Obituary of

Dr. John H. Coleman

John H. Coleman was born in Madison, Indiana and was the only child of Ben and Cleo Coleman, who ignited his core values of faith, family, friends, fortitude and perseverance.  These are the values he embraced for the remainder of his life.

Like most American cities in the 1930's, 40's, and 50's, Madison, Indiana was a segregated community where his mother, a hotel maid, and his father, a carpenter and a dog trainer, somehow inspired their son to overcome the obstacles of the day and pursue the lofty goal of education by attending college, an unthinkable aspiration in this small but loving African-American community of Madison.  John graduated from Broadway High School as class Valedictorian at the age of 15 and entered Indiana University at the age of 16.  John sometimes reflected on his days at the racially segregated Broadway High School where all four high school grades were taught in the same classroom at the same time.

A brilliant student not only known for his intellectual aptitude, but for his drive to learn, his quest for knowledge and his work ethic, John was admitted to Indiana University Medical School in 1950.  While in medical school, he met the love of his life the lovely Joan Hughes of Gary, Indiana.

Joan and John moved from Bloomington to Indianapolis where they welcomed their first son, Michael.  Dr. Coleman and his young family would soon move to El Paso, Texas where he served as a Captain in the Medical Corps of the United States Army and where their second son, Jeffrey was born.  They then made their way to Toledo, Ohio where they continued to grow their family with the addition of Linda and David.

Dr. Coleman and his family made Toledo their home for nearly 50 years where he practiced medicine and served as a leader in the community. Dr. Coleman and Joan moved to Virginia in 2003 to be closer to their daughter Linda, also a physician, and her family. Never one to stay idle, Dr. Coleman joined his daughter's practice where he worked until the time of his death.

John loved and cared for Joan and their four children more than anything else in his life.  He was an exemplary father to Michael, Jeffrey, Linda and David.  He carefully and thoughtfully passed onto his children his life lessons sharing his wisdom and values to help shape the lives of his children and eight grandchildren.  When tragedy struck upon the death of David, John showed compassion and love to his wife while standing strong in the face of adversity.  Known as Daddy John, his pride in each of his off spring's accomplishments and successes was evident in his broad smile, his words of encouragement and his loving ways.

For 63 years he loved and adored Joan.  He provided for her in every way demonstrating over and over again that she was indeed the love of his life. They shared a love like no other and were at each other's side through thick and thin.

Practicing medicine was more than simply a profession, it was the essence of John.  He was brilliant. He was skilled. He was passionate. The special knowledge he possessed and perfected helped keep his patients healthy and healed them when needed.  John was old school. He made house calls and it was not uncommon for fried chicken, ham, cakes and pies to appear on his back porch with a note that said, "Thank you Dr. Coleman."  John's skill as a physician was recognized in 1999 when the Ohio Academy of Family Physicians conferred upon him the prestigious Family Physician of the Year Award.  An accomplished writer, John wrote numerous published articles on health care and medicine.  He so loved practicing medicine he continued his passion with his daughter Linda until the age of 88 years.

Dr. Coleman was committed to making the Toledo community better and ensuring that all residents had access to quality health care. He served on a countless number of boards and commissions including the board of directors for Mercy Hospital, Cordelia Martin Health Center, State of Ohio Tobacco Use Prevention Control and Endowment Fund, State of Ohio Higher Education Facility Commission and Lucas County Children's Services Board. Dr. Coleman was a lifelong member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity and Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity also known as Boule`.

Dr. Coleman was known for his brilliant mind, quick wit and fantastic smile. He always had words of encouragement for anyone who crossed his path. He was an avid golfer, loved his friends, and enjoyed a great meal capped off with dessert.  A strong believer in lifelong learning, John was a voracious reader, an accomplished writer and without ever taking a single piano lesson played complex piano arrangements by ear alone.  John also played the guitar and had a singing voice with perfect pitch.

Dr. Coleman was preceded in death by his mother, Cleo Coleman; father, Bennett Coleman; and son, David L. Coleman.  Left to cherish his memory is his beloved wife of 63 years, Joan H. Coleman; sons, Michael B. Coleman (Janelle) and Jeffrey L. Coleman (Valerie) both of Columbus, OH; daughter Dr. Linda E. Coleman of Sterling, VA; grandchildren, Kimberly A. Coleman, Justin A. Coleman, John-David Coleman, Quentin J. Coleman, Jeromy Q. Coleman, Murphy A. Coleman, Jeffrey B. Coleman, and Stefan G. Carter II; sister-in-law, Elaine F. Pittman and a host of other relatives and friends.