John E. Coleman

John E. Coleman was always willing to help others, to his last days. He was a great listener, problem-solver and teacher. At the age of 87, John passed into eternity Wednesday, January 8, 2014 from the University of Iowa Hospitals, Iowa City, Iowa. A Memorial Service will be held 1:00 p.m. Friday, January 17, 2014 at the Law-Jones Funeral Home, Thomson, Illinois. Burial of ashes will be in the Lower York Cemetery, Thomson. Visitation will be held one hour prior to the service from 12:00 - 1:00 p.m Friday, January 17, 2014 at the Funeral Home.


John was born August 1, 1926 in Parsons, Kansas, the son of Edward and Grace (Magers) Coleman. At the age of nineteen, on March 9, 1946, John married Melvina Hizey in Galena, Kansas. They followed John's work, which finally took them to the Chicago area, where he owned and operated his own construction company from 1945 - 1977, specializing in aluminum work. John and Melvina celebrated sixty-three years of marriage.

John was known as a good story-teller. He was creative in his work and took the time to teach others. He was an outdoorsman and enjoyed fishing and hunting. John was a member of the Argo Summit Masonic Lodge; a past Comissioner and Superintendent of the Bedford Park Park District; and a past member of the Bridgeview Volunteer Fire Department.

John will be dearly missed by a son, John E. (Marilyn) Coleman, Jr. of Bridgeview, Illinois; two daughters, Cassondra (Henry) Rejlek of Willow Springs, Illinois and Cheri Tomkins of Palos Hills, Illinois; three grandchildren, Henry Joshua Rejlek, Daniel Tomkins and Corinne Tomkins; and several cousins.

John is preceded in death by his wife; both parents; a daughter, Celeste Waters; three brothers, Robert Oatman, Leo Coleman and Ray Lee Coleman; and three sisters, Margaret Gilbert, Mary Lou Scales and Marilyn Coleman.