Emory, Va. – Anita Taylor Coulthard, age 74, passed away peacefully on March 14, 2021, surrounded by family in the comfort of her home after a long and tiring illness.
Anita is preceded in death by her parents Estelle and Charles Bertram Taylor of Albemarle, NC; brother Charles Taylor of Monroe, NC; and daughter Catherine Coulthard of Emory, Va.
Anita is survived by her husband of 51 years, Harold Coulthard; son Jon Coulthard and wife, Grace of Glendale, CA; three grandchildren, Oliver and Owen Coulthard of Glendale, CA, and Chloe Coulthard of Emory, Va; several nieces and nephews; and more friends than one could count.
Anita served as the coordinator of visual and performing arts at Emory & Henry College for 30 years. During her time there, she served as the resident organist for E&H and accompanied the concert choir. Her awards for service to the college, community, arts, and social justice are too numerous to list in full, but her greatest accomplishment was her ability to make an impact in the lives of everyone she met. She was kind, accepting, hardworking, and unabashedly vocal about equal rights and pay for people from all walks of life.
She was industrious and dedicated in her professional life, always working toward making E&H the best college it could be. In her personal life she was unconditionally accepting and loving to all. She was the best wife, mother, grandmother, aunt, and friend. All who knew her are lucky to have had her in their lives. She truly achieved a lifetime of selflessness and compassion toward everyone she met.
Due to COVID-19, a memorial service will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Anita Coulthard Scholarship for Music and the Arts. Donations should be sent to the Emory & Henry Advancement office, P.O. Box 950, Emory, VA 24327 or online
https://www.ehc.edu/giving/.
The family of Anita Taylor Coulthard is in the care of the Main Street Chapel of Farris Funeral Service, 427 East Main Street, Abingdon, VA 24210, (276-623-2700).