Norman William Coupland

NORTH YARMOUTH – Norman William Coupland, 91, passed away peacefully on May 23, 2025 at Gosnell House in Scarborough. His loving wife was by his side, holding his hand.

Norman was born in Greenwich, England on May 11, 1934, the son of William Alonzo Coupland and Florence Eva Chambers Coupland. He lived with his family in London until 1940, when he was evacuated to the south coast of England along with many other children, in an effort to keep them safe from German bombs during World War II. During his evacuation, he lived in several homes and carried many memories of that time, both good and bad.

After returning home in 1946, he finished school and then went to work on the docks in London. Soon, during much of the 1950s, he was seeing the world, working on both merchant and passenger ships.

When an ulcer forced him to leave the sea, he worked at several jobs – as a bar manager on the Island of Jersey, bartender at the BBC bar in London, stage crew for BBC TV and Hammer Film Productions, and stagehand at The Royal Ballet and Opera House.

When the new National Theatre Company was formed by Laurence Olivier in 1963, Norman joined the company and never looked back. He started work as a stagehand and worked his way up to Master Carpenter, later called Technical Stage Manager. He thrived on the physical work, problem solving, and teamwork, and collaborated with set designers, directors, and actors. He enjoyed touring many plays throughout The United Kingdom, and other parts of the world. He also delighted in watching rehearsals and getting to know actors, such as Ian McKellen, Maggie Smith, Anthony Hopkins, and Judi Dench. He retired in 1993 after 30 years of working for The National Theatre.

Norman met the love of his life, Kathryn Emery, in 1977 at Putney train station, platform 2, in London. She was an exchange student, and they dated during the four months she was studying there. They lost touch several years after she returned to Maine, but met up again in 1993 and then spent four years flying back and forth across the Atlantic Ocean until Kathryn moved to England. They married on Sept. 8, 1997 and continued to live in London until 2001, when they moved to the southern coastal town of Hastings. Later, in 2006, they moved to North Yarmouth, Maine.

Norman was a loving husband and a good friend. He loved being outside, working in the garden and mowing the lawn atop his John Deere mower. He planned and created perennial beds, stone walls, and paved spaces, and often worked from early morning until tea time. He also enjoyed watching the wildlife that visited the backyard. In the winter, he would find projects to do around the house. He was never idle. He loved watching sports, especially rugby and football (soccer to the yanks). He supported Fulham Football Club in the English Premier League, but also loved watching Barcelona FC in La Liga. He enjoyed listening to all types of music and was an avid reader of books and the London Sunday Times. He liked good food, English style beer, gin and tonic, and bourbon, and enjoyed spending time with friends and family. He will be sadly missed.

He is survived by his loving wife of 27 years, Kathryn (Emery) Coupland. He is also survived by his brothers-in-law, Richard Emery and Timothy Emery; several nieces and nephews; and dear friends in Maine, Oregon, and England.

A graveside service will take place at 11 a.m. on June 5 at Calvary Cemetery, 1461 Broadway, South Portland.

Kathryn would like to thank all the doctors and other medical staff who cared for Norman over the years as his health declined, and the staff at Gosnell House for helping him on his journey. A special thanks to nurse Terrance on the ninth floor of the Richards Tower at MMC for the kindness you showed Norman on his birthday.

Please visit http://www.jonesrichandbarnes.com to sign Norman’s online guest book.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Norman’s name to

Hospice of Southern Maine or Maine Public Radio.