Cover photo for Helen Coleman's Obituary
1926 Helen 2015

Helen Coleman

February 4, 1926 — May 5, 2015

Helen Earline McIntosh Coleman



1926-2015



In honor and memory of a loving mother, daughter, sister, and friend, Helen Earline McIntosh Coleman passed away Tuesday, May 5, 2015. She was born February 4, 1926 to Earl Leath McIntosh & Helen Leo Moore in Birmingham, Alabama and raised in southeastern Mississippi in Bay Springs, Stringer and Laurel. So as not to be confused with her mother, she was known in the family as Earline.



Helen graduated from high school in Stringer, Mississippi. She attended Jones County Junior College in Ellisville, Mississippi graduating with an Associate Degree in Home Economics and then Mississippi State College for Women in Columbus, Mississippi, graduating with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Nutrition. She taught elementary school for a time in Stringer, Mississippi before completing a dietitian internship at the Medical College of Virginia in Richmond, Virginia and working full time there for a year.



After her time in Richmond, she joined the federal government and worked at the Veterans Administration Hospital at Hampton, Virginia on the Chesapeake Bay, as a Dietitian. Helen joined the United States Air Force as a 1st Lieutenant in January 1954 and moved to Parks Air Force Base near Livermore, California, in the greater San Francisco Bay Area. During her term of military duty, she met and married Abbott Coleman of Thatcher, Arizona. Shortly before their first child, Michael, was born, she resigned her commission to become a full time mother. Michael was born at Tinker Air Force Base in Midwest City, Oklahoma (greater Oklahoma City area), Phillip at Port Hueneme Naval Station at Oxnard, California and Timothy, in Laurel, Mississippi.



Helen and Abbott were officially divorced in 1962. She and her sons had been living in Thatcher, Arizona with her mother-in-law, Eliza Coleman, when Helen returned to work for the Veterans Administration System as a dietitian and the family moved from Arizona to Iowa City, Iowa in 1962. Subsequent moves were to Ft Bayard, New Mexico (near Silver City); Ft Meade, South Dakota (near Rapid City at the Black Hills); Walla Walla, Washington; and finally Prescott, Arizona. Helen retired from the government in 1988 as a Chief Dietitian and head of food services after 26 years of service. She was also a member of the American Dietetic Association. The family has always been grateful that she had a college education and degree to support her 3 sons.



Helen was raised in an active Methodist family and always had strong religious feelings. This was where she developed her singing abilities that served her well and gave her pleasure all her life. At the time of her marriage, she was introduced to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. After Phillip was born, Helen was baptized and became a member of the church. She was active and faithful the rest of her life, serving in many capacities including music, young women's program, women's relief society, family history & genealogy and a temple worker. After retiring, she sold her home in Prescott, Arizona and served an 18-month full-time mission for the church in the Charleston West Virginia Mission to proclaim the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. After her mission she moved to Provo, Utah where she lived for 24 years and considered it home. She made many friends and touched the lives of many people over her lifetime. Helen was an exemplary model of a Christian woman with a giving, caring, and compassionate nature as well as a hard worker.



The eldest of 5 children, Helen is survived by all of her siblings- sister Jean Keltch and brothers David, Frank, and Hugh McIntosh; three sons- Michael, Phillip, and Timothy; two daughters-in-law Paula & Kim; 2 grandsons- Ty & Trey and 2 granddaughters- Michael & Sydney (all the children of Timothy & Kim).



Helen passed away May 5, 2015 at the Provo Rehabilitation & Nursing center in Provo of complications due to age and health. She will be missed by all who knew her and were touched by her. The family thanks the staff of the facility for their kindness and care, the staff of Summit Hospice, and the staff of Legacy Funerals. Heartfelt thanks also go to the many friends and neighbors who have been kind and caring.



Funeral services will be held Saturday, May 16, 2015 at 12:00 pm in the Provo North Park Stake Center at 1066 W 200 N in Provo. Family and friends may attend a one-hour viewing from 11:00 am to 12:00 pm prior to the service. Interment will be at the Veterans Cemetery at Camp Williams in Salt Lake County under the direction of Legacy Funerals of Spanish Fork. Condolences and remarks may be sent to the family at www.LegacyFunerals.com
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Helen Coleman, please visit our flower store.

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