I am not a fan of “obits” and have procrastinated on this one until the eleventh hour, not a trait inherited form my mother. So instead of an obit, I offer you a glimpse of Mom with a few facts, and mostly what I remember.

My mother was a genuine piece of work, from day one, and never wavered. My Auntie Joyce says, “your Mom has always had her own agenda and opinion … on everything.”

She was born on Orcas, on February 5, 1937, in the log cabin now known as Crow Valley Pottery. A northeaster had dropped two feet of snow, and Mom was delivered by the doctor from the CCC camp at Moran. Mom was to be the youngest of three. Her brother Richard Schnieder resides in Nisqually and Orcas, and her sister Joyce Nigretto is here on Orcas. 

Mom met my father, Peter Coleman, a navy boy from Pennsylvania, by chance. He had seen Mom’s sister Joyce at the Whidbey cutoff, followed her home, met my mother there and the rest is history. A quick romance ensued, they were married. The Navy took them to Hawaii where my older sister Dot Harvey was born. Returning to Seattle, they settled in Richmond Beach. I and my younger sister, Marti Gingrich, appeared shortly thereafter. A few more years and then we were off to Pennsylvania for the bulk of our childhood.

We were lucky kids, as Mom was a “stay at home mother.” Coupled with her being a fabulous cook and a stunning baker (as many of you know), we easily settled into being chubby children. Meals were always an event, a long list of classic dishes interspersed with “nouveau” creations that we were not always sure about, but ate anyway (by force – “eat it or wear it”). She was a consummate canner – fruits, veggies, pickles, jams and jellies – all summer long something was simmering on the stove. Birthday cakes were another strong point, always fantastic things cut in shapes and pieced together, meticulously iced, works off art which one almost felt guilty to cut into. Her talents seemed endless. An adept seamstress, Dot and Marti were always fashionable; however, often to their dismay, it was matching outfits for the holidays. Sadly for me, boys clothes were not a strong point. Believe me, I have a lot of ugly class photos! (I forgive you for that, Mom).

Our bedrooms were always being done over, snazzy paint jobs, the curtains and spreads were always an adventure and themed on what was most important in our lives … at that moment. I loved calling Mom “she.” She hated it, always responded with, “who is ‘she’ – the cats mother?” Another funny trait, she had a witty quip for everything. Joyce reported that Mom inherited that from her mother. Mom was the original Martha Stewart of gardening, knew what she wanted, how she wanted it and where she wanted. However, I never recall her hands in the soil once, but she did always host a beautiful and fruitful garden. Summer trips were always perfectly choreographed, and absolute amazement at all she could squeeze into a determinate time period, we were lucky to see much of the country over those summers, thanks to Mom’s great efforts.

Last autumn, when Mom and I traveled to back to Pennsylvania to visit her old lady friends (and my sister Marti), she had provided me with an impossible wishlist of all she wanted to see and do. I was amazed, she squeezed it all in and much more. True to her nature, we failed to pass up even one antique shop.

A bout of cancer 15 years ago dictated her return to Orcas. Despite dismal odds, she flourished, a fixture at the Longhouse for the past 12 years. When we opened the shop in town, Mom really came back into her light. She baked cookies for the grand opening, they were so well received she kept on baking them, nearly every day. I would see her midmorning, a mocha for me in one hand, fresh cookies for the shop in the other. We’d she her again at four, rain or shine, to assess the cookie needs for the following day and to assist the closing up of the shop. So many requests for her recipes had Mom compiling “the favorites” for a “Cookie Book.” The book was nearly finished when Mom left us; a few more details and off to print. We are planning a cookie social/service/book presentation for Mom in early June, details will follow later.

Mom was a simple girl with a complex mind, always worried about every detail, rare to hold her tongue, she was always ready with a sharp witty retort, a raised eyebrow or a deep seated sigh. We have learned much from and about Mom in her passing. It would be difficult not to think of her often throughout the day. Thank you to all you folks who knew and loved her, Orcas was a phenomenal community to her, kindness every day.

Our cousin Teri (Nigretto) was Mom’s constant companion and daily caretaker. Mom would call Teri before she would call one of us. And Michael (Rivkin), my partner, a saint in every respect, always quick to aide and abet, never anything but gentle, a savior on those rare moments when Mom and I had differing agendas in mind. We have often joked that Mom liked Teri and Michael best, and maybe rightfully so. We would have and would be lost without them. We will miss you Mom!

Submitted by Jeffri Coleman.