Thomas Raymond Coleman Jr.

"Ray" Coleman's long-suffering battles with Crohn's Disease and other conditions ended Friday, March 22, 2013. He was 61. A Birmingham, AL native, he grew up in Fairfield and Hueytown. He was a faithful member of St. Aloysius Catholic Church, Bessemer and graduated from the church's elementary school in 1963. After graduating from Hueytown High School in 1969, Ray began his college career at the University of Montevallo. He joined the U.S. Naval Reserve in 1970 and served active duty in Charleston, SC aboard the destroyer USS Cone. He finished his college career in December 1975 with his BA in history from the University of Montevallo. He retired in 2002 as a software specialist while working for Avaya in Raleigh, NC. Ray was preceded in death by his parents, Thomas Raymond Coleman Sr. and Ann Theresa Day Coleman. Survivors: Ray's wife, Marilyn J. Coleman; daughter, Elizabeth Leslie Coleman; sons, Thomas Raymond Coleman III and Richard Edward Coleman; two grandchildren; uncles, Ralph Coleman (Peggy) and James Coleman (Florine); aunt, Faye Butts (Robert); six nephews; and numerous cousins. Visitation: 6-7 p.m. Tuesday, March 26, 2013 at Our Lady of the Valley Catholic Church (OLV), Birmingham, followed by 7 p.m. Wake Service. Funeral Mass: 12 noon Wednesday, March 27, 2013 at OLV with Father Vu officiating. Committal Service: 2:45 p.m. Wednesday at Alabama National Cemetery, Montevallo. Memorial Gifts: Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America.