John Mansfield Coulter, Jr, who we knew as "Johnny,” passed away peacefully after a long illness on Feb 16, 2020. Johnny was always the pleasant, intelligent, and gracious gentleman. His family was from North Carolina, which explains his distinctive, soft accent. He grew up moving several times with his Air Force family, his father being an AF attorney. Many of us knew him at Jefferson Jr Hi, when his father was posted to Kirtland AFB. As a young teen, he worked for Kistler Collister in downtown Albq as an asst window dresser. At school, he had a major part in the big play of the year, The Devil and Daniel Webster. He got his bachelors at Duke and JD from Georgetown, and became an attorney for the Air Force, which obligated him to several years of active duty, which he served mostly in Taiwan. On separation from the AF, he found career employment as an attorney at IRS Hq in Washington DC. (We have Johnny to thank for the 1040 EZ form.). Johnny led an active professional and social life with Philip Schmitt, his partner of 39 years. They traveled widely around the world, had many friends, and entertained generously at their homes in DC and Oak Park, Virginia. He retired from the IRS in 1996 as Branch Chief in the Office of the Chief Counsel. In 2018, Johnny was diagnosed with throat cancer, necessitating surgery from which he never recovered. We miss our friend.
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Robert Bushman
I visited Johnny in his home shortly before his diagnosis, and found him relaxed, dapper, and gracious. Lots of fine art hanging about his town house in SW DC. He was by all acounts, a refined gentleman.
I'm very glad to have had his friendship. His was a life well lived.
Gary Bruton
I mourn his loss. He was my best friend in grade school and junior high.