Obituary of James P. Coffman

James Philip Coffman, Jr., of 208 Aldren Ave, formerly of 23 Alfred St., passed away on Saturday, October 24 in WCA Hospital in Jamestown, New York. He was born June 14, 1943 in Oil City, Pennsylvania to James P. "Mike" and Marcia H. King Coffman. He graduated from DuBois Area High School in 1961. He earned a bachelor's degree in French from the Pennsylvania State University in 1965 followed by two master's degrees—one in French and the other in Education—from the State University of New York's College at Fredonia. For many years he taught French at Jamestown High School and led his students on trips to Quebec and France. After teaching in and chairing the JHS Foreign Language Department, he took on the roles of supervisor of Secondary Education, Assistant Superintendent, and finally Interim Superintendent of the Jamestown Public School District, from which he retired in 2000. As he enjoyed meeting people from around the world, his family hosted several exchange students and teachers over the years. He loved travel with family and also led many summer group trips to Europe that were popular with adults. He was an active member of First Covenant Church in Jamestown and, more recently, Vista de la Montana Methodist Church in Tucson, Arizona. He enjoyed many years of singing in the choirs of both churches. He was a past member of the Jamestown Rotary club and past board member of the Jamestown Concert Assn. He is survived by his wife, Anne W. Walton Coffman whom he married July 1, 1967; daughter, Chris Coffman, of Fairbanks, Alaska; two sisters, Connie Schwanke (Tom) of Youngsville, PA and Barbara Bryant (Bob) of Wellington, OH; four nieces, Cathy Green (Scott) of Youngsville, Kelly Patterson of Youngsville, Jennifer Powers (Keith) of Ohio, and Julie Scheub (David) of Ohio. A memorial service will be held at 11:00 a.m. Saturday, October 31, 2015, in the First Covenant Church. Friends may greet the family for an hour before the service. Anyone who would like to sing an anthem with the choir during the service can meet in the choir room at 10:30 AM. Donations in his honor can be made to the Jamestown PROMISE Fund c/o The Chautauqua Region Community Foundation, 518 Spring St. Jamestown, NY 14701,the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, 1500 Rosecrans Ave. Suite 200, Manhattan Beach, CA 90266, First Covenant Church, 520 Spring St. Jamestown, NY 14701 or the music ministry of Vista de la Montana Methodist Church, 3001 E. Mariavista Lane, Tucson, AZ 85739. Tucson, AZ.