|
STEVE
COLEMAN MEMORIAL SERVICE A
TRIBUTE AND CELEBRATION OF HIS LIFE While
there will be many days to mourn Steve Coleman’s sudden passing, the
September 27, 2011 memorial service held at his hangar at his home in
Dennistown was a time for over 450 family, friends, colleagues and community
members to reminisce and celebrate his life. Stephen
Coleman was a loving husband of Sarah and very proud father of Thomas, Tennie and Rachel.
Steve accomplished more than most in his life, but most importantly he
loved his wife, children, family and friends and did it well. In return, he was loved and deeply
respected by all, even when they did not agree. Those who knew him will never forget him
and many will aspire to match him in many, many fields of endeavor. It
was a twist of fate and a position with Scott Paper that landed Steve Coleman
in Jackman upon his graduation from the University of Orono
in 1974. The rest is history. Steve
was a candidate for County Commissioner Somerset County District 5. Many expected him to win in the upcoming
November election. Steve believed in
common sense and leadership for Somerset County. Some of his talking points: Make
County government accountable and efficient.
Insist county budgets ensure the most service for dollars spent. Look for economic development opportunities
which are both sustainable and environmentally friendly. Only use and promote county services which
make sense economically. Steve
was committed to leadership, community and involvement. His life’s work included: ·
30
Years as a Dennistown Plantation Assessor ·
Small
Business Owner ·
Licensed
Maine Guide ·
Commercial
Pilot ·
Licensed
Real Estate Assoc. Broker ·
Licensed
Maine Forester ·
Served
on State Task Force to study the Promotion and Expansion of the Maine Maple
Sugar Industry ·
Served
on Pickering Commission to recommend changes to Hunting and Trapping Statues
of Maine ·
Member
of Small Woodlot Owners Assoc. ·
Advisory
Member of the Cooperative Forest Research Unit ·
A
Director of the Maine Forest Products Council ·
A
Director and current President of North Maine Woods Inc. ·
Formerly
on Board of Licensure of Professional Foresters in Maine ·
Formerly
served on Maine State Board of Property Tax Review ·
Former
Member of the Maine Executive Board for the Society of American Foresters ·
Former
Member of Town of Jackman Planning
Board ·
On
Jackman Airport Advisory Board ·
Served
on Sportsmans/Forest Landowners Alliance Steve
would have been a strong voice for Somerset County. Never would he have been a typical
politician – he never flip-flopped on an issue and could not tolerate
government waste of any kind. Steve’s
integrity was such that others looked to him as their moral compass. In making difficult decisions, they would
consider what action Steve would take. While
it would be impossible to sum up all that he meant to his friends and
community, we would like to share a few thoughts and comments… Steve Coleman will be
greatly missed by his family, friends, co-workers, his employer and by the
community. He touched my life in so
many different ways. Always ready to
give a hand and never wanting much in return.
He was my friend and my flying buddy.
Together we had some great flying experiences. You might say some experiences were on the
comical side, others not so much.
Steve would approve of my sharing some of those experiences with you. Steve was employed as a
forester by Scott Paper and needed to do aerial photos. We got together to develop a strategy to do
this with my aircraft. I needed to do
some modification on the plane to allow him to take photos looking straight
down. He was very successful in doing
that. As with many of his other
undertakings, Steve was also a good photographer. Word got around and soon we were doing
photography work all over much of the State. Now, we were doing these
photos at an altitude of 12,500 feet.
Usually, we were up there for more than three hours. These flights are scheduled the night
before, so as pilots, we know not to have too much coffee before the
flight. On one occasion a co-worker
wanted to come along. Neither Steve
nor I had any objection, so he jumped in and we left the ground. After about two hours or more the
passenger, who was seated in the rear seat, tapped me on the shoulder and
asked how much longer we were going to be.
I said “Ask Steve.” When asked,
Steve responded “Oh maybe a little more than an hour or so.” A few minutes later I turned around and saw
an embarrassed passenger relieving himself in his
boot. Laughing, I said “I hope that
boot doesn’t leak.” About fifteen
minutes later we were on the ground, much earlier than expected, Steve’s
photo work completed. We all had a
good laugh over this. It was during these photo
sessions that Steve showed an interest in flying. After answering all his questions, Steve
decided to take flight instruction.
His first flight, I believe, was June 24, 1982. He soloed about a month later on July 21,
1982. Steve passed his check ride
(Private Pilot Certification) on September 30, 1982. Less than one month later, he bought his
first airplane on October 24, 1982 – a Cessna 172 which by the way is still
around, now owned by a Skowhegan resident.
