Marcel "Marc" Coulon

Marcel “Marc” Coulon (Frenchy), age 80, passed away on March 4, 2026, at his home in Clarksville, Tennessee, surrounded by his loving wife and family. Marc was born in Paris, France, on October 8, 1945 to the late Marius Coulon and Germaine Alice Madeleine Ferrandou. He was raised in a suburb of Paris called Montreuil, and came to the United States on June 5, 1963, aboard the SS United States after graduating high school. He learned to speak English by watching television. He joined the United States Army in July of 1965 and was stationed in Fort Campbell, Kentucky until 1967 when he was deployed with the 101st Airborne Division to Vietnam. After being wounded in an ambush in 1968, he was sent back to California to recover. After recuperating, he pursued reassignment to his original unit. Marc voluntarily bought a plane ticket to rejoin his unit in Vietnam. After finishing his tour in 1969, he received several military honors, including the Purple Heart, Bronze Star, Air Medal, and other commendations. In 1970, he relocated to Cheatham County and began his career in law enforcement with the Cheatham County Sheriff’s Department as a volunteer before becoming a paid deputy. In 1980, he joined the Ashland City Police Department where he accepted the position of Chief of Police. He served twice with the Cheatham County Sheriff’s Department, advancing from investigator to Chief Deputy and briefly Sheriff, before returning to the Ashland City Police Department as detective, Assistant Chief, and later Chief of Police in 2006. He was named Middle Tennessee Police Chief of the Year in 2013 for his respected and capable leadership. Marc was a loving husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather and friend. He will be fondly remembered by all who knew him and greatly missed. He is preceded in death by his parents and sister, Martine Fitzgerald. He is survived by his loving wife, Barbi Coulon; sons, Rodney Coulon (Connie) and Jonathan Coulon (Jennifer Bartram); daughters, Yvette Spalding (Ronnie), Michelle Hughes (Ken Karger), Shelby Thomas (Tyler), and Mallory Stevenson (Austin Zook); grandchildren, Zach Hughes (Brittany), Aaron Hughes, Justin Beavers, and Alyse Coulon; two great-grandchildren, Harrison Hughes and Cameron Hughes; brother, Christian Coulon and sister, Paulette Coulon. Funeral service will be Tuesday, March 10, 2026, at 11am in the Chapel of Cheatham County Funeral Home with Michael West officiating. Burial will follow at 2pm in Kentucky Veteran’s Cemetery West in Hopkinsville, Kentucky. Visitation will be Sunday, March 8th from 1pm to 6pm, Monday, March 9th from 12noon until 6pm and Tuesday before the service from 9am until service hour of 11am. Serving as active pallbearers are Tim Binkley, Chuck Walker, Mike Breedlove, Joe Craig, Zach Hughes, Aaron Hughes, and Justin Beavers. Honorary pallbearers are Bob Wilson, Steve Stack, Johnny Hunter, and Bill Bennett. In lieu of flowers, donations in Marc’s memory may be made to Tunnel to Towers Foundation c/o Cheatham County Funeral Home LLC 615-792-2552 online condolences may be made at cheathamcountyfh.com.

Marcel "Marc" Coulon

October 8, 1945 - March 4, 2026