Longtime Severna Park resident, Captain Frank J. Coulter, USN (ret) died peacefully at home on June 21 at age 93. He had spent the last two months in hospice care surrounded by family and friends. Born in Baltimore in 1917, Captain Coulter graduated from Baltimore Polytechnic Institute in 1935 and the U.S. Naval Academy in 1939, and by the end of World War II he was serving as skipper of a submarine in the Pacific. He was aboard the destroyer USS Alden off the Philippines when Japanese forces attacked Pearl Harbor, Manila, and Malaya in December 1941. He stayed aboard the Alden for its action with an allied fleet in the Battle of the Java Sea in March 1942, transferring later that year to the Submarine School and an assignment to the submarine USS Skipjack, which operated in the Pacific theater. Serving on the Skipjack for 42 months, he assumed command in December 1944 and stayed aboard until it was decommissioned as part of the Operation Crossroads atom bomb tests at Bikini Atoll in 1946, where he was an eyewitness to one of the explosions. Over the course of his career, he was commanding officer of two submarines and four surface ships, as well as the U.S. Naval Advisory Group in Korea, where he served from 1963 to 1965. He retired in 1969, following a tour as director of Navy recruiting in New York and New England. During his 30-year career, he served abroad or aboard ship for nearly 15 years. His awards and designations included the Bronze Star and Navy Commendation Medals, both with the V designation for Valor, and insignias for the Submarine Warfare Qualification (Dolphins), Submarine Combat Patrol, and Command-at-Sea. He had graduate studies at the Navy Postgraduate School in Monterey and George Washington University. After retirement, he worked for 15 years as a management official with the Baltimore City Government.

Captain Coulter and his wife Marie Sutton Coulter moved in 1970 to Severna Park, where he was active in church and community activities. He served more than a decade as a volunteer at the Naval Academy Clinic. At Our Shepherd Lutheran Church, his many roles included council president, Sunday school superintendent, usher, and Stephen Ministry leader. In the Severna Park Rotary Club, he served twice as President and was selected as a Paul Harris Fellow. He and his wife were active supporters of Navy football and the Naval Academy Alumni Association.

In addition to his wife of 62 years, Captain Coulter is survived by his brother Jack of Severna Park, daughter Cynthia Dougherty of Washington, DC, son Frank, Jr. of Vienna, VA, and grandchildren Megan Coulter Hoffmann, Janey Coulter, Leslie Dougherty, and Peter Dougherty.

Family and friends may visit from 2-4 pm and 6-80 pm on Friday, June 24, 2011 at Barranco & Sons, P.A. Severna Park Funeral Home, 495 Ritchie Hwy. A Funeral Service will be held at 11:00 AM on Saturday, June 25, 2011 at Our Shepherd Lutheran Church, 400 Benfield Road, Severna Park, MD 21146. The final disposition will be an inurnment at the Naval Academy Columbarium. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be to Our Shepherd Lutheran Church, 400 Benfield Road, Severna Park, MD 21146.
Online condolences may be made at www.barrancofuneralhome.com