Grandma Coulter

Very early this morning my Grandma Coulter, Alberta Martha (Schoenberg) Coulter, passed away. She was 93 years old.
She was the definition of "a strong woman". She worked harder and longer than any woman I know. She married at 16 and she and my grandfather, Nester who predeceased her, raised ten wonderful children. They are: Margie (Jack), Dee (Phil who passed in 1975), Helen (Bob), Sharon (Paul), Bob (Lynne), Dorothy (Buzz), Chuck (Cheryl), Kathy (Dave), Denise (Arlan) and Dan, who passed away at age 28,(Annita). She was blessed with 27 grandchildren: Tim and Pat; Me, (Debbie who died at age 2), Mike, Doug, Terri and Jim ; Dawn and Anne; Janice, Jeannine, and Jamie; Melissa and Lori; Julie and Greg; Josh, Sheilah, Eli and Patrick; Stephanie and Chad; Aaron and Adam; Benjamin and Daniel. She was double blessed by dozens of great grandchildren among them Carl, John, Sam, Ben, Jackson, Madeline, Xander, and the youngest great grandchild, Jessica. She and my grandfather are personally responsible for nurturing and helping populate this world with a significant number of wonderful caring and loving human beings.

Grandma was always busy doing so many things. She was very resourceful and taught me the value of working hard. She had much to do raising 10 children and then there was the 27 grandchildren. She spent time cooking, cleaning, gardening, farming, camping, fishing, and traveling, but mostly caring for others. She drove a school bus for many years and was always looking out for the school children. She played baseball with her grandchildren until she was well into her 70s and enjoyed very large family reunions and gatherings for many years. She will be missed by all.

Alberta Martha (Schoenberg) Coulter

Me, Grandma and Mom, February 2005.

Mom, Grandma and Mike on Christmas Day in 2005. I knitted the scarf for her on the way to visit her.

Grandma and Me, Christmas 2005.

Grandma and Mike, Christmas 2005.

Grandma and Mike in conversation.

Mom with Grandma, Memorial Day 2006.

Grandma and Mom, February 2005.
Mom showing Grandma a calendar Mom received as a gift with pictures of all her children and grandchildren .
When we would visit Grandma at the nursing home, I would often take some of my completed small quilts to show her. She really enjoyed seeing the quilts as did the other residents of the nursing home. Grandma was a quilter. She completed two quilts in her later years both of which were displayed at quilt shows of the Capital City Quilt Guild.
In the mid-80s I helped complete a Dresden Plate quilt top for her. The blocks were made by my Grandma or her mother or mother-in-law. I appliqued the Dresden Plates on the background, pieced the top and Grandma did all of the hand quilting. I put the binding on it for her. She was so proud of that quilt. It was displayed as part of a Dresden Plate exhibit at the Capital City Quilt Guild Quilt show several years ago.

When she was in her early 80s, I purchased some cross-stitch blocks and floss for her. I chose her favorite lavender, purple, green and yellow. I initially purchased six blocks but was quickly requested to get six more, she intended to make a large quilt. She spent several months cross stitching each block and then she asked me to piece the blocks together for her. I chose a pretty lavender/purple fabric for the backing. She decided that machine quilting was the best option so my friend John did beautiful machine quilting on it for her. I again did the binding and she was very pleased with her artwork. This quilt was displayed at the Capital City Quilt Guild show in 1999.
Mom and Grandma looking at Grandmother's Flower Garden quilt blocks that I was working on during the time of our visit. Grandma looked through all the blocks and chose the lavender one as her favorite.
Terri, my cousin, Anne, Grandma, and my Aunt Denise at a baby shower, Spring 2007.

Grandma, with four of her daughters: Denise, Helen, Kathy and Margie at a baby shower, Spring 2007.
Coulter Campout a few years ago.

God Bless you Grandma, may you rest in peace.