William Coulter

William J. Coulter Jr., 84, of Port Washington and formerly of Random Lake, died of liver cancer Tuesday, Oct. 16, at Lawlis Family Hospice in Mequon.  

“He had a list of things he wanted to accomplish before he passed away, and through the grace of God he was able to do so. He was ready,” his daughter Diane Bernier said.

Mr. Coulter was born in Fond du Lac on June 18, 1934, to William Sr. and Kathryn Urban Coulter.

He grew up on the family farm west of Kewaskum. During his last two years at Kewaskum High School, he was a member of the Civil Air Patrol Unit in West Bend.

After graduating from high school in 1952, he married Ila Mae Zumach on April 11, 1953, in Fillmore.  

In 1959, the couple moved from Fillmore to Omaha, Neb., where Mr. Coulter graduated from Omaha Baptist Bible College in 1964.  

Mr. Coulter returned with his family to Wisconsin to attend New Tribes Mission training in Little Kohler. The family was involved in First Baptist Church in West Bend.

Mr. Coutler was ordained and associated with missionary Grant Rice and the Wisconsin Independent Missions for Church Planting.

In 1968, Mr. Coulter was hired by North Side Gospel Center in Chicago to manage the buildings and grounds of Camp Awana in Fredonia. He also helped found Faith Fellowship Church in Silver Creek.

Mr. Coulter worked in the tool-grinding trade at Industrial Tool Service and then at Tecumseh Products Corp. During that time, he was one of the founding members of Emmaus Bible Church in West Bend.  

In 1975, he was hired by the Joseph Uihlein family to care for their estate, Afterglow Farms, in the Town of Port Washington.

In 1977, with the support of Emmaus Bible Church and several area families, Mr. Coulter founded Open Door Bible Church in Port Washington.

“The church started in my parents’ home. He felt very blessed between his family and ministry,” his daughter said.

After his wife died in 1979, Mr. Coulter married Alice Boye of Random Lake on Dec. 30, 1979. Together they cared for Afterglow Farms and became involved in the ministries at Faith Baptist Church in Plymouth and Immanuel Bible Church in Sheboygan.

In 1979, he became a licensed realtor and worked with his brother Dan at Coulter Realty in West Bend.  

In May 1995, Mr. Coulter and his wife retired from the Uihlein estate to the Boye family farm in Random Lake. They were also active at First Baptist Church in Campbellsport and Heritage Baptist Church in Cedarburg.  

Mr. Coulter is survived by his wife Alice of Port Washington; children Richard (Lynn) Coulter of Grabill, Ind., Diane (Larry) Bernier of Grafton and Debra (Charles) Frazier of Mentone, Ala.  

He is further survived by 11 grandchildren; 17 great-grandchildren; brothers Daniel (Wendy) of West Bend and Timothy (Carol) of Liberty, Mo.; and sisters Ramona (Edward) Dreher of Libertyville, Ill., and Sharon (Norbert) Rosbeck of West Bend.  

He was preceded in death by his parents, first wife Ila Mae, sister Cynthia, and brothers Mark and Loren.  

A celebration of life ceremony was held Tuesday, Oct. 23, at Open Door Bible Church in Port Washington. The Rev. Mark Brooks of Heritage Baptist Church in Cedarburg presided.  

Interment was at Union Cemetery in Fillmore.

Memorials to Wisconsin Voice of Christian Youth (WVCY) or the family are suggested.

Eernisse Funeral Home, Port Washington, handled the arrangements.