Support the Coulson Family in Memory of Jack

Jack Millard Coulson of Terry, MS, died at University Medical Center in Jackson on September 21, 2024 after a long illness. He was 70 years old.

He is survived by his wife of 35 years, Susan Coulson, children Keith Coulson (Melody), Amy Munro Strong (Rob), and Brian Coulson (Tabitha) as well as seven grandchildren: Mary Elizabeth Coulson, Gavin, Carson, Daniel, Brooklyn and Cheyenne Strong, and Clara Coulson.

Born to Jack Leonard and Ruth Lacour Coulson on June 8, 1954, in Abilene, Texas, his family moved to North Jackson in 1963 where he finished high school at Jackson Preparatory School and went on to attend Mississippi College.

He had a lifelong abiding love for flying, completing his first solo flight at the young age of 16. After leading the DUI unit on the Jackson Police Force for many years and reaching expert marksman level on the Jackson Police Department’s Pistol Team, he retired from that work to return to flying planes. He flew for Dale Danks, Magnolia Forest Products, and as a private pilot until he had a blood clot go to his lungs forcing him to hang up his wings. He often said that those years flying were some of the happiest of his life. Being grounded broke his heart.

It wasn’t long, however, before he found his next adventure, this time close to home. Jack and Susan have lived since 1987 in Terry, Mississippi on a beautiful plot of land with a stocked pond, an extensive flower garden, two blue healers, and numerous wildlife from deer to hummingbirds to foxes, even a lost Tegu, a huge lizard akin to a komodo dragon, found its way to their doorstep one morning. Just down the road in Byram, Jack found a bar for sale and saw the possibilities. A veteran bass guitarist in local bands, including the Hagar Brothers, and a genuine showman who loved to sing George Strait songs on karaoke, Jack acquired Capt’n Jack’s Hot Shots Bar on Highway 55.

Susan and Jack met shooting in the Busch Pool League and married in 1989, so it’s only fitting that they would create community around shooting pool, playing music, and sharing good food at Hot Shots. Their spring crawfish boils were packed with people and always seasoned just right. Hot Shots became more than a highway watering hole, it was a community space where Jack was quick to host fundraisers and events for people who were sick or had fallen on hard times.

Jack loved to cook. He specialized in cheese logs, enchiladas, and banana pudding and he couldn’t wait for friends and family to try out new recipes he found. He even occasionally scouted French bread at remote family-owned bread warehouses in New Orleans. His passion for music, food, and helping others turned Hot Shots into a great place to gather with friends. He and Susan met so many people there that developed into a big, wonderful family.

Jack was also a proud Shriner and a Mason. The Jackson Scottish Rites Bodies, of which Jack was a member for many years, will host a celebration of his life on Sunday, September 29 from 2-3 PM at the Capitol Lodge No. 600 F & A M 5224 I-55 South Frontage Road Byram, MS 39272. All are welcome.