BENTONVILLE, AR - Former executive head and instrumental Walmart leader Tom Coughlin passed away last week at the age of 66.
Although a direct cause of death has not yet been given, Coughlin had been in the intensive care unit for the past several weeks. According to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), Coughlin was reported to have suffered from several ailments over the past ten years.
Current Walmart CEO, Doug McMillon, announced Coughlin’s passing in an executive-wide email on Friday, WSJ reported.
“Like me, many of you worked with Tom over his more than 26 years with the company,” McMillon wrote. “I know firsthand how much he loved our associates and this company.”
After joining Walmart in 1978, Coughlin worked his way up to Vice Chairman of the company while playing a key role in the retail chain's growth to over 3,000 stores just in the U.S., expanding to other countries all over the world and becoming the giant it is today.
Although he was involved in a 2006 settlement for wire fraud and tax-evasion accusations for a misappropriation of some $500,000 worth of Wal-Mart funds, WSJ reported that Coughlin’s retail legacy remains.
In fact, close friends and colleagues of Coughlin still looked to him for professional advice long after he retired from Walmart in 2005. He is remembered as a tall man at 6’4”, and a loyal and hardworking leader.
Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Coughlin is survived by his wife, Cynthia, three children, Kelly, Thomas, and Michael Coughlin, one brother, four sisters, and one grandson. No services have been announced.
AndNowUKnow offers its condolences to all those affected by this loss.
