William J. Coulter, of Port Washington, formerly of Random Lake, went home to be with his Lord during the evening hours of Tuesday, October 16, 2018 at Lawlis Family Hospice in Mequon. He was 84 years old. Bill was born on June 18, 1934 in Fond du Lac, son of William J. Coulter 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 West Bend unit. After graduating in 1952,… Read More » he married Ila Mae Zumach on April 11, 1953 in Fillmore.
In 1959 the couple moved from Fillmore to Omaha, NE where he graduated from Omaha Baptist Bible College in 1964. He returned with his family to Wisconsin to attend New Tribes Mission training in Little Kohler. The family was very involved in First Baptist Church of West Bend.
Bill was ordained and associated with Pastor/missionary Grant Rice and Wisconsin Independent Missions For Church Planting. In 1968, Bill was hired by North Side Gospel Center of Chicago to manage the buildings and grounds of Camp Awana in Fredonia. While there, he helped found Faith Fellowship Church in Silver Creek.
Bill moved on to work in the tool grinding trade at Industrial Tool Service and then to 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, north of Port Washington.
Ten years earlier, God had given him a burden to plant a church in that area. With the support of Emmaus Bible Church and several area families, Open Door Bible Church of Port Washington became a reality in 1977. After Ila Mae was called home to be with the Lord, he married Alice Boye of Random Lake on December 30, 1979.
Together they cared for Afterglow Farms. The couple became involved in the ministries of Faith Baptist Church of Plymouth and Immanuel Bible Church of Sheboygan, helping these churches through pastoral changes. In 1979, Bill became a licensed realtor and worked with his brother, Dan at Coulter Realty in West Bend.
In May of 1995, Bill and Alice retired from the Uihlein estate to the Boye family farm in Random Lake. The couple have since been active at First Baptist Church of Campbellsport and Heritage Baptist Church in Cedarburg. In addition to his wife Alice, of Port Washington, Bill is survived by his three children: Richard (Lynn) Coulter of Grabill, IN, Diane (Larry) Bernier of Grafton and Debra (Charles) Frazier of Mentone, AL.
Bill is further survived by 11 grandchildren, 17 great-grandchildren, two brothers Daniel (Wendy) Coulter of West Bend, and Timothy (Carol) Coulter of Liberty, MO, sisters Ramona (Edward) Dreher of Libertyville, IL and Sharon (Norbert) Rosbeck of West Bend, nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends. He is preceded in death by his parents, his first wife Ila Mae, sister Cynthia, and brothers Mark and Loren Coulter. Bill loved actively serving the Lord, building maintenance and repair, and caring for his yard and garden.
He lived a full, busy, and gratifying life with no regrets, and trusts that by God’s grace the legacy he leaves for his family will be long remembered. His much-loved wife and family will miss his love and humor. Bill’s life will be celebrated on Tuesday, October 23, 2018 at 1 PM at Open Door Bible Church, 3420 County Hwy.
LL, Port Washington. Pastor Mark Brooks of Heritage Baptist Church in Cedarburg will preside over the services. Bill will be laid to rest in Union Cemetery in Fillmore.
Visitation will take place at Open Door Bible Church, Tuesday the 23rd from 10:30 AM to 12:45 PM. Memorials to Wisconsin Voice of Christian Youth (WVCY) or the family are suggested. The Eernisse Funeral Home, Port Washington, is honored to serve the family.
Online condolences may be left at www. eernissefuneralhome.com The Coulter family wishes to thank the kind, caring staff of the Horizon Lawlis Family Hospice of Mequon for all their support and compassion.
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