Neil Joseph Coleman

Neil Joseph Coleman, retired Ranger of Trail of Tears State Forest, devoted husband of Laurie, father of Tim and grandfather of Grant, died June 6 at his Buncombe home. He was 69. He loved the outdoors, a good non-fiction book, refurbishing his old military transport truck, and talking politics. Neil was born June 18, 1954 in Chicago and was raised in Kankakee, IL. Neil worked on offshore oil rigs, was a Merchant Marine for 17 years, then retired after 23 years with IDNR. The Merchant Marines was a job that took him around the globe to such places as Turkey, Portugal and Russia. He moved his family to Southern Illinois when he took the Department of Natural Resources job in 1994. Though it was a job that brought the Colemans south, their homestead on Lick Creek Road was his sanctuary. It was there that he and Laurie raised Tim, where he took Grant on tractor rides and where they all enjoyed cookouts on the deck. He is survived by his wife Laurie Wojnowski Coleman, his son Tim (Carolyn), and grandson Grant Coleman of Eureka, MO. He leaves three brothers, Larry (Marion) Coleman of Aroma Park, IL, Jim Coleman and partner Lynne Schiller of Raleigh, NC, Jerry Coleman and partner Judith Hansen of Palm Coast, FL. He leaves a sister and brother-in-law, Laura Coleman Noeth and husband Bob Bogema of Germantown, TN. He also leaves four brothers-in law and one sister-in-law, Brian (Sue) Wojnowski of Lemont, IL, John Wojnowski of St. Anne, IL, Keith Wojnowski of Kankakee, IL, Mike (Vicki) Wojnowski of Deltona, FL, and Lynn Porter of Paxton, IL. He is also survived by several nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, William and Helen Coleman, a sister, Mary Eileen Coleman, brothers William Coleman Jr. and John Coleman and his mother-in-law, Mary Ann Wojnowski. A service celebrating Neil’s life will be Saturday, July 6 at 10 a.m. at Cedar Grove Cemetery, Happy Hollow Road, Buncombe, IL. The celebration will then move to the Coleman family residence. Memorials in Neil’s honor may be made to the Arbor Day Foundation, 211 N. 12th Street, Lincoln, Nebraska 68508 or online at www.arborday.org or to the American Lung Association, 3000 Kelly Lane, Springfield, Illinois 62711-6226 or online at www.lung.org

Neil Joseph Coleman

June 18, 1954 - June 6, 2024