Dorothy Mildred Coleman

Obituary Dorothy Mildred Coleman Dorothy M. Coleman, born May 9, 1921, died peacefully in her sleep on Saturday, June 9, 2007. She was the daughter of Frank and Agnes Janish of Fingal, ND. Following high school, Dorothy left the farm and met Peter, her husband of 62 years in Morris, MN, where they began their family and ran a bakery until Peter was drafted in 1944. This brought them to Tacoma where, after the war, their family continued to grow. They opened several successful bakeries with Peter baking and Dorothy managing the business. In addition to running bakeries and raising six children, Dorothy was very active in St. John of the Woods Catholic Church, her parish for more than 55 years. Her involvement in the parish included leading the Altar Society, instructing altar boys and teaching religious education classes. After the children were raised, Dorothy worked in the Bethel School District where she developed and managed an In School Suspension Program at Spanaway Junior High. She also joined Peter in being active in a variety of social justice and peace programs. Dorothy was beloved by family and her many friends in the community; she was a kind and generous wife, mother, grandmother, sister, aunt and friend. She will be missed greatly by all who knew her. The family would like thank Franciscan Hospice for their kindness and compassion to their mother during her last days. Dorothy was preceded in death by her husband, Peter, and her son, James. She is survived by her sister, Florence, five of her children, Peter (Sue) of Baltimore, MD; Patricia Lee of Atlanta, GA; Sharon of Tacoma; Paul (Laruel) of Olympia, and Joe (Margaret) of Grand Junction, CO; her 21 grandchilren: Susan, Steve, Karen, Tom, Robin, David, JOseph, Kim, Nick, Jodi, Maggie, Jimmy, Joey, Greg, Aspen, Genny, Danny, Dion, Camille, Dorothy and Emma; as well as her fourteen great-grandchildre: Darren, Cathleen, Parker, Peyton, Anna, Matthew, Nikolas, Justin, Samantha, Rohn, Anya, Alea, Camden and Lila. A viewing will be held at Dorothy's home (2919 N 33rd St. - Call 278-3660 for directions) from 2pm to 5pm on Friday, June 15. A rosary will be recited at 7pm at Gaffney Funeral Home (1002 S. Yakima) also on Friday, June 15. A Funeral Mass will be held at St. John of the Woods Catholic Church (9903 24th Ave. East) on Saturday, June 16, at 10:30am. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to either St. Francis House (P.O. Box 156, Puyallup, WA 98371) or the Hospitality Kitchen ( 1323 S. Yakima, Tacoma, WA 98405).