Taffy Dee Gould Couts, Auburn CA resident, passed away at 73 years Monday, on a hot July 22 afternoon after a long battle with leukemia.
Grandmother to four grandchildren: Elliott, Maslin, Tillie and Olin, and second to last survivor of the Gould immediate family; survived by her elder sister Loretta Mae Puzzi, husband James R. Couts, daughter Lori Jean Gordon and sons Thomas Bartholomew-Couts & Jeff Couts.
Taffy was born in Miami, Arizona, the 4th of 5 children of Durwood Lindsey Gould Sr. & Frances Elaine Hill Gould; surviving her eldest sisters Elaine Gould Dapper and Doris Gould Flagg, and younger brother Durwood Gould Jr.
An avid Arizona State Championship tennis player for the Miami Senior High School Vandals, who married young to James Robert Couts as they shared a passion for dancing to the tunes of country western singers Waylon Jennings and Emmylou Harris. She became a mother in 1970 & 72 to Thomas & Jeffery, and later welcomed eldest daughter Lori into the family adopted from Carol Ann Couts, James’ first wife.
Taffy quickly determined to not only be a mother of three, but to support her family in every way possible, working for AMI, learning and earning a B & C Class driver’s license to become a bus driver at her children’s schools, to then chauffeuring and inducting technology workers for the Sysorex Government Services of Silicon Valley. While the kids were little she volunteered as a nurses’ assistant and PTA Parent for their school functions, and later earned a Professional Embroiders Credential from Purdue University and provided hand-stitched sample designs of every possible stitching style for the greater San Francisco Bay Area embroidery shops.
Having always believed in her Native American ancestry, at the request of her paternal grandmother Taffy arduously began researching the families’ backgrounds; incessantly at times. This passion quickly developed into travels to the state’s various libraries, archives, and cemeteries, and led to her achieving her Genealogy Certificate from Boston University using research skills learned at the National Archives. Working for numerous personal clients, families and organizations seeking their genealogical histories, Taffy took great pride in her research accomplishments.
Taffy’s never-ending service in research & learning simultaneously continued in her dedication as a Library Media Specialist for Natomas Unified School District’s Natomas Middle School for the last 28 years. There she enjoyed ensuring the students, staff and faculty had the books, technology and research skill capabilities every school needs to instill a questioning of resources, biases, research diligence, and learning the latest research methods.
She also leaves behind her beloved Tonkinese cat of 20 years, Sophie.
Mom, we all love and miss you, and hold you in our hearts.
A memorial website will be set up in her honor at TaffyCouts.com soon.
