Herbert C. Coleman

1921 - 2017

Herbert C. Coleman

Herbert Charles Coleman, 96, died at his home in McMinnville on January 13, 2017 with his family and faithful kitty close by. His funeral will be held Thursday, Jan. 19 at 11:00 a.m. at the First Presbyterian Church in McMinnville, followed immediately by a reception. Burial will take place at Evergreen Memorial Park Cemetery. Viewing will be held at Macy & Son, Wednesday, Jan. 18, 3:00 to 7:00 p.m.

Bert was born January 9, 1921 in Dundee, Oregon to Charles H. and Edna (Sprague) Coleman. It was there, growing up on a small family farm, that he began his lifelong journey as a farmer. After graduating from Dayton Union High in 1937, he continued working on the farm and attended Oregon State University.

In 1941 he moved to Long Beach, CA to work at Lockheed Aircraft. After Pearl Harbor he moved to Seattle and worked at Boeing while waiting to enlist. In May, 1942 he enlisted in the US Coast Guard and served aboard the USS Glendale PF36 as a Sonarman, based primarily in the South Pacific.

On August 5, 1945, while on leave, he married Wilma Huntley in Seattle, WA. After his discharge they returned to the family farm in Dundee. They began their family, and farmed around the Newberg and St. Paul area for many years prior to settling in McMinnville in 1958. Along with farming, Bert served on the boards of multiple community and business organizations, and was a lifelong member of the First Presbyterian Church. He was kind and generous, supporting many charitable organizations throughout his life. He loved to travel, taking the family on countless road trips, and continued to travel the world into his 90's. Bert was well known in the community and will be remembered by many who worked on the farm in their youth. His great smile, sense of humor and infectious laugh will be missed by all who were lucky enough to have known him.

Bert is survived by his children and their spouses, Randy and Irene Coleman, Becky and Tom Brewster and Connie Coleman of McMinnville, Debbie Weishaar of LaGrande, OR, GeGe Coleman of Ayacucho, Peru and Annette and Chris Gunderson of Brush Prairie, WA; 10 grandchildren, 8 great-grandchildren and AFS daughter Guri Strand of Norway. He was preceded in death by his wife Wilma, son-in-law Steve Weishaar, and four siblings, Robert, William and Henry Coleman and Charlotte Sanderman.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Kids at the Crossroads Peru, (Kids-at-the-Crossroads.org) or Project Ethiopia (ProjectEthiopia.com), both can be made c/o Macy & Son Funeral Home.

To leave condolences, visit www.macyandson.com.