George Coulter, age 88, passed away sleeping peacefully at Our House Senior Living Facility, in Cambridge, WI, on February 16, 2023.
He was born in Chicago on October 17, 1934, the son of the late Eugene and Janie/Jennie (Harden) Coulter. On January 14, 1954, he married his wife of 69
years, Shirley Denham.
George lived with his mother his first 2 year of life. After she died in 1936, he lived with his oldest sister Lillian for two years before becoming a ward of Cook County, Illinois where he lived for nearly four years at the Illinois Children’s Home and Aid Society Orphanage. When George was nearly eight years old he moved to the Glenwood School for Boys until he graduated Bloom Township High School in 1953. At the Glenwood School for Boys, George won the coveted White Bible due to his extensive knowledge of the Bible. He was, according to his telling, the person responsible for the sinking of the Sunken Garden on the Boy School grounds.
George went into the Army in 1954 and was eventually stationed in Tokyo, Japan, in the 29th Engineer Battalion as a Specialist 4 in 1955. When George was discharged from the army he enrolled in the Illinois State Teachers College. Eventually he moved the family to Holbrook, IL, where he served on the volunteer fire department. George became a science teacher and principal at the Thornton, Illinois School District before moving to Glenwood, Illinois. In 1968 they all moved to New London, WI, where he taught 9th grade science until retirement in 1992.
During his time as a science teacher he made science accessible and fun with experiments such as his annual egg drop off the top of Washington Junior High and the possibly not quite legal launching of a weather balloon as an all school project. After retiring, he and Shirley co-authored a series of science books for children, gave science shows called “Flash, Bang, and a puff of Smoke” at elementary schools, and taught teachers how to make science classes fun at the Wisconsin Academy System. He and Shirley moved to Cambridge, WI, in 2001 where George relaxed by painting landscapes, wood carving, playing with his dog Pepper, hiking, and reading.
George is survived by his wife, Shirley; children: Holly (Dan), Mark (Marcia), Brian, and Victoria; grandchildren: Ann, Patrick, Jason, and Jarrod; great grandchildren: Sage, Indigo, Finnley, Olive, Kade, Madelyn, Malia and Riley. He was preceded in death by his parents; brothers and sisters: Eugene, Lillian, Joseph, Paul, Warren, Ruth, Jewell, Charles, James, and Frank; and great grandson Sierra.
A visitation will be held at Nitardy Funeral Home in Cambridge, WI, on February 28, 2023, from 11:00am to 1:00pm. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to Cambridge Public Library, Dane County Humane Society, or the charity of your choice.
The family expresses a special thank you to the staff at Our House Assisted Living in Cambridge, Wisconsin, and to all the wonderful people at Promedica Hospice.
Online condolences can be made at www.nitardyfuneralhome.com