Catherine Bates Coulmas

Catherine Bates (Akin) Coulmas left us December 8th, 2021. She passed peacefully after listening to her children - Thomas Warren Akin, Peggy Akin St. Philip and William Bates Akin - sit with her laughing, crying, and telling stories for hours. In her 71 years, Cathy never met a stranger and left behind love for everyone she met. She didn’t shake hands - she hugged. A lot. Raised by her own Mimi, she was proudest of being “Mimi” to her grandchildren - Ansley, Connor, Sophia, and Morgan. She always insisted her house have a spare room for sleepovers and an entire closet filled with arts and craft supplies. The creativity she fostered was always fueled through Disney movies and sugary treats. Born May 23, 1950, her journey took her from being raised in Ormond Beach, Florida to graduating from Seabreeze High School in 1968 (Daytona Beach, FL) to attending Wesleyan College (Macon, GA) and graduating from the University of Georgia in 1972 with a degree in Education. Her final home was in Acworth GA - within an hour of all her children and grandchildren. This also put her close to Kennesaw State University where she worked for and retired from Student Life. Here, her passion for helping others kept her young. She was known as Mama Cat to hundreds of students during her time at KSU. Having a retired Marine Corps Colonel for a father and Naval Nuclear Engineer for a son - Cathy was a passionate supporter of the veterans work at KSU. Finally, you can’t talk about Mama Cat without talking about her animals. From a young age, her spirit encompassed all living creatures, and she adopted and cared for any that needed it. She worked to be a caretaker of others her entire life. She was preceded in death by her parents Col. William L. Bates, Jr. and Valerie Ogden Bates; her stepmother Charlotte Starr Bates; and her stepsister Claire Bagley Shouse. The world is better because she was here, and she will be missed. Especially her hugs. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Cathy’s name to The National Veterans Foundation at nvf.org or Good Mews Animal Foundation at goodmews.org. A Celebration of Life will be held at 11 a.m. on January 22, 2022 at Trinity at the Well, 814 West Avenue, Cartersville, Georgia.