- Date Of Birth: September 11, 1928
- Date Of Death: January 6, 2018
- State: Texas
Texas’ most avid angler has passed away in Temple, TX and not on a lake. A resident of the Brookdale Meridian Skilled Care facility, James “Jim” Richard Coleman, 89, was called to be with the other fishers of men on Saturday, January 6, 2018. His big catch came when he married Willa Dean in May of 1982. She resides in a memory care facility in Belton, TX.
Since man shall not live by bread alone, Jim enjoyed horticulture, including grafting fruit trees. He was generous with his bounty and his knowledge. Coming from a family of farmers, he was familiar with hard work. Having helped raise animals on the farm, he won a blue ribbon at the fair for his prize bull. He wanted to become a veterinarian but wasn’t able to go into that profession due to the costly education. It was easy for him to graduate in the top ten from Ernest Ward High School, at Walnut Hill, Florida as there were only eleven in his class of 1947. He was the first of his seven siblings to graduate from college, at Florida State University in 1951. He went on to earn a master’s degree from the University of Central Texas in Killeen in 1979.
Wanting to serve our country, he joined the Air Force in 1951 and retired in 1971. His next employment was in social work in San Antonio. Later he was the Civilian Program Coordinator at Fort Hood, for the alcohol and drug abuse prevention and control program. We really hope their jobs didn’t drive them to drinking and taking drugs.
Being a Mason, and not the brick laying type, Jim belonged to The Perfect Union Number 10 in San Antonio, and Belton Lodge Number 166. He was Mason of the year in 2000. He was also awarded the Golden Trowel Award from the Grand Lodge of Texas. Jim also enjoyed being a member of Shriners International and the Alzafar Shriners of San Antonio.
When he first moved to the Central Texas area, Jim lived in Morgan’s Point, and became a Volunteer Fireman. Yes, people really do volunteer to run into burning buildings.
Jim also belonged to the National Association For Amateur Radio Relay League (AARL) as a ham radio operator. This way, whenever he was away from the house he could communicate with his wife Dean, who has Multiple Sclerosis, and make sure she was okay.
Some also speculate that he became a ham radio operator so he could quickly get the current fishing reports. Hunting deer, turkey and other wild game was another favorite past time of his.
Trying to stay out of trouble, he ushered and was a member of the Belton First United Methodist Church for over 40 years.
He is survived by his loving wife Willa Dean Coleman of Belton, TX, son Richard Coleman of Round Rock, TX, daughters Cindy Coleman of Atlanta, GA, Donna Brightwell and husband Craig of Harrison, AR, Debby Linville and husband Jerry of Houston, TX, grandchildren John Coleman, Kelley Harmon, Kim Snow and Laura Marvel, two great-grandsons and three great-granddaughters.
