Crystal B. Coulter

Crystal Belle Vote Coulter, 93, passed away in her home in Westerville, Ohio, on October 20, 2023. Crystal was preceded in death by her husband, John (Jack) Knox Coulter, Jr. by almost forty years and daughter-in-law, Kathryn Zupp Coulter. She is survived by son, John Coulter; son and daughter-in-law, Paul and Lisa Coulter, and daughter and son-in-law, Lisa and Greg Sanders, as well as her five grandsons: Sam, Jack, Adam, Max, and Nick.

Crystal and Jack met at Transylvania College and married in 1950. Their pursuit of education took them on to Indiana University where Crystal worked in the president's office for President Herman B. Wells while pursuing a masters degree. Jack accepted a position as an English professor at Otterbein College, they moved to Westerville. From there, Crystal completed her course work and earned a masters degree in social work and Jack completed his Ph.D in English Literature.

Throughout her life, Crystal was dedicated to serving others. One of her most cherished beliefs was a woman's right to make decisions about her own reproductive health and family planning. She worked in a variety of roles during her career as a social worker. Early in her career, she worked for Planned Parenthood. Later she worked placing children into adoptive homes, and then in a county mental health clinic in Delaware, Ohio, as a counselor. She also counseled patients in private practice in Westerville.

Crystal was born on the family farm in Allegan County, Michigan, on July 20, 1930, not long after the beginning of the Great Depression. Crystal was the first child of Terressa (Boylan) Vote and Harold Vote. She is survived by her two sisters, Phyllis Rice and Nancy Vote, and brother, Dale Vote and his wife, Donalyn; as well as many nieces, nephews, and cousins. For a time, Crystal returned to Michigan where she built a house on Baseline Lake in order to be closer to her own mother for the years prior to her mother's death. She returned to Westerville following her mother's passing.

Despite Jack's death forty years ago, Crystal remained close to his family as well. She is survived by Jack's sisters, Belle Tribby, Betty Hucke, and Nancy Colcord; as well as by brother-in-law, Jerry Abrecht and sister-in-law, Jenny Coulter. She enjoyed following the lives of numerous nieces and nephews and their families on Facebook, in addition to visiting with them at the Coulter Family Reunions which happen every five years. Most recently, she spent a week with the Coulter clan at Cumberland Falls State Park in July where eighty-six family members were in attendance.

Crystal's love for education and Otterbein College (now University), kept her active long into her retirement. She enjoyed theater productions, lectures, and Otterbein's Lifelong Learning Community classes - most recently a Shakespeare class. During the pandemic, Crystal wrote a book chronicling Jack's time at and his contributions to Otterbein, which was published in 2022. In addition to Otterbein, she enjoyed the company of her neighbors and friends in the Hoff Woods Condominium Community.

Crystal's family will hold a visitation for friends and family at Moreland Funeral Home 55 E. Schrock Road, Westerville, Ohio, 43081, on Saturday, November 4th from 2 - 4PM. All are welcome to drop by.