Steve Coulson Jr.'s Obituary
Steve Coulson, Jr., 92, of Cornelius, passed away on January 2, 2026.
Born in Hollywood, Alabama, youngest of 6 children raised by his parents Freddie and Charles Coulson, predeceased by his wife of 62 years, Judy; his siblings, JD, Evelyn, Bob, Ruth and Betty. Survived by only child Steve Richard Coulson(Rick) and wife Diane, plus two adored grandchildren, Christopher and Kylie Coulson.
Steve grew up on a cotton farm in Northern Alabama. He hated the hard life of picking cotton so much that he forged his parents signatures so he could join the army when he was 17, only to find himself in the Korean conflict the next year. His first night with his unit, while getting extra ammunition his jeep driver crashed into a tank, throwing the driver and himself over the tank, luckily, both survived. After his year of combat service in Korea, he was stationed in Japan. Steve loved the Japanese culture. He always liked impressing people with the Japanese phrases he had learned while stationed there. After Korea he came back to Ft. Benning and started the life of a US Army Pathfinder and PARATROOPER. This passion led him to become a Master Parachutist and then a HALO instructor. He was sent to Germany to start a parachute training program near Wiesbaden Air Force base. This is where he met the love of his life. Ute Lange, better known as Judy. They were married a year later and gave birth to their only child, Steve Richard (Rick). Steve was then deployed to Vietnam. He went on to do two tours, and with the grace of god came home to his family. Between duty stations at Ft. Campbell and Bragg, his skydiving career took off. He was a founding member of the US Army parachute team now known as the Golden Knights. This assignment took him all over the world and allowed him to accumulate over 800 free falls. As his time in the service was coming to an end, Sergeant First Class Coulson chose to close out his military career in Charlotte NC as an Army recruiter. He retired from the US Army after 21 years of service in 1971. Charlotte was the place where he would call his forever home.
His love for skydiving continued after his military until he fractured his leg during a landing at the Metrolina fairgrounds. Rumor has it, he would sneak a jump in at Reaford drop zone outside of Ft. Bragg until his mid 70s. He had several careers after including LaPointe Chevrolet, and GuardsMark, Inc. Steve enjoyed spending time with his buddies at local Charlotte establishments such as Bucks Grill, Hoots Fishing Tackle, Ye Old Pub, Red Fox Lounge, Holiday Harbor and Marina, VFW posts,and probably many others. He was an avid fisherman. Santee Cooper, and Lake Norman are places he would frequent. He also dabbled in illegal contraband transport. What was sold as an “out west hunting trip”. Steve, his great friends Tom Shytle, Jake McFee, and others would actually hunt and bring back meat, but Coors Banquet beer was the primary haul. Always a successful hunt!
In Steve’s later years being a grandfather was what made him the happiest. Christopher and Kylie were vital to adding many years to Steve (and Judy’s) life. They were fantastic grandparents who loved their grandchildren dearly. His life is a story that is too long of a story tell in a simple obituary. He loved his family, friends, and serving his country. He will be missed, and always celebrated as a wonderful husband, father, grandfather, and patriot. God speed dad.
Per Steve and Judy’s wishes, a joint Celebration of Life honoring both Steve and Judy will be held on Monday, January 12th at 1:00 pm, James Funeral Home, 10520 Arahova Drive, Huntersville, NC 28078
James Funeral Home is serving the Coulson family. Memories and condolences may be shared online at https://www.JamesFuneralHomeLKN.com
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