Mary Bernadette (Welsh) Coulter

Mary Welsh Coulter (called EB by many who loved her) was born December 6, 1933 and passed away June 11, 2024 at the age of 90, while surrounded by her close family. 

Mary was born in Champaign, IL and lived in IL and OH until she was in her 40s, when she moved to CA, vowing to never live in a place with snow again. During her time in CA, she had the joy of welcoming many of her grandchildren into the world. In 2013, at the age of 79, Mary made her way back to the snow and moved in with her son and daughter-in-law, Lee and Shannon Coulter, and their children in IL, eventually moving with them to IN.

 Mary was an eccentric, witty, intelligent, loving, one-of-a-kind woman whose hobbies ranged from making her own fashionista clothing to keeping a rose garden to devouring books - reading 3 to 4 works a week! She never stopped experiencing new things: she got her Bachelor’s of Arts in Healthcare Administration in her 50s, dabbled at being a casino dealer in her 60s, and moved across the country in her 70s. At the ripe young age of 89, she started drinking coffee for the first time. Then at 90, she developed a taste for Indian food, discovered chai tea lattes, and fell in love with Jesus. Her last few months were joyfully spent with her family doing things like looking at old photo albums with her granddaughter Corina, having her hair braided by her granddaughter Camille, and enjoying coffee ice cream shakes with her grandson Gavin.

 Even with a life full of challenges, Mary never gave up and always knew how to make people smile and laugh. When her grandchildren were young, she told them that she used to have a dinosaur as a pet. She would unironically wear a cheetah print onesie. And near the end of her life, she’d still pretend to run people down with her walker. We’ll remember her through her clever comebacks, treating chocolate as a food group, the “good job” finger, gargoyle statues, sneaking food before the dinner prayer, Eeyore, manatees, and eating cinnamon rolls on Sundays.

 She was preceded in death by her parents, Phillip Francis Welsh and Catherine Elizabeth Smoot; her sister, Catherine “Sue” Elizabeth Neal; and her husband and soulmate Robert “Bob” Loren Coulter. She is survived by her seven children Robert Lee (Shannon) Coulter, Christine (Tony) Jeffery, David (Deborah) Bricker, Peter (Elizabeth) Bricker, George Bricker, Martin (Tracy) Bricker, and Robert Bricker; 15 grandchildren; and 11 great-grandchildren.

 The family extends their heartfelt gratitude to those who contributed so much to the quality of Mary’s life, especially near the end. Thank you to Ash and Sherri and the many nurses and other individuals who helped care for her and ensure her comfort as she approached the end of her life.

 It is Mary’s wish for her family to hold a private, intimate memorial at a later date. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to Civitan International, a group that Mary volunteered with during her time as a radiation therapist in MS. https://civitan.org/give/

 As Mary always said, “Bye for now.”