Daniel William Coughnour

COUGHNOUR, Daniel “Dan” W., passed away at the age of 79, on February 1, 2023, at the Hospice of Dayton. Dan is survived by his wife and partner of more than thirty years, Ildikó Marcus; sister, Candace “Candy” Finger; brothers, John (Sue) Coughnour and Tom (Eva) Coughnour; children, Daniel Coughnour and Chelsea (Jason) McCauley; stepdaughters, Andrea and Lauren Marcus; granddaughter, Zoe Marcus; his adored feline companions; a few granddogs; and a plethora of nieces, nephews, cousins, friends who became family, and friends who knew better than to say they were related to him.

Dan was born on November 12, 1943, to Daniel Webster and Charlotte “Betty” Coughnour (née Light), in Dayton, Ohio. Dan lived his whole life in the Dayton area, graduating from Oakwood High School in 1962 and attending The Ohio State University and Sinclair College, receiving a degree in Liberal Arts. Dan joined the Army Reserves as a young man, looking to get a little discipline in his life. It must have worked, as he operated a successful auto-mechanics shop, “Coke’s Vokes,” for many years (a little bird may have said that Coke’s was the place to hang out and goof off).

Dan loved fast cars, traveling the world, playing cards, telling jokes filled with sound effects, and shocking visitors with his tighty-whities. Dan enjoyed getting both a rise and laugh out of everyone—his sense of humor, his wit, and his timing as a storyteller and mirth-maker were second to none. Always the life of the party and the center of attention, he brought the laughter and the people followed. Beyond cracking wise, Dan had a head for random factoids and excelled at trivia—he and Ildikó played many a trivia night in both Ohio and Florida, and woe be to the trivia cheaters and competition disturbers! Dan even parlayed his love of facts and his good timing to a winning stint on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire in 2006.

Dan was the ultimate “car guy”—if it had wheels, he could drive it. From mud-runs in beaters to designing difficult trap road rallies to racing in the ProRally Series to being tapped by Subaru to race 5000 miles across Alaska and the Artic Circle, Dan’s love of rallying was always on display. He spent many years as a member of and a leader in the SCCA, WOR, and the Corvette Club. A long-time presence in both the local and national rally scene, Dan held the position of Regional Executive for WOR multiple times and was a “Series Manager” for the National ProRally Series, traveling around the country to supervise ProRallys. Dan and his wife Ildikó won many local top positions in both local and regional rallys as well. On any given day, Dan could be found challenging a random driver to a test of their acceleration abilities or zooming along country roads in one of his favorite cars, be it a Subie, a VW, or a Vette.

To celebrate Dan and his love of all things fun, please join the family February 11, 2023, to tell all the stories that weren’t fit to print in a family paper. Visitation will begin at 2 p.m. at Routsong Funeral Home, 2100 E Stroop Rd, Dayton, with services to begin at 3 p.m. and party to follow. Attire is “Dan casual,” come as you are. Refreshments will be provided.