Steve then continued on, and earned his commercial,
instrument and float ratings … the rest is history. His latest purchase was a
“Maule” which he loved very much. He
loved to fly low and slow always looking for wildlife. He was a true “Bush” pilot. Steve is looking down on
us and laughing – Rest In Peace, Steve, you have earned it. Wally Bisson Steve was very meticulous with everything he
did. He was an excellent pilot! He helped me a great deal with my float
flying, always giving me tips and advice.
He was quick to let me know if I took off with my water rudders
down. When I needed help getting my
plane in or out of the water, Steve would always take the time to help me
even though he was always busy. He
also let me use his dock and fuel tank, never asking for anything in return
except help with the docks and some fuel for his lift truck. He loved airplanes, talking about flying;
working on them, flying them was his passion, but only bush
planes. He didn't have too much to say
about bigger airplanes, twins etc. Steve Coleman was chairman of the Jackman Airport
Advisory Board for years before I arrived on the scene. After quite a few years of being chairman
he decided it was time for a change, so at one meeting he quickly declared, I
nominate Jim as Chairman, all in favor say "Aye". So I was the new chairman as much as I
hate being in charge of anything, I knew better than argue or decline. Of course he still was very involved and
never hesitated to speak up, so he was still the one in charge, little did he
know. He was adamant that the airport be maintained and
improved, but in the most economical way.
Newton Field was eligible for Federal funds for improvement on a
yearly basis. Of course any project
required a great deal of money spent on engineering, environmental impact
studies, wetland issues, permitting etc. etc.
All this bureaucracy drove Steve up the wall and on more than one
occasion, he voted to not do a project because of all the waste. His final tribute took place after his funeral at
Coleman’s Knoll Air Field behind his house in Dennistown, Maine. Eight local pilots participated in a very
orderly fly over Coleman's Knoll Air Strip.
His good friend took the lead flying Steve's Cessna 185. We all flew two passes, single file ,
ending with Steve's 185 flown for one final run over Coleman's Knoll,
Dennistown, Maine, on a beautiful fall day, the foliage was gorgeous, the sun
was shining, little wind. The perfect
day to fly! Several hundred people
watching. Stephen Coleman looking down
from above, I'm sure, is impressed and proud!
So long good friend, see you later. Jim Schoenmann I met Steve Coleman when
we were both attending the University of Maine Forestry School in 1977. I was always impressed with his high sense
of ethics. He was a good pilot, a good
friend and an incredible asset to the Moosehead Region. I will miss him dearly, as will many people
that knew him. John Willard, The
Birches Steve
had the advantage of a Bird’s eye view.
Whether in the air or on the ground, Steve had the ability to create a
vision. From there, he could plan the
next move that would allow his vision to become complete. Steve not only did that at work, but also
for the whole Jackman area. Steve
was truly a community member; he was always active in his community and will
be missed here in Jackman and across the State. Steve
was also a friend and a founder of the L2D Camp in Northern Quebec. It was always an adventure and Steve would
make each trip special. I feel so
fortunate to have had the privilege of making a few trips there with
Steve. The things that I learned from
being there with Steve in the outdoors will be used for a lifetime. Steve had become one on my closest friends
and I will miss him. Alan Duplessis Steve Coleman in his
personal life was an avid snowmobiler, fisherman and hunter. He belongs to a group that jointly owned a camp
in Northern Quebec. Every year he made
at least one trip by plane in the summer and one by snowmobile in the winter,
accompanied by various friends and family.
His meticulous planning and especially his lists of allowable items to
be taken were legendary. He was the
unquestioned organizer and leader of all such expeditions, whether it was an
overnight snowmobile trip to Ross Lake or the two great adventures he
undertook with his buddies Reggie and Russell Griffin of Jackman, as well as
a few others. Over the course of two
winters, they snowmobiled
the length and breadth of Labrador and Northern Quebec, visiting isolated
towns, Eskimo villages and remote mining and hydropower locations. They travelled over sea ice along the coast
and down the treacherous George River to Ungava Bay. In spite of hardships and close calls,
everyone always returned safe and sound and anxious to do it again. His companions will sorely miss him. Linda Griffin Steve,
as he put it, “signed on with this outfit” in 1987 and ever since has been a
key person in the growth and development of LandVest. Anyone who’s had the good fortune to spend
time with Steve knew they were in the presence of someone special. So many words and thoughts come to
mind: upbeat, unbelievably competent
and resourceful, friendly and fun to be around, a throwback to a cleaner,
more straight-forward world, completely dependable, strong as an ox and as
smart as they come. Steve
Coleman will be sorely missed – he has been a true and dear friend to me and
many others here. Steve leaves behind
his dear wife Sarah, two sons, Thomas and Tennie
and all the rest of us who will carry fond memories of him with us for as
long as we live. Steve Mongan, President of LandVest I think of Steve as kind
of archetype of the New England North Country woodsman. Almost heroic in physical stature and
resourcefulness, as humble and dutiful as a monk, as circumspect and sensible
as a State Street banker, and as loyal as a brother. RIP brother, Mike Hart, LandVest Every
morning for the past 3 ½ years, I have poked my head into Steve’s office and
said, “good morning”, he would always reply, “good morning”. I am going to miss that smirk he would get
on his face when he had something good to share, he always gave it away that
he was up to something. We shared a
lot of laughs which made it nice to come to work. He was always straight forward with me from
day one and he let me know how he appreciated all that I did for him. I am so grateful for all that I learned
from him; this experience I will never forget. From the hunts for the coffee mug or
paperwork in one of the piles, I am going to miss him. Sara Crawford, Steve Coleman’s Secretary If I have to stop and
describe Steve, I’d say he was a “larger than life” guy. After knowing him for about 30 years, it’s
hard to understand how there was so much of him to go around. He always had time to
talk. I’d look forward to running into
him; it seems that there was no lack of things to tell each other, or maybe
argue about a little bit. It could be
about high school basketball or the local floodplain…he had a huge store of
knowledge, and opinions, on all kinds of eclectic subjects. Steve didn’t just talk
about things, he did them. And he
accomplished a lot more than most people. I never passed up an
opportunity to fly with him. Over the
last few years when the weather was good, my family and I took a Mother’s Day
flight to look for nesting eagles, and we always found some. Thanks, Steve. Barbara Kane Steve
Coleman was a “light house” for Dennistown Plantation. Comprised of only 49 taxpayers, a mere 15
of those being full-time households, the “city sights” are mainly trees. Luckily, this is what drew Steve to call
Dennistown his home. We are very
fortunate to have had the honor of Steve as our First Assessor for so many
years. He mastered the art of
balancing truth, fairness and common sense, with a friendly smile, a helping
hand and strong shoulders that so often carried burdens many of us would have
collapsed under in only a few days. He
did this for Dennistown for over 30 years.
He did what was best for our community and he never took the easy way
out of a situation. He dug in with
both hands and found a solution to each problem he faced. On behalf of Dennistown Plantation, I would
like to thank Steve Coleman for his dedication to this little Plantation we
call home. You will never be
forgotten, can never be replaced and will always be our “guiding light”. Each Jackman Town Manager
also wears the hat of Airport Manager.
As a rookie with my feet flat on the ground, Steve took me under his
wing and patiently explained basic airport concepts such as 7:1 slopes. The Airport Advisory Group, of which Steve
was an active member, plays an essential role in the smooth operation and
planning of the airport. Steve was
involved in all airport projects. Over
the years, he took more than one airport consultant to task. Jackman became well known for wanting projects
rather than spending dollars on planning.
Steve looked at grant money as tax dollars – only to be spent if a
project made sense. Better to leave
grant money on the table than to waste tax dollars. Steve served as town moderator
from 1982 through 2011. No matter how
contentious the article at hand or when you would hear him say “the
Moderator’s interpretation is” … he inspired confidence just by looking into
his eyes –he had the situation well under control. Many a town manager was fortunate to have
him at the podium. Steve was an active
member of the Jackman-Moose River Chamber of Commerce. Back in the late 70’s and early 80’s,
Jackman had Field Days on the Moose River at what would become Steve’s
campground. Naturally, he was in
charge of the Woodsman’s event. Bob
Foster shares this memory: “Once, I
was watching the chain saw event and someone started to saw, and then
complained that the saw wasn’t sharp enough.
Steve took the saw and just zipped right through that log.” We think Steve probably grinned a little
too. People also remember that he
gave float plane rides. Leave it to
Steve; on one “field day” he was able
to show Barbara Kane and her kids, as well as other plane ride customers, a
couple of black bear on Sally
Mountain. He served on the
Snowmobile Trail Committee from 1978 to 1991.
He also served on the Solid Waste Management Advisory Committee
1993-1994. A fitting quote: “To reach a great height, a person must
have a great depth.” (Anonymous). Steve, thank you for all
you have contributed to our community.
I considered you a mentor and am grateful for all you brought into my
life. You are an example for all. Everyone has a Steve Coleman story – that
is a gift you have left us – we should collect and preserve these precious
memories. Though we no longer hear
you lift off, we know you are soaring above us. With deep appreciation and respect, In
lieu of flowers, donations will be accepted towards a scholarship to benefit
local students, aspiring pilots and the Jackman region in general. Please send donations to: Steve Coleman Memorial Scholarship Fund,
c/o SAD 12/RSU 82, 606 Main Street, Jackman, ME 04945 ____________________________ The Jackman Region website is owned and maintained by the:
and is hosted by MaineToday.com |
