Betty was born in Kankakee, Illinois on November 19, 1926 to Hobart (Ed) and Verna Harper. She grew up in Joliet, Illinois attending Joliet Township High School and Joliet Junior College.
Betty married Norman Lee Coleman in 1948 and raised three daughters. With the birth of her third daughter, Mary Joy, who was born with Downs Syndrome, Betty was at the forefront of advocating for Special Education Programs in the public schools and worked tirelessly for that cause. Later, she returned to school to study Food Service, qualifying herself to set up and run the food service for a private residential facility opening for the mentally handicapped.
Betty worked as a church secretary for over 30 years at Richards Street United Methodist Church and later at St. Edwards Episcopal Church in Joliet.
Moving to the Memphis area in 1997 to be closer to her daughter Luann, she was among the first residents to move into the Village at Germantown in 2005 following the death of her husband.
A lifelong Christian, Betty was a member of Germantown United Methodist Church at her death. She also attended Advent Presbyterian and Kingsway Christian Church since her move to Memphis
Betty was preceded in death by her parents Hobart Edward and Verna Harper, her husband Norman and her daughter Mary Joy. She is survived by her brother Kenneth (Carol) Harper of Phoenix, AZ, her daughters Luann Forell (David)of Germantown, TN and Sandra Radvansky (Gary) of Tucson, AZ and four grandchildren; Leslie Forell (husband Doug Boyle) of San Francisco, CA, Geoffrey Scott Forell of Austin, TX, Richard Radvansky and Deborah Radvansky of Phoenix, AZ. She also leaves three great-grandchildren; Harper Forell, and Sadie and Brayden Boyle.
A Celebration of Betty’s life will be held at 3:30 pm on November 13, 2019 at The Village of Germantown. The family requests that donations be made to Special Olympics or the Moody Bible Institute.
