Howard Coleman

Howard Coleman of Great Falls, MT passed away of natural causes on July 30, 2021, while surrounded by family. He was preceded in death by his parents, Joseph and LuVerne Coleman; sister, Helen; and brother, Leon. He is survived by his wife, Perry; sons, Mark (Laurie) Coleman and Mike (Toni) Coleman, granddaughter, Megan Coleman; step-grandson, Lucas (Mandi) Coleman; great-grandchildren, Parker and Shelby; sister, Donna (Bill) McLaughlin; and numerous nieces and nephews. Howard was the youngest of 4 children and was raised on the west side of Great Falls where he grew up as a tough little kid. He joined the Army in 1959 and spent the next 3 years in Germany where he became a beer connoisseur. After leaving the Army, Howard worked at the ACM Smelter in Great Falls. In 1964, he married Pierina Lisslo and they had their first son, Michael, later that same year. Howard and Perry completed their family in 1967 when they welcomed their second son, Mark. In 1972, Howard was hired at the Montana Air National Guard after swearing he would not put on a uniform again after leaving the Army 10 years earlier. He wore that uniform proudly for the next 23 years before he retired as a machinist in 1995. He did a couple odd jobs after retiring but only to keep himself busy. Howard loved to fish and could be found with Perry on the boat at Holter Lake most weekends. The past 10 years were a bit rough for Howard as he had many health problems and couldn’t get out and enjoy life like he wanted. In his 79 years of life, he met many people and truly cherished the friends he made.