John Henry Coleman, Jr., 70, of Pound Ridge, NY passed away peacefully on Thursday, January 21, 2021 following a battle with cancer.
Always lucky in life, John fittingly chose the 21 st day of the 21 st year of the 21 st century to move on. He was an acclaimed storyteller who never let the truth get in the way. He was also well known for his generosity and his hair, which even many rounds of chemotherapy could not destroy.
He was a charming gentleman and a true ladies’ man, though he was loved equally by all and had a passion for entertaining friends. A self-described lover of nice things, he got every ounce of value out of life. Nobody laughed louder. Nobody had more fun.
John was born in Hartford, CT and raised in nearby Simsbury where he excelled playing football. He went on to play at Middlebury College in Vermont where he also loved to ski, graduating in 1973 with a
degree in economics. John achieved early success in his career in institutional investment sales for Phoenix Mutual Life in New York City, and later with Wachovia Bank in Winston-Salem, N.C. His love of New England brought him back to NY where he joined the management team of NYFIX Inc., pioneer of electronically based stock order routing to the NYSE. He had lived in Stamford, CT and Ridgefield, CT prior to building his home in Pound Ridge, NY where he lived for the last 25 years, retiring in 2010.
A former club champion at the Stanwich Club in Greenwich, CT, John continued to enjoy golf, his friends, and his family in retirement. In 2019, John finally landed the elusive hole-in-one on the 16th hole at Stanwich while playing in the member guest with his son John. He also enjoyed boating on Candlewood Lake and the Long Island Sound and found time to participate in the Dakar Rally.
John is survived by two sons, John H. Coleman, III of Greenwich, CT, and Bryan G. Coleman of Vancouver, WA, two sisters, Linda Schoonmaker of New Smyrna Beach, FL and Diane Smola of Fairfield, CT, three nieces, a nephew, and a host of friends he called family. He is preceded in death by his parents, John H. Coleman, Sr., and Elizabeth “Buster” Coleman.
As the current circumstances do not allow us all to get together, a memorial gathering to honor his life will be held at a later date.
We ask that those who loved him celebrate his life with joy and enthusiasm as he would have wanted. Raise your glass in a moment of silence and you will still hear his laugh.