Helen Coleman's Obituary
Helen Marie Coleman, daughter of Phillip Jasper and Mary Elizabeth Johnson Coleman, was born May 7, 1918, near Lebanon, in rural Laclede County, Missouri. She departed this life Saturday, November 21, 2009, in St. Louis, Missouri, at the age of ninety-one years, six months, and fourteen days. She was preceded in death by her parents; four brothers, James L., Thomas Roy, Frank A., and Charles E. Coleman; two sisters, Gladys Worley, and an infant, Myrtle Irene Coleman; and several nephews. Marie is survived by her sister, Betty Barnhart, of St. Louis, Missouri; a number of nieces and nephews; several cousins; as well as a host of other relatives and friends. She was born in Laclede County, Missouri, and at the age of nine years moved with her family to Lebanon were she attended the Lebanon R-III Schools and was graduated from Lebanon High School as Salutatorian of the Class of 1936. She attended Iberia Junior College from 1937 until 1938, and earned an A.A. Degree. After working in St. Louis for two years, she entered St. Luke’s Hospital School of Nursing and received her Registered Nursing Degree in 1943. As a Registered Nurse, Marie worked in various nursing positions in St. Louis for forty years. She was a Public Health/Home Care Nurse, a nursing instructor, and an administrator. She attended Washington University in St. Louis and earned her Bachelor of Science and Masters Degrees in Nursing. She later served as a nursing consultant to seventeen New Home Care Agencies in Missouri and Illinois, and served on advisory boards of several agencies. She was also the nursing consultant for the American Red Cross Disaster Committee. Marie attended the Congregational Church in Lebanon as a child, where her Christian role model was her Sunday school teacher, Miss Inez Smith. Marie was baptized in the Church of the Nazarene in Iberia, Missouri in 1937. She was a member of the American Nurses Association and the National League of Nursing, and held offices at both the local and state level. She was nominated as Missouri Nurse of the Year in 1996. In that same year, she established the Mary Johnson Coleman Education Award, which recognizes educational accomplishments of the direct descendents of Mary Coleman. She enjoyed gardening, doing craft projects of all kinds, and traveling. She did genealogical research and located several missing family members. She, along with her cousin, Charles Moore, organized the Coleman-Moore-Worley Family Reunion which was held annually in Lebanon for over ten years. Marie was a family oriented person who was never happier than when surrounded by the ones she loved. We celebrate her life and her accomplishments, and know that she will be fondly remembered and greatly missed by all of her family and friends. Services will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Monday November 23, 2009 at the Holman - Howe Funeral Home Lebanon. Burial will be in the Lebanon Cemetery. Visitation will begin at 1:00 p.m until time of service under the direction of thE Holman-Howe Funeral Home Lebanon, Missouri. A memorial has been established to the American Heart Association. Donations may be made through the funeral home. Return to top
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