William “Bill” Coulter passed away peacefully during the early hours of July 24, surrounded by his family. He was born and raised in Jersey City to Katherine and Alexander Coulter. As a young man, he loved spending summers with his extended family on Long Island, New York. Bill attended Dickinson High School, Ocean County College and Stockton University. He was a proud Navy Veteran, serving on the aircraft carrier the Tarawa and helping to decommission the USS Fullum. His professional life was spent in the fields of fashion, culinary arts, energy, gaming and transportation. As a slot technician, he helped open the Golden Nugget Casino in Atlantic City. In his free time, he was a skilled craftsman, political strategist and gardener. A longtime member of the Ocean County Democratic Party, and a leader of the Barnegat Township Democratic Party, he served as its most successful municipal chair. He was a State Committeeman and a New Jersey delegate to the 2004 Democratic Convention. Bill was an elected member of the Barnegat School Board, implementing a Holocaust awareness curriculum and helping to oversee the construction of the Russell O. Brackman Middle School. He is a lifelong member of the Knights of Columbus and a former member of the Barnegat Historical Society. During his life, Bill loved fiercely, lived fully, imparted joy and worked selflessly to improve the lives of others. He believed in the better nature of others and that all humans are capable of love and goodness. Bill is preceded in death by his brothers, James “Jimmy” Coulter, Alexander “Alec” Coulter and his sister, Janet Holmes. He is survived by his wife, Dolores Coulter, former Mayor of Barnegat Township, his daughter, Denise-Marie Coulter, his sister, Katherine Pawlowski and many nieces and nephews. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the William M. Coulter Veterans Scholarship through Atlantic Cape Community College’s Foundation: https://fundraise.givesmart.com/form/_Qg0Yw?vid=1rijzo. The scholarship can be found in the “Give to the following area” drop down box.

Visitation will be held on Wednesday, July 29, 2026 from 10 to 11 AM with a Mass of Christian Burial to follow 11 AM at St. Thomas of Villanova Church, Long Beach Blvd., Surf City, NJ 08008. Interment with Military Honors will follow in Greenwood-Cedar Run Cemetery, 200 South Main St. (Route 9), Stafford Twsp., NJ. Barnegat Funeral Home in charge of arrangements. (www.BarnegatFH.com)