Elizabeth Ann Coulson Laramie - Born 6/26/1953, Died 3/20/2026

God certainly broke the mold when they made Beth. Those of us fortunate enough to have known her will no doubt forever cherish the indelible impression she made on our lives.

Born in humble beginnings at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, Beth was the oldest child of Ronald and Maxine Coulson. Through her father’s military assignments, she fortunately wound up living in a suburb of Rochester, New York. While there, she attended Greece Athena High School. In 1969, she crashed the driver’s ed car into a light pole, which is how she met Paul Laramie, who laughed at the incident. Poor driving skills notwithstanding, Beth and Paul went on to become high school sweethearts and graduate together in 1971 (with honors, in Beth’s case).

As she went on to pursue further education at the Sawyer school of business, Beth and Paul saw enough of each other over the following year and a half to fall in love. They were married on January 3rd, 1973. That was in the midst of the Vietnam era though, and Paul was drafted into the service later that month. With more incredibly good fortune, Paul was safely stationed on the beautiful island of Terceira in the Azores, where the young couple would stay for 27 months during the war. Upon returning to the United States in 1976, they dug their lives and out of the snow drifts of upstate NY, and managed to somewhat safely and successfully drive all the way down to Tampa, Florida for Paul’s last assignment.

While in Tampa, Beth pursued certification in dental hygiene and developed a strong knack for encouraging good oral health. (This is where the writer will shamelessly plug the benefits of brushing and flossing at the gum line, and further guilt the reader into taking better care of their teeth and gums, on Beth’s posthumous behalf.) Later on in Tampa, the notion of raising children began to come to fruition, but this was not met without great struggle. Beth’s first two very young sons, Daniel and Jason, both departed this world far too soon. Beth may have been very disturbed and heartbroken by this, but she did not ever lose hope. The blessing of help arrived in the form of Dr. James Vogler, who successfully delivered Beth’s oldest surviving son, named James in his honor. A couple years later, twins Jon-Paul and Sara arrived, and the family was complete. Beth’s heart was now full of limitless love, even though her hands were full of dirty diapers, her pockets were empty, and her grace was pushed to the limit.

The years went by, and situations and jobs changed. Around 1986, the family relocated to Charlotte, North Carolina for Paul’s work. The kids continued to grow flourish in Beth’s care, and grew up in a charming log cabin in the woods of NC. Over time, challenges may have shifted the routine, but love did not tarnish and life did not cease. Despite it all, Beth never lost her smile, never stopped saying “I love you” to everyone and “Take care” at the end of every conversation. She may have sometimes struggled to admit it to herself, but Beth had strength unseen to most, fortitude well beyond what her 5-foot-nothing stature presented, and incomparable warmth in her heart.

There are innumerable endearing stories about Beth; one of these days her kids could probably write a very amusing book or screenplay or something. She could also deliver a brilliant joke without you realizing it until later that day. Crazy but heartwarming stories about her are truly in abundance; things like abruptly stopping the car on the side of the road to pick kudzu flowers with the intention of making jelly from them, or her “unique” taste in clothing, or that time she put watermelon in the food dehydrator, or her classic yet thoroughly unexpected narration in a home video that she took during a 2008 family trip to Scotland, or her borderline obsession with dive/greasy-spoon restaurants…

Beth was a member of the Episcopal church for decades and served in many capacities. She was the organist at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church near Gastonia, NC, while her children grew. She was a member of the vestry and the choir at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Charlotte, NC for nearly 20 years, and encouraged her children to sing and serve as acolytes and continue to grow their faith there. She was also an active member of MMC New Life in Charlotte, NC where she connected with so many beautiful souls. She later continued celebrating her faith at the Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd in Asheboro, NC.

She was not perfect, but she never claimed to be. She had a warm and open heart, she was and always will be known for her kindness, her cheery demeanor, and a pure, simple, unyielding love for so many things in this world. She is survived by her former husband Paul (Teressa) Laramie, her children James Paul (Gam) Laramie, Jon-Paul James (Jennifer) Laramie, Sara Elizabeth (Jason) Laramie, and her grandchildren Linlada Laramie, Robert “RJ” Bennett, Colt Laramie, and Logan Laramie - all of NC - and also her brother Rod (Bonnie) Coulson, sister Cindy (Sam) Cornelia, sister Rebecca (Peter) McAnn – all of NY – and numerous nieces and nephews.

The family would like to extend their deepest gratitude do the entire staff of StayWell Senior Care (part of the P.A.C.E program) in Asheboro, NC. Their unyielding help and compassionate support over the last 10+ years has been paramount in maintaining her overall health; our appreciation for the entire staff at StayWell is immeasurable.

A private memorial service will be held at a later date. But rest assured it will not be the normal sad kind of memorial service, it’s going to be more like a boisterous family cook out with all her favorite foods, especially lots of lobster and steak and tiramisu and chocolate.

In lieu of flowers, we ask that you honor her memory by simply bringing more kindness into the world; find simple ways to show people your love for them, go have coffee with a long lost friend, volunteer your time and energy to help a good cause, craft something cute and be proud of it, sing or make music, eat steak and chocolate, get your teeth cleaned, give hugs, travel and enjoy nature, and pray for the world and all souls in it.