Bobby Jean Coleman

Published 11:27 am Friday, August 23, 2024

Bobby Jean Coleman died quietly in her sleep at her home on August 19, 2024, two days after her 77th birthday, surrounded by close, loving friends and the sounds of the birds at her many feeders. Born and raised in Columbia, S.C., Bobby was the daughter of Edith Mildred Fallaw and Ralph W. Jolley. She was preceded in death by her parents, beloved husband William Coleman of Tryon, and her only sibling Raymon Jolley. Bobby had been director of Food Service at the Spring Valley Country Club in Columbia, S.C., before her marriage and continued in this field for many years until her husband’s death.  Affectionately known as ‘Miss Bobby,’ she worked at the Tryon IGA for the past 17 years.  During COVID, Bobby was known to deliver groceries after work, on her own time, to the elderly in the Tryon area.  She was a past member of Tryon Painters and Sculptures, and her work has been shown in many galleries in North and South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Texas, Kentucky, and Washington State. Bobby also wrote and illustrated two series of children’s books. One series, ‘Charlie, the Squirrel,’ was a six-volume set of children’s fables. The second series was based on the childhood escapades of her late husband, Bill. Bobby is survived by her godson, the Reverand Ian Grey Williams and family, Jacqueline Brown-Williams, her best friend of 31 years and husband Dr. Craig Williams, and her beloved ‘girls’, Eve Levister, Natalie  Johnston, and all her many friends, neighbors, and acquaintances who were touched by her kindness over the years. A Garden Memorial will be held in the upcoming months. An online memorial has been set up at bobby-jean-coleman.forevermissed.com. Bobby’s friends wish to extend their gratitude to the staff of Hospice of the Carolina Foothills, Dr. Sandra McCormack, and the medical staff at Pardee Hospital for the love and care they provided.