Rose Lee Evans-Coleman

Rose Lee Evans-Coleman of Clarksville, Tennessee passed away on Friday, April 24th at the age of 81. She was born on February 6, 1945, in Chicago, Illinois to Leona Lee Evans (who preceded her in death) and was baptized at an early age at her beloved Greater Union Baptist Church in Chicago, Illinois.

Rose graduated from Crane High School in 1963 and married her lifelong sweetheart, William Edward Coleman, Sr., whom she had known since she was a toddler. As a social worker, she worked in various capacities throughout her life including but not limited to the Criminal Investigations Division on Fort Campbell. When she moved to Miami, Florida she pursued her higher education and graduated from Barry University with both her Bachelor of Arts in Social Work and then her Master of Arts in Social Work. She completed her degrees after her children had graduated college, and we were most proud of her for it.

Rose worked as a Social Worker for both the City of Miami Beach and the Homestead Police Department, as well as at Sunrise Community, Inc. in Homestead, Florida as the Group Home Director for people with disabilities. She later ran for office in Miami and was elected as a Community Councilor.

She was also actively involved in serving the community through the organization created and established with her husband and good friends Debra and Arthur Barnes and Linda and Jerome Smiley called the Social Health and Educational Development (SHED) Group.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Chief Warrant Officer 4 (Ret.) William Edward Coleman, Sr.; grandparents, Clifton and Lena Evans; brothers, Teddy Mosley, Curtis Mosley, Lonelle (Yusufu) Mosley, Leroy Mosley, Emil Mosley, and Jeffrey Mosley. She is survived by her three children and two sons-in-law, William Edward Coleman, Jr. of Florida, Kimberly (Ernest) Coleman-Williams of Tennessee, and Kristal (Jose) Sanchez of Tennessee; five grandchildren, William Coleman III, William Imani Coleman, Wesley Khalil Coleman-Williams, Alexa Rose Sanchez, and Alyssa Janae Sanchez; three great grandchildren, Ky’ree Amir Henderson, Kiyomi Adiyah Palagar Coleman, and Alexander Ezeriah Hayward; her brother, Yusuf Salahuddin; her sisters, Carla Renee Valenzuela and Theresa F. (Gary) Schlechty and a host of brothers-in-laws and sisters-in-laws, Eugene Blackwell, Jr. (Mattie), Debra Streeter (Howard), David Blackwell, Sr. (Sherry), and Pamela Watson (Darryl), Eva Braxton, Sterling Embery, Jr., Robert Embery, Earline Embery, Clara Mae Embery, Joe Charles Embery, Kathy Embery, Almango Embery, Donnel Embery, and Maurice Embery.

The family would also like to say a special thank you and extend big hugs to her longtime dearest friends from the 1970s in Ft. Riley, Kansas, Colonel Dr. Bob Mays and Mrs. Brenda (Bunny) Mays, whom mom considered a soulmate and bestie. She adored her Ft. Campbell besties, dearest friends Chief Warrant Officer 4 (Ret.) Monroe Gildersleeve and Judy Gildersleeve and family, Monrita Tate and family, dear friend Flora Newman and daughters Lenora Wallace and family, Constance Barfield and family, and Tanya Keesee and family. She loved you like her own.

We want to recognize and extend warm hugs to Annette Dickerson Williams-Anderson, Adrienne Thompson, Bobby Woodson, Carolyn Collins and a host of dear loved ones from her first and beloved church, Greater Union Baptist Church. They were with her from the beginning of her story until the end and we appreciate your sweet stories and phone calls. She loved you dearly and spoke of you with great fondness.

Last, but certainly not least, we would like to extend hugs to the sweet group of Sister-Friends in Clarksville who loved and supported mom until the end: Mrs. Judy Gildersleeve, Mrs. Linda Graves, Mrs. Lorraine Brown, Ms. Janice Dail, Ms. Portia Dail, Ms. Cassandra Chestnut, Ms. Janie Walker, Ms. Ada Mumford, Ms. Barbara Carter, Ms. Virginia Shegogg, and Ms. Carolyn Hawkins. Thank you for looking in on her, taking her out with you, and all the shenanigans you got up to. (Yes, we saw the TikTok.)

The family would like to thank the nursing staff at Vanderbilt Clarksville Hospital for the care and compassion they showed our sweet mother in her final days and The Neptune Society for their professionalism. Thank you to Woodlawn Elizabeth Missionary Baptist Church for supporting her through her walk with Christ and to ALL family and friends who knew and loved her.

Family and friends are invited to attend a Celebration of Life on Sunday May 3rd from 2-3pm at 277 Cullom Way in Clarksville, Tennessee, 37043 or via Teams at

https://teams.live.com/meet/93754783282870?p=I50TqFSmKRtaIKvEW3

Tap on the link or paste it in a browser to join.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in her honor to the: Phoenix, Arizona VAMC (644) at https://www.cdceportal.va.gov/donate_online

A greater loved woman there could not be.