Bob Coleman

Robert Charles Coleman (“Bob”) was born in New York City and raised in Flushing, Queens. He had many passions, including music, photography, history, and literature.

 

As a child, Bob loved baseball. He attended countless games and watched all the greats, live and close-up. Throughout his life, Bob regaled family and friends with stories about watching the likes of Joe DiMaggio, Lou Gehrig, and Mickey Mantle. 

 

Bob attended the University of Vermont, where he developed a love for photography. As the school photographer, he had the honor of meeting and photographing a number of dignitaries, including Richard Nixon, Robert Frost, and Eugene Ormandy. After graduation, Bob followed his passion and became a professional photographer in New York City. Throughout his life and career, he took thousands of photographs. His catalogue of breathtaking photographs remains with his family in their private collection.

 

Bob’s life was also punctuated by an undying love for music. In 1956, he took his prom date to a New York jazz club for dinner and a show. Louis Armstrong was the main act. From the stage, Louis noticed the young couple in their formal attire, and took a set break to talk with them. Louis resumed the set by asking the couple to step before the crowd, at which point he played them a private pre-prom dance. 

 

For nearly fifty years, Bob travelled to Vermont each summer for the Marlboro Music Festival. His love for music was so great and so magnetic that he attracted the attention and affection of the musicians themselves. Throughout his life, Bob watched, met and photographed legendary musical talents, including Pablo Casals, Lili Kraus, and Pete Seeger.

 

Bob was also a healer. In 1967 he began meditating and practicing yoga, long before they became “mainstream.” In 1976, Bob opened his own massage therapy practice in Washington, D.C. His revolutionary practice integrated meditation, massage, and yoga. For nearly thirty years Bob provided integrated sessions to a vast array of Washingtonians, loving every minute of it.

 

In 2007, Bob retired with his wife Patricia in North Carolina. In retirement, his love for the arts continued to grow. He spent much of his time listening to magnificent music, writing, counseling those in need, and reading. 

 

On the morning of February 23, 2021, Bob passed away peacefully in his sleep of natural causes. He is survived by his loving wife Patricia, his son Michael, and an immeasurable number of friends and admirers whose lives he touched. No service is scheduled. He will be cremated. His family plans to spread his ashes among his favorite locations in North Carolina, Washington, D.C., New York, and Vermont.