Obituary of Mary Coleman

Mary Elizabeth Myer Coleman, born June 22, 1931, passed away on October 29 while in hospice care at the Masonicare Health Center in Wallingford. She was the middle of five children of Margaret and Charles Myer and grew up in Fairfield. She excelled in school, and was the salutatorian of her high school class, although she would humbly tell everyone that her class size was not very large. In 1956, she married Rowland (Rod) Henry Coleman, who had lived on the same street as she did in Fairfield, at Church of the Assumption in Westport. They settled in Weston, where they lived until 2015 before moving to Masonicare's Continuing Care Retirement Community. Just prior to her marriage, Mary was employed briefly by the Central Intelligence Agency in Washington, D.C., and she never revealed even to the family anything about her time there. She spent the majority of her career working for Weston Parks and Recreation, a role that enabled her to know almost everyone in town. She was a fixture there for more than two decades. Mary was very involved with community and church activities, including her support for and devotion to St. Francis of Assisi in Weston, and volunteering for various charities such as Americares and Habitat for Humanity, where she was often the one who brought the baked goods. For twenty years, she volunteered at Norwalk Hospital. She was a creative soul, reflected in her ability to make prize-winning Halloween costumes for the family, sew puppets and clothing, design floral arrangements, and play piano by ear. Her favorite place, other than being with family, was the beach, including Westport's Compo Beach, Chatham, MA, and Bonita Springs, FL. She was both a sun worshipper and an avid shell collector. Mary is survived by son William M. Coleman, Newark, VT; daughter Carole Coleman and son-in-law Jeffrey Judd, Copake, NY; brother-in-law William H. Coleman, Cooperstown, NY; nieces and nephews Michael Myer (Maria), Jacksonville, NC; Patty Myer Mihaylo, Jacksonville, NC; Fred Myer, Jr., Bethlehem; Dale Hidu (Tim), Stratford; Bill Myer (Patty), Bethlehem; John Myer (Yanina), Woodbury; Jeffrey Myer, Middlebury; Kitty Dykstra, Cooperstown, NY; Susie Coleman, Cooperstown, NY; Donna Clifford (Robert), Hingham, MA; and many cherished grand-nieces and grand-nephews. Mary was predeceased by her parents; in-laws Esther and Rowland Coleman; beloved husband Rod, who passed away in 2017; adored siblings Frank, Fred, Charles, and Dorothy; sisters-in-law Kathleen Myer, Betty Myer, and Catherine Coleman; as well as nieces Marilyn Turner and Linda Coleman, great-nephew Adam Hidu, niece Kitty Dykstra's husband Karl, and nephew Jeffrey Myer's wife Mindy. A funeral mass will be held on Saturday, November 2, at 11:00 am at Church of the Assumption in Westport, followed by a private family burial at Oak Lawn Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, please contribute in Mary's honor to Habitat For Humanity or the Alzheimer's Association. For travel directions or to sign Mary's online guest register, please visit www.LeskoFuneralHome.com.