Rita Coleman

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated for Mrs. Rita Viola Coleman, 87 of Cookeville, on Monday July 21 at 10 a.m. at Saint Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church. Father Chad Putoff will officiate. Mrs. Coleman died peacefully Friday morning July 18, 2014 at her home. Mrs. Coleman was born February 11, 1927 in Lilly, Pennsylvania to the late Michael and Teresa Halavaty Dzurenko. Rita and her husband Art move to Detroit, MI in 1951 where they raised their family. On retiring, they moved to Cookeville where they enjoyed the rural lifestyle of their childhoods as well as traveling to see the country they loved. She was a loving wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother and a devout Catholic. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by four sisters, Mary Yingling, Ann Peters, Veronica Kick, and Margie Byler; and two brothers, John Dzurenko and Mike Dzurenko. Survivors include her husband of 65 years, Arthur Coleman (whom she married August 21, 1948 in Portage, PA); Seven daughters, Bonnie Brubaker of Garden City, MI, Jacqueline (Roland) Gauvin of Northville, MI, Christine (Dennis) Sweers of Almont, MI, Regina (Ken) Gragg of Cookeville, Rita (Lance) Leonelli of Novi, MI, Agnes (Rick) Bedell of Linden, MI and Ramona Sorich of Garden City, MI; one son, Charles (Angela) Coleman of Garden City, MI: 18 grandchildren and 13 great grandchildren; two sisters, Theresa Shandor of Utica, MI and Joanie (Charles) Plishka of Summerhilll, PA; brother, Frank (Joann) Dzurenko of Rock Creek, OH. Mrs. Coleman's grandsons will serve as pallbearers. Her family will receive friends Sunday from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m. (with a Rosary at 7 p.m.) at Hooper-Huddleston & Horner Funeral Home.