You are Loved More than you Know
Our Story
Why Coulter's Light Exists
Coulter's Light was born from a loss we never imagined we would experience.
On March 17, 2026, our eighteen-year-old son Coulter took his own life. He was deeply loved by his family and friends. He loved his Heavenly Father. He had dreams and hopes for his future, opportunities and adventures still ahead of him, and people who would have done anything to help carry the burden that he believed he had to carry alone.
We wish he could have understood just how much his life mattered, and how profoundly his absence would be felt.
But Coulter's death is not the story of his life.
His life was eighteen years of love, laughter and adventure, family and friendship, challenges and accomplishments, mistakes and lessons, questions and faith. It was backpacking over mountains, SCUBA diving, rock climbing, cooking, training, singing, dancing, making people laugh and dreaming about what was on the horizon. It was a life filled with ordinary moments that he made extraordinary.
Coulter's Light exists to remember and share those moments, but remembrance is only part of its purpose.
Through Coulter's life, his stories, and the lessons we continue to learn from losing him, we hope to encourage families to draw closer to one another and to their Heavenly Father; to offer hope to those struggling with burdens that feel too heavy to carry alone; and to walk alongside those grieving the loss of someone they love.
If remembering Coulter can help another family grow closer, help someone choose to share a burden rather than carry it alone, or bring even a little hope to someone walking through grief, then the Father's light reflected through Coulter continues to serve a purpose beyond remembrance.
The Father's Light Reflected
The name Coulter's Light does not mean that Coulter was the source of the light we saw in him.
We believe that light came from his Heavenly Father.
The love, joy, friendship, kindness, compassion, humor, thoughtfulness, generosity, courage, and strength that we saw reflected through Coulter were glimpses of something greater than Coulter himself. Like all of us, he was imperfect. He struggled. He made mistakes. He was still becoming the man God created him to be.
But during the eighteen years we were blessed to have him with us, those who knew him saw the Father's Light shine beautifully through Coulter.
That is the Light we want to remember.
And that is the Light we ultimately want this place to point toward.
The lighthouse has become a fitting symbol for Coulter's Light. A lighthouse does not remove the storm or calm the sea. It simply shines into the darkness, helping those who can see it find their way.
We hope Coulter's stories and the lessons he taught us can do a little of that.
You Are Loved More Than You Know
We cannot change Coulter's story.
But we can continue to tell it.
We can remember the way he laughed. We can tell the stories of his adventures and antics. We can share what he taught us, what others saw in him, and what we are continuing to learn because he was here.
And perhaps his story can help someone else understand something we desperately wish Coulter could have fully understood in his darkest moment:
Your life matters more than you may be able to see from inside your struggle, and the world is a better place with you in it.
There are people whose lives are intertwined with yours in ways you may not recognize. There are people who would rather help carry your burden than carry the weight of your absence. If you do not give them the opportunity, the weight doesn’t disappear; the weight you carry multiplies and many will be forced to carry that weight without you.
Coulter's Light exists because we loved our son, because we still love him, and because we believe his eighteen years mattered.
We will continue telling his stories. We will remember the faith, family, friends, freedom, laughter, love, joy, and adventures that made Coulter who he was. And through those stories, we hope to reflect the same Father's Light we were blessed to see reflected through him.
And if you have found your way here during a dark or difficult season, there is one thing we hope you will remember:
You are loved more than you know.
