Deceased June 24, 2023
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IN MEMORY
Steve Coulter died on June 24 after a five-year fight with a rare urological cancer. To the end, Steve’s courage and good cheer remained remarkable; he found humor in deeply painful circumstances and continually expressed gratitude for his many blessings.
Steve’s life journey was one of transitions and growth. He brought his Oklahoma accent and large presence to Amherst after a semester at Johns Hopkins. A member of the swim team and Psi U, he made lifelong friends. After junior year, he left for dental school at Washington University, then switched to medical school at the University of Oklahoma. After 10 years practicing internal medicine, Steve moved into executive roles with Blue Cross Blue Shield and was finally president of The Health Institute of BCBS of Tennessee. He issued white papers on Tennesseans’ access to health care that were remarkably enlightened and illuminating, reflecting his care for people. Following retirement, Steve returned to medical practice at hospice in Chattanooga. When he entered hospice care himself, Steve expressed great pride at his service on a caring, selfless team.
Steve’s first love was his family. He was devoted to his wife of over 40 years, Beverly, and was enormously proud of his children, Ben, Scott and Sarah, and his two granddaughters.
Steve’s hobbies included skydiving (which he finally gave up after many broken bones), photography, skeet shooting, and tending his farm near Chattanooga and many pets.
Raised an Oklahoma Methodist, Steve converted to Judaism. He loved it, he said, for its intellectual clarity and richness. Steve described Judaism as the core of his identity and a source of comfort and strength. He adopted Jewish foods and a haimish sense of humor. Steve told me he’d like to be remembered as a good and observant Jew, a mensch. He was all that and more.
Steven Scheinman ’73