Harriet Coulter

Harriet E. Coulter, 76, of Fayetteville, passed away on December 2, 2016. She was born January 4, 1940 in Bridgeton, New Jersey to Charles and Gladys (Jagger) Tupper.
Harriet was preceded in death by her husband, James E. Coulter; brother, Donald Tupper and her parents. She is survived by 4 sons, Daniel Coulter of Jacksonville, Florida, Sam Coulter (Lisa) of North Little Rock, James Coulter (Mariza) of North Little Rock and Charles Coulter of Virginia; 3 daughters, Sarah Farley (Lynn) of Greenbrier, Julie Coulter of North Little Rock and Deborah Kirk of Fayetteville; 9 grandchildren; 5 great-grandchildren; niece and nephew, Nancy Wheaton (Jeff) and Kevin Tupper (Stephanie).
Harriet was always a tomboy at heart. As a child, her fondest recollections were tales of running barefooted in the mud on her uncle's farm. She loved the orchards that surrounded her in southern New Jersey. One of her favorites memories was her family's trips to Weber's, a candy store in Bridgeton that had been open since 1888. After her children were grown, her eyes would light up when one of them would return from a visit to Bridgeton with a "care package" from Weber's.
From a very young age, Harriet had a servant's heart. Her chief desires were to be useful in the kingdom of God and raise a family. God apparently liked her plan as she became a dutiful pastor's wife in 1961 and went on to raise seven children. After working side by side with her husband in starting or growing several home mission churches across the United States, they made Little Rock their home.
Life took an unexpected turn in 1975 when her husband was called home after a courageous battle with brain cancer. Harriet now bore the task of raising seven children, ranging from 12 years to 2 months, alone. Amazingly, her faith remained steadfast; she never wavered in her determination to keep her family together and somehow weather the storm.
Over the years, as chaotic as life with a houseful of kids would be, several things remained sure: they always went to church, she drove faster than she should have and Thanksgiving and Christmas were always celebrated. There were two things that could be counted on at Thanksgiving: the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade would be watched and she would be in charge of the green bean casserole. Christmas was also very special to her. Every year, she purposefully prepared seven unique stockings for her children. Though they struggled financially, Harriet was determined that her children enjoy Christmas. She certainly accomplished her goal since those memories are among the most cherished by her children.
As her children grew and became independent, she served faithfully for 20 years at Baptist Book Store (later Lifeway Christian). After her retirement, you would rarely see her without a Louis L'amour book and a bottle of water nearby. Her grandchildren gave her so much joy and she thoroughly enjoyed any time she got to spend with them. One year, she dusted off her teaching degree and tutored one of her grandchildren for a semester. She often mentioned how meaningful that was to her and appreciated the opportunity.
Harriet will be missed dearly by her family and will always be honored for having accomplished the extraordinary task of holding a family together, despite overwhelming odds.
Memorials may be made to North Little Rock Friends of Animals, in care of North Little Rock Animal Shelter, P.O. Box 5757, NLR, Arkansas 72119.
Memorial service will be held at 1:00 PM Saturday, December 10, 2016 at Smith-North Little Rock Funeral Home, 1921 Main Street with a visitation following the service.
Online guest register at www.SmithFamilyCares.com