MEEKER | Gary and Relda Coulter of Meeker are grateful to live in a small town where they know nearly everyone and where family members are close at hand.
Gary was born in Meeker and Relda joined him here in 1963, sharing their wedding vows on Nov. 23, 1963 — the day after President John F. Kennedy was assassinated.
The Coulters have four children: son Lanny (wife Danette) of Meeker is pilot and mechanic for the family business Coulter Aviation; daughter Samantha (husband Mike), also of Meeker, is county coordinator of airport projects; daughter Jeri Allen of Grand Junction; and son Alan (wife Cheryl), who is a food supplier in Moses Lake, Wash.
Gary is best known as owner/operator of Coulter Aviation and as the manager of Meeker Airport since 1959. He owns planes that he charters, does crop dusting, maintains and repairs planes as well as owns hangars at the airport.
He served on the Meeker hospital board for two terms, was president of the Meeker Chamber of Commerce for two years and he, along with Herb Hughley, built what is now the log cabin that houses the chamber. He has also served as president of the Colorado Crop-dusters Association and served on the board of the National Agricultural Applicators Association.
Relda has served on the Meeker Golf Board and on the board of the National Agricultural Aviation Administration. She enjoys sewing, reading, gardening, arts and crafts and cooking.
Gary said that what he likes most about Meeker is that it is a nice, small town where “I know almost everybody,” and he is grateful that the town has only one stoplight.
He said he is proud of having flown in every state in the U.S. and that he has more than 25,000 hours of flight time. In his spare time, he enjoys flying model airplanes in Mesa, Ariz., and that when he is home, he enjoys “everything aviation.”
Relda is most thankful for all the friends she has in Meeker and the surrounding area, that Meeker is a small town and “for all the family we have around here.”
Gary said of Relda, “Bless her heart. Whenever I was away flying, she jumped right in there and ran the airport. That has meant a lot to me.”