The Life of Joyce Elaine Coleman
Joyce Elaine (Delana) Coleman, 83, of Olathe, Kansas passed away at Menorah Medical Center surrounded by her children on Sunday, October 8, 2023. She will forever be remembered as a loving mother, sister, aunt, great aunt, cousin and friend to everyone she knew.
Joyce was born on May 9, 1940 to Everett and Sarah Melvina (Franklin) Delana. She attended and graduated from Bonner Springs High School in 1958. She met the love of her life, Eugene Marvin Coleman, and they were married on November 3, 1967. Together they raised their three children, Kevin, Christie and Todd.
Through the years, Joyce worked as an antique dealer. She owned and operated her own shop for many years. Later, she continued to sell antiques on eBay and in her booths in an antique mall. Joyce’s specialty was depression-era glassware and could identify makers and patterns by memory. She enjoyed buying and selling antiques, shopping, garage sales, estate sales and thrift stores. Joyce also enjoyed the Native American culture. She travelled to Arizona and New Mexico with her husband Eugene, sister Senie and her children as often as she could. Joyce amassed a sizeable collection of authentic Native American jewelry, Navajo pottery and Zuni fetish carvings. She was a wonderful cook and enjoyed cooking for her family. Joyce liked to sit on her deck and watch the birds and deer. She was also a very good seamstress and made or repaired a number of items, including an entire wardrobe for a Curious George stuffed animal.
Joyce is preceded in death by her parents Everett and Melvina Delana, her loving husband of fifty-four years Eugene Marvin Coleman, who passed away on June 4, 2021, loving son Kevin Coleman, brother Elbert Delana, two sisters-in-law Kay Delana, Shirley Delana, sister Senie McDargh, three brothers-in-law Larry McDargh, Phillip Johnston and Don Beers and her cat, Stormy. She is survived by her children Christie Neoda Koehn and her husband Spence of Fontana, Kansas and her son Todd Eugene Coleman of the home, two brothers Keith Delana and his wife Jeanne of Ottawa, Kansas, Lawrence Delana of Osawatomie, Kansas, two sisters Doris Beers of Kansas City, Kansas and Cheri Johnston of Langley, Oklahoma. Several nieces, nephews, great nieces and great nephews also survive Joyce. She will be greatly missed.
Visitation will be 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. Thursday morning, October 12, 2023 at the McGilley & Frye Funeral Home 105 East Loula Street Olathe, Kansas.