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Bill Coleman
From his boyhood home of Fort Scott, Kan., Bill Coleman never dreamed that his love for waving fields of grain would grow to include a passion for the salty waves of Chatham, Mass. After graduating from Baker University in Baldwin City, Kan., he married his college sweetheart and formidable life partner, Roslyn (Roz) Bayha Coleman and moved to Western Massachusetts, where he served as a United Methodist minister. Bill was ordained at Hartford Theological Seminary, minoring in Islamic studies, and later earned his doctorate in pastoral counseling from Boston University School of Theology. A Methodist minister and pastoral counselor in the Boston area for much of his career, Bill was a gifted speaker and adored pastor in his congregations in Wellesley, West Newton and Arlington. After retiring to Chatham, Bill continued to serve as interim pastor in South Yarmouth, Dennis and Nantucket United Methodist Churches. Bill received the Reverend Wilbur C. Ziegler Excellence in Preaching Award and edited and published a book entitled “Unfinished Business,” a collection of sermons by Ziegler award winners.
Always true to his strong moral compass, Bill was a leader in social justice issues and environmental stewardship, often decades before societal acceptance. Bill was registering southern voters on the day President Kennedy was assassinated; Bill worked with the Clergy Consultation on Problem Pregnancies to quietly counsel young women about safe alternatives prior to Roe v Wade; Bill protested the Vietnam War; he rode a moped as his daily drive during the gas crisis of the 70s; he officiated marriages of gay couples, beginning in the 80s, despite the threat of defrocking from the Methodist Church; and he taught at local libraries to help New Englanders discern the pillars of Islam from the evil that was 9/11.
Bill championed environmental issues as president of the Friends of Chatham Waterways in the 90s, and spearheaded the effort to develop Chatham Blue Pages: A Guide to Protecting Our Waters in 2009; he was honored to receive FCW’s Captain’s Award in 2020 for outstanding accomplishments to protect and preserve Chatham’s vital environmental resources. Always happy to be on the water, Bill gathered data for the Chatham Water Watchers over several decades and helped to form Pleasant Bay Community Boating (PBCB) to provide sailing opportunities for local families in the 2000s. As PBCB’s president, he helped lead the effort to purchase and establish PBCB’s new campus on Pleasant Bay in 2014.
Bill was a life-long learner, bookishly applying new knowledge to his numerous hobbies including home building, gardening, bee keeping, forestry, sailing, investing and choral singing. He was both frugal and generous in equal measure, twice building DIY additions to his Chatham home to accommodate a growing family, and always involved in repairing some boat or community project. In 2009, he won a historic restoration award for his work on Ship’s Light, the family’s 1820s property that has hosted summer visitors to Chatham since World War I.
Other than crewing for his daughters in a Beetle Cat on Pleasant Bay, Bill’s first experience with Chatham waters was from the cockpit of The Grayling, a 22-foot Marshall Cat: hull #1. Bill spent most of his free time under full sail from Memorial Day to Thanksgiving, often stuck on the ever-changing sand bars of Chatham Harbor, or head deep in the bilge tackling a finicky engine. Bill (and Roz) enjoyed following their daughters’ and granddaughters’ regattas at Chatham Yacht Club and beyond with an enthusiasm of sports fanatics. He served as commodore of Chatham Yacht Club from 1982-1983.
Bill was a wonderful husband, a beloved father/father-in-law, a devoted and doting grandad and a close friend to many. He is survived by his wife, Roz; their daughters, Allison Coleman (Lisa Bosley); Natalie Coleman-Fuller (Rob Fuller); granddaughters Sarah Fuller, Julia Wilde (Christian Wilde) and Ellen Fuller; and his loyal cat Cleo.
William C. Coleman died peacefully at home in Chatham, Massachusetts, at the age of 86, on Jan. 30, 2023, after a protracted battle with cancer. A memorial service will be held at the Chatham United Methodist Church 569 Main St., Chatham, Mass., at 2 p.m. on Feb. 25, 2023 with Zoom connections available.
In lieu of flowers, contributions in Bill’s memory may be made to Pleasant Bay Community Boating, Friends of Chatham Waterways or Friends of Pleasant Bay. For online condolences, please visit www.nickersonfunerals.com.