Joseph C. Coleman got a call from God on November 8, 2018, wanting to know if he would be interested in joining the brotherhood of firefighters in heaven to keep the campfires going and safe. He gladly accepted the offer. Joe was born November 1, 1933, in Bakersfield, Calif. to Forrest Lyle Coleman and Audrey Hodge Coleman.
He was preceded in death by his brother, sister, mother and father and was raised by his grandmother, with help from his aunts and uncle. Joe entered the Navy in December 1950, and met his first wife Lorene E. Mellroth on a blind date while stationed in Bremerton, Wash. The two were married in 1953 and from their joyous union, four daughters were born, two of which were stillborn. Their two surviving daughters Terry Coleman Dahl and Jeanette Coleman Liebelt, gave them six grandsons; Aaron, Noah, Ian, Paul, Tony and Preston. Lorene passed away February 2, 1995.
Joe met Kathryn Johnson Martin in July 1997 while shopping at Sears in Everett. The two were married in Hawaii on January 8, 1998. Kathryn brought into the marriage two sons; Travis and Kenneth (Jim) Martin, and one daughter; Evalina Martin Johnstone. Kathy’s kids added four grandsons and one granddaughter; Sebastian, Karl, Nathan, Charlie and Katurah. Since their marriage they have added 10 great-grandchildren.
Joe joined the Mountlake Terrace police department in July, 1964 and worked as a volunteer fire fighter until a lateral transfer to the fire department in 1967, where he was Mountlake Terrace’s first paid firefighter. Joe retired from the fire department in 1980 after an injury prevented him from returning to work. He also served as the Snohomish County Fire Marshall until his retirement in the late 80s.
A graveside service will be held Friday, November 16, at 11 a.m. at Abbey View Cemetery in Brier, Wash. for any who wish to attend, with a viewing starting at 10 a.m. at the same location. A celebration of Joe’s life will follow at the Nile Shrine Center. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation in Joe’s name to the charity of your choice.
