Leonard “Lennie” James Coleman, Jr., 87, of Morrisville, passed away Saturday, October 15, 2016, at the New York State Veteran’s Home at Oxford. Lennie was born on March 3, 1929, in Tupper Lake, N.Y., to parents, Mary Jane (Richer) and Leonard James Coleman, Sr. He graduated from Tupper Lake High School and then worked a couple of years for Frenette’s Coca Cola Bottling Company in Tupper Lake. In his spare time, Lennie loved downhill skiing and ice hockey. He also started learning the art of carpentry in the shop he had created in the back of his parent’s garage. This was his foundation for becoming a self-taught creative master carpenter of fine homes and furniture.
He served two years in the United States Army during the Korean War. While on military leave, Lennie met and married Shirley Houghton in Tupper Lake.
After serving his country, Lennie and Shirley moved to Pontiac, Michigan, where he worked for Pontiac Motors and built his first of three family homes. After a few years they moved to Morrisville (Shirley’s hometown) where they raised three children. He began his career of carpentry while working for Gordon Bowers in Cazenovia. He later partnered into a successful business with David “Hutch” Hutchinson (Coleman and Hutchinson Builders).
During Lennie’s last 18 years of building, he created a new “Custom Homes” carpentry business with his youngest son, James, and tutored him into also becoming a successful builder. In addition, his oldest son, Jerry learned the fine art of woodworking both inside and outside of homes while restoring his 1800s stone one-room schoolhouse with his father in Fayetteville. His daughter, Deborah also had the opportunity in designing and building her first home and furniture with her dad. In his retirement, he loved woodworking in his workshop creating an endless variety of furniture, toys, bowls, boxes and whatever else his imagination could assemble.
After Lennie and Shirley divorced, Pat Trush became his longtime partner until her passing in 2013. Pat and Lennie enjoyed many trips together and one of their favorites was a trip to Africa. In addition, he and Pat renovated their 200-year-old house and designed her son, Doug’s home for Lennie to build. One of Lennie’s outstanding achievements was when he designed and built Pat’s entire floor condo in Manhattan. After gutting the condo, Lennie painstakingly took the dimensions and returned to his workshop in Morrisville. He built all components, took them back to Manhattan and assembled them together like a puzzle to create an eight-room condo.
Lennie enjoyed doing creative projects with his family; being a member of the Morrisville “Cellar Savers” Fire Department, water skiing with family and friends at Eaton Brook, meeting his friends at the local tavern, watching local construction (his nickname was the “Sidewalk Superintendent”) and gifting his woodworking masterpieces. He loved his family, friends and life itself. He would often say, “Who has more fun than people!” Lennie was loved by all he met and he will be missed by them all.
In addition to his parents, Lennie was predeceased by his partner, Pat Trush and by his brother, Father John William Hervey Coleman of Plattsburgh, N.Y.
He is survived by his former wife, Shirley (James Harp); his children, Deborah (Mark Gracin) Coleman of Norwich, Jerry Coleman of Morrisville and James (LaVerna) Coleman of Fuquay Varina, NC; four grandchildren, Elizabeth, Michael, Conner and Kennedy and great-grandson, Lennon.
The family would like to thank the entire staff at the Veteran’s Home at Oxford for their compassionate care of Lennie and making it his home for over three years.
Funeral services: noon Saturday, Oct. 22, at Michael E. Brown Funeral Services, 2333 Fenner Road, Cazenovia. Calling hours are 10 a.m. to noon Saturday at the funeral home prior to the services. Burial will be in Morrisville Rural Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, contributions in memory of Mr. Coleman may be made to the Morrisville Fire Department, P.O. Box 244, Morrisville, NY 13408.
To leave a message of sympathy for the Coleman family, please visit michaelebrownfuneralservices.com.