Mary Margaret “Margie” Rodriguez Fore Coleman passed on peacefully on April 14, 2018 in Grass Valley, California. She was born in Chihuahua, Mexico on August 15, 1915. She was 102 years old.
She was predeceased by her parents, Leonardo and Maria Rodriguez of Santa Clara, California. One of ten children, she was the second surviving daughter among her many brothers and sisters. Mary lived in Fresno, California and grew up there. Her family later moved to the Santa Clara area where she resided for many years. She eventually settled in Lincoln, California, on her 20 acre “ranch”, where she spent her later life. Mary was married to Edwin “Junior” Fore at a young age. They subsequently divorced and she later married Carl Edwards Coleman of Richmond, California. They divorced in 1964.
A loving mother of eight children; Leroy Fore (Joyce, deceased)of Granby, MO; Bob Fore (Fairisine) of Bonanza, OR; Shirley Fore Kaufholtz (Jerry)of Tucson, AZ; Larry Foree (Eva) of Elk Grove, CA; Sonia Fore (deceased); Carmella Coleman Bicking (Chuck) of Grass Valley, CA; Debra Coleman Jackson (Michael) of Concho, AZ and Keith Coleman (Chris) of Cathedral City, CA. She was also the grandmother, great grandmother and great-great grandmother to over fifty children and adults.
“Margie” lived a full life. She loved nature and was a prolific writer. She was a tenacious woman, helping to raise her disabled granddaughter, Tamara, who predeceased her by several months. She was involved in numerous endeavors which included many years of volunteer work. She was full of spirit, strong-willed and vivacious. She will be greatly