October 8, 1926-June 19, 2026
Martha “Jean” Coleman (nee Schutte) passed away June 19th from natural causes at 99 and a half years old In Overland Park, Kansas.
Born in Glasgow, Missouri on October 8, 1926 to John and Florence Schutte, she spent her early years on the farm, before moving to Kansas City, Missouri in her teenage years. It was here that she met the love of her life, John Coleman, whom she married in 1947, remaining together for 68 years until his passing in 2015.
Their son Jay was born in Los Angeles California in 1960, where the couple had relocated for John’s work with TWA. They spent much time taking advantage of the beach and the recently built Disney Land in nearby Anaheim, leading to Jean’s lifetime love of all things Disney.
Moving back to Kansas City for Jay’s elementary school years, they permanently set up in town, becoming lifelong fans of the young Kansas City Chiefs and memorably bearing witness in person to Jan Stenerud’s missed field goal in the 1971 Christmas Day AFC playoff game against the Dolphins.
They welcomed Christine Compton into the family in 1983 with grandchildren Jason and Sarah coming soon thereafter. Christine and Jean worked many years side by side in the market research industry, before Jean retired in 1998.
Never slowing down, Jean and John traveled to see their grandchildren play in untold numbers of lacrosse games around Missouri and further afield, memorable trips to Notre Dame and Texas Christian University for football games in the fall, and holidays in both Texas and Michigan over time.
More important trips included Dallas in 2014 for the wedding of Sarah and her husband Patrick McDonald, and a very long trip to Kustavi, Finland for the wedding of Jason and his wife Marianna Kerppola.
In her late years, she welcomed four great grandchildren into the world: Castanea (2018), Porter (2020), Sampsa (2022) and Scarlett (2023) and was able to spend time with all of them on visits to Michigan, Texas, and in KC.
Jean was a person full of love, determination and steadfast belief in those for whom she cared. She moved mountains to be at her family’s events, both big and small, providing unconditional love in the triumphs and the losses. She was thoughtful and persistent in giving cards for birthdays, major holidays, minor holidays, and all other occasions. Gift giving was second nature to her, and she delighted in being able to pass heirlooms along.
She was adamant about remembering the past, spending countless thousands of hours making dozens of scrapbooks for each of her family members to have and cherish, sharing stories, and writing letters of her stories to be passed along to her great grandkids. However, she also was fearless in going into the future and figuring out new technology (famously being able to text well up until her last months).
99 years is an amazing length of time to be alive, and probably no more than this century in which she lived. Her first ballot was cast for FDR in 1946, and in the meantime she rode along the decades of change in the world, willing to embrace the next technology, the next computer, or the next Wimbledon champion. Her family will miss wit, thoughtfulness and love dearly and are immensely grateful for the many years we had together.
Services will be held in the fall.
