John Henry Coleman

John Henry Coleman, Jr., 82, of Cabot, Arkansas, went peacefully to be with the Lord on January 14, 2025. Born at home on March 7, 1942, in Gregory, Arkansas, John dedicated his life to his faith and his family.
He grew up in rural Monroe County and often rode his horse, "Ol' Bob," to town for an RC Cola and a Moon Pie. His family had a farm, where he tended to the animals and the equipment and discovered his love for machinery. He graduated from Weiner High School in 1960 and immediately went to work for Cummins Diesel. He worked as a mechanic while he studied Mechanical Engineering at Ouachita Baptist University (OBU) and Arkansas State University (ASU). It was at the Baptist Student Union at ASU that John met the love of his life, Karen Ann Rogers. They married on August 12, 1967, at the First Baptist Church in Ash Flat, Arkansas.
John served our country in the National Guard, and he and Karen traveled many places for his job as Area Service Manager with John Deere, Co. They lived in Salem, Illinois; Jackson, Mississippi; and then moved to Cabot, Arkansas where they made a home and raised their family. He led his family to church membership at Mt. Carmel Baptist Church in 1977. John faithfully served his church family through the bus ministry; he rebuilt three MCI church buses for the church to use so that each child had the opportunity to travel to church camp. He drove the bus to Mexico; Washington, D.C.; Florida; Colorado, and many more places. Often, John would cook for the whole church because he enjoyed bringing people together.
John had a God-given talent for understanding how things worked and a heart for helping others. For over sixty years, he repaired farm equipment, trucks, buses, and machinery, treating every job as an opportunity to serve his community. Whether fixing his children's wagons or toy tractors or his church's buses, he faithfully gave from his heart through work he could do with his hands. "If he couldn't fix it, then it wasn't broken."
He enjoyed being outdoors-hunting, fishing, and camping. His favorite tradition was camping on New Year's Eve. He built camping equipment for his children-and anyone else who needed it-and was masterful at woodworking. John was patient and content to observe others around him; he thought more of making others happy than of himself. Many will miss him, particularly those he saw every morning at the coffee shop and the students he met over his years on the school bus route.
John was never concerned with time. Whenever the occasion called for him to tell someone how much further to their destination, he would say, "Oh, about an hour." Now, the Lord has said, "Well done, good and faithful servant. You'll see them all again in about an hour."
He is preceded in death by his father and mother, John Henry Coleman, Sr. and Marcia Elizabeth (Jones) Coleman, and his brother, Robert Edward "Eddie" (Marie) Coleman, all of Cabot, Arkansas. He is survived by his beautiful wife of fifty-seven years, Karen Ann (Rogers) Coleman; son Christopher (Stephanie), and their children Jessica (Justin), Carson, and Jarrett; Jennifer (Bobby) Thomas, and their children Abigail and Annie; and son, Matthew (Mindy) and their children Cash and Carter, all of Cabot, Arkansas.
Visitation will be on Saturday, January 18, 2025, from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM, with Dr. David Mitchell officiating. The funeral will begin at 2:00 PM at Mt. Carmel Baptist Church, 162 Mt. Carmel Road, Cabot, AR. Burial will follow at Mt. Carmel Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, please make a gift in John's memory to the Mt. Carmel Children's Camp Scholarship Fund using the link below: https://churchteams.com/m/Register.asp?a=Vm85SU5WQ0M2b1U9
Arrangements by A Natural State Funeral Service 2620 West Main Street, Jacksonville, Arkansas 72076. 501-982-3400. Online guestbook available at www.anaturalstatefuneralservice.com