Mildred L. Coulson

Some people shuffle through life, bowed by the burdens on their shoulders, condemned to a plow horse existence. Mildred Coulson certainly wasn't one of them. She was a beautiful, vibrant, energetic woman, who could brighten a room, ease your troubles, and lift your spirits. She faced challenges in her life, yet never let them beat her, or define her. She was a devoted wife, loving mother and grandmother, and a friend to so many, yet most of all, she was simply a gift to all who knew her. Mildred's story began on a cold winter day in 1916, in the town of Big Rapids, Michigan. Those were intriguing times in this country, as America was enjoying so many successes, still a year away from entering the fray of World War I, which was then encircling the globe. In the town of Big Rapids, Albert and Bertha (Buzzell) Sokoloski had their own reasons to celebrate that winter. On February 10, 1916, a frosty Thursday in Big Rapids, they welcomed a beautiful baby girl, a daughter they named Mildred. Mildred joined her brother Jack and sister Alberta in the family home. Her father came from a large family in Big Rapids, but soon moved his family to Muskegon, where he went to work as a tool & die maker in the shops there. Mildred's father eventually left the family when she was a young girl, leaving her mother to provide for her family. Mildred's mother worked as a seamstress to make ends meet, doing alterations and other tailoring. Times were tough for the family, and many meals consisted of some boiled potatoes and salted pork. Mildred and her siblings were also sent to Big Rapids from time to time, to live with their uncle, who was the town's bank president and mayor. Sadly, when Mildred was a junior at Muskegon High School, her mother died suddenly, so she left school to earn money for her and her siblings to live on. Her brother Jack worked on the fishing tugs in Muskegon, while Mildred found work as a bookkeeper at Muskegon Building Materials, which proved to be very fortuitous for her. Her sister began dating a man named Bill Coulson, who promptly introduced Mildred to his brother, John. John was immediately taken with the beautiful, vibrant Mildred, and both couples ended up getting married! Mildred and John were married on January 15, 1938, beginning a wonderful life together. The newlyweds bought 25 acres on Farr Road (which at that time was just woods), and began slowly building their home. John dug the basement by hand, armed only with a shovel, and mixed up the concrete in an old car turned upside-down. They got their building supplies little by little from Mildred's work. Each week they'd pay their rent, buy their food, pay any other bills, and the rest went to supplies. The next week they'd repeat the process. Building their own house was quite an undertaking, but it was also a lot of fun for the couple, who were happy just to be together. When they were putting on the roof one day, John teasingly put a nail through Mildred's dungarees. Mildred laughed, so John did it again and again, until she had to shimmy right out of her pants to get off the roof! That was Mildred, though, such a fun-loving woman. It wasn't long before the new wife and husband became mother and father. Their first child, Perry, was born in 1940, followed by Dan in '42 and Karen rounding out the family in '47. Mildred left her job to care for her growing family, while John worked at Campbell, Wyant & Cannon, a large manufacturer of metal goods, to provide for them. Mildred, of course, was an excellent mother, both loving and supportive. She was very active, especially in the PTA and served as a Brownie leader and Cub Scout Den mother. She was also a wonderfully dedicated wife who always had dinner on the table and the children clean and washed promptly at 4:15 each day, when John returned home from work. Sadly, in 1960, the home they had so lovingly built by hand was condemned by the state, to make way for a new highway. Like every challenge Mildred faced in her life, she just rolled gracefully with the changes, and the family then built a house on Brooks Road. This home was built not by them, but by Rycenga Homes, who finished the job in just 11 weeks! Quite a contrast to their first home. Mildred lived there the rest of her life. Like so many who lived through tough times and the Great Depression, Mildred was a very frugal woman, who used her common sense when it came to dollars and cents. As the daughter of a seamstress, Mildred used her family talents to make Karen's clothes until she was in middle school. She also saw the wisdom in buying in bulk, long before the days of Costco or Sam's Club. She and John always paid cash, and never on credit. In fact, when Mildred went to buy Karen a sewing machine once, they talked her into applying to put it on credit. Even though she had more than enough in the bank, she was declined - she had no credit history, even after 25 years of marriage! Mildred's favorite pastime was tending to her lovely garden, full of flowers and vegetables, a pastime she always seemed to turn into a family affair. Her kids all helped their mother in her garden growing up, and later her beloved grandkids took their turns in Grandma's garden, too. She loved being a grandmother dearly, and was so proud of each of her grandchildren, so fulfilled by them. Mildred was also a woman of great faith, and was very active in her church, first at Bethel Baptist, and later Little Black Lake Baptist, both in Fruitport. She made so many close friends at church, and enjoyed going out to eat with them, going shopping or even taking trips together. Mildred was such a vibrant, social woman, and even when many of her friends had passed away, she continued to enjoy going out whenever she had the chance. Sadly, Mildred lost her beloved John in December of 1993, and just two years later suffered the most devastating loss of her life, when her son Perry died after a years-long battle with cancer. Yet through it all, Mildred persevered, always remaining strong, always rolling with the challenges and changes in her life. In September of 2006, Mildred learned her kidney failed, requiring a lot of IV tranfusions. When Karen asked what happened, Mildred replied simply, "Well, I've suffered another little setback." That was Mildred, always downplaying her problems compared to the plight of others. Mildred was a remarkable lady, a woman of such strength, energy and spirit. She faced many challenges in her life, yet never let them defeat her, or define her. Mildred was truly a light in this life, and today her light, and her love, lives on in all who knew her. She will be greatly missed.