Aunt Becca” to my children, our cousin, our friend, and we called each other “Sister of my Heart”. This Spring, after living almost two and a half years with Glioblastoma Brain Cancer, heaven gained another angel. Rebecca was one of the bravest people I’ve had the honor to know. She inspired me every day to be a better, kinder, more thoughtful and loving person. She had a way of making the people in her life feel so special! Despite whatever obstacles were in her way, she approached them with grace, hope, faith in God and an unending passion! She touched the lives of so many and always made time for others, regardless of her own struggles. She lived life to the fullest and never took for granted that each day was a gift. Her husband Michael, was the love of her life and she knew that he was “Her Gift from God”. They had a love for each other that you usually only saw in fairytales. It was that special! Rebecca approached her 38 year career at the Canton Public Library (CPL) with the same passion she lived her life. It started in 1980, when CPL was just a vision and there was no public library. She was involved in building the (CPL) from concept to reality, and became Department Head of Information Services. Rebecca had her “fingerprints” all over the library, and was involved in all renovation and expansion projects. Rebecca’s passion, commitment and dedication for almost 4 decades was best described by an employee at CPL….”You are still a strong influence at CPL, as all you’ve done there, continues to inspire our staff, and the impact you’ve had is practically radiating from the walls.” She became a strong advocate for Head for The Cure Foundation and Glioblastoma when diagnosed with this horrible disease and approached this journey with optimism and hope. She walked with family and friends at last years Head for The Cure Walk in Detroit. She was determined to walk the entire 5K despite how physically difficult this was for her! It was that important to her! As she crossed the finished line, exhausted, she proved once again how amazing of a person she was! The impact she had on family, friends and her community are endless. As Rebecca journeyed through this life, people were her treasures. It was because of these many great friendships that Rebecca left this world a very, very rich woman. Rebecca was known for her caring, kindness, positive energy, enthusiasm and of course….her beautiful SMILE. Always, smiling down on us, we are forever grateful and better people for having her in our lives. She was the true treasure.