Thomas I. (Chief) Coulter, age 99, passed away peacefully on February 5, 2024, at his Rutland Place residence in Mount Juliet, surrounded by his loving family and caregivers. He was born August 6, 1924 in Parksville, Kentucky, the second of fourteen children of the late Thomas and Reva Coulter. Thomas was preceded in death by Louise, his wife of seventy-one years.
Shortly after Pearl Harbor and an early graduation from high school, he enlisted in the United States Navy, where he served his country in the Pacific. After WWII, he met Louise Shaw who was a young teacher in his hometown. They were soon married and began their adventures during which they shared the frequent roamings of a naval life before landing in Nashville in 1962. After 25 years in the Navy, Thomas retired as a Master Chief and they remained in Nashville, where he worked 20 years for the Corps of Engineers at Old Hickory and Percy Priest Dams.
Besides raising two boys and being passionate and loving participants in their growing families, Louise and Thomas were inseparable partners in many other life adventures – they loved hiking, bicycle riding, snow skiing, working for their church and others, and going to the YMCA. Thomas, who was a devout Christian and never met a stranger, was a charter and very active member of Hermitage Hills Baptist Church, where he taught Sunday school for fifty years. Chief was a Scoutmaster for local Troop 777 for fifty years where he mentored countless young men. He just had that voice and “the right stuff” to motivate and make a positive impact on these “men” (they were never boys to Chief) and many of them have visited him often through the years.
Thomas is survived by his devoted sons, Lee (Cathy) and John (Sue); adored grandsons David (Jane), Thomas (Mary) and Isaac; beloved great-grandchildren Sean, Jake, and Riley; three brothers and several sisters-in-law; and many devoted nieces and nephews. He greatly blessed the lives of everyone of his family and friends and loved on us all.
There will be a visitation with family and friends from 5:00pm - 7:00pm on Thursday, February 15th and 10:00am to 11:00am on Friday, February 16th before the service at Hermitage Funeral Home. The Celebration of Life Service will be held in the Tulip Grove Room at the funeral home at 11:00am on Friday, February 16th, with burial immediately following at Hermitage Memorial Gardens in the Garden of the Cross. Thomas’ family will serve as pallbearers. The family especially wishes to express their grateful thanks to the amazing caregivers at Rutland - Cathy Salisbury and Maria, Ashley, Amanda, Kattie, Sylvia, Rachel, and Holly - who provided incredible TLC to Chief over the past couple of years.
Although Chief was eagerly looking forward to his centennial birthday milestone, there was no one more excited or prepared to meet his Lord and Savior and be reunited with his precious Louise. We will never, ever forget his stories and kind and encouraging words for everyone he met. Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared with the Coulter family at HermitageFH.com. In lieu of flowers, the family kindly asks that memorials be made to Hermitage Hills Baptist Church, the Boy Scouts of America, or your local Boy Scout Troop.
