Most people know the late Ellwin Coulston as a man who passionately served his country and the Niles community.

What many people probably don’t know is that Coulston, who died earlier this month at age 89, had a strong passion for craftsmanship.

Ellwin’s wife Rucilla said her husband created several hundred items — mostly out of wood — ranging from hand-painted birds to cabinets to tables. Their ranch-style home on Plym Road in Niles is filled with Ellwin’s work. Almost every table, cabinet, picture frame and chair was built from scratch in a small, heated shop beside their garage.

“He was so quiet that probably a lot of people don’t know what he did or what he was capable of,” said Rucilla, who was married to Ellwin for 66 years. “He was a subtle man, introspective.”

Most of Ellwin’s ideas were born on a faded green recliner where he’d sit quietly and sketch out his thoughts on a piece of paper. When Ellwin got one he liked he would head to the shop and begin working.

“When he started on something he wouldn’t quit until it was done,” said Rucilla. “He was determined — a determined woodworker, determined tennis player, determined landscaper. He saw things that had to be done and he did them.”

Ellwin’s determination permeated every aspect of his life. He developed three patents while employed with the Kawneer Company in Niles, served 19 years on the Brandywine School Board, 10 on the city’s planning commission and six more on the city’s board of appeals. He also served as a second lieutenant and bomber pilot in the European Theater and was a veteran of World War II.

Ellwin’s son, Neil, said his father was as compassionate as he was determined, devoting many volunteer hours to several service organizations, including Habitat for Humanity and the local Lions Club.

To illustrate his father’s giving nature, Neil recalled a time in the mid-to-late 1980s when Ellwin somehow heard that Larry Clymer — the mayor of Niles at the time — had a broken gavel. Without being asked, Ellwin crafted a new one from scratch and gave it to Clymer.

“He did things like that all the time,” Neil said. “He probably gave out several hundred gifts like that throughout his life. He didn’t do it for recognition. He was a quiet giver.”

Ellwin and Rucilla’s six children acquired their parents’ work ethic and giving nature.

Their daughter, Marion, is retired after a long career working in the child services division of the Michigan Department of Human Services. Neil worked 35 years as the public works director for the city of Niles, while another son, Paul, is a retired Michigan State Trooper. Another son, Dave, is a metallurgical engineer with Leco Corp. in St. Joseph, while son, Mark, recently retired as bailiff for Berrien County Courts.

“We definitely learned a lot from our dad,” Neil said. “When he put his mind to something he went out and did it.”

Neil recalled another story about his father’s determined nature. During a bad snowstorm in 1967, Ellwin’s station wagon wouldn’t run because of a faulty starter.

Neil said his father shoveled snow from around the car and began fixing the problem, despite temperatures in the teens.

“I was 17 years old at the time and I wouldn’t dare go outside because it was so cold out there,” Neil said. “He was out there barehanded and laying on the cold ground, doing what had to be done. He just made up his mind that he wasn’t going to pay a mechanic or pay to have it towed. That’s just the guy he was.”