Erma Martin Couden, an exemplar of love, peace and other Christian values, the matriarch of an extensive family, a former public-school teacher and librarian and a longtime activist in church and civic affairs, died May 24, 2018, at Horizon House in Seattle. She was 103.
In addition to her own accomplishments, Erma also devoted herself, with her husband, Elliott Noble Couden, to family matters and to the advocacy of civil rights and local heritage preservation, all grounded in the pursuit of caring human connections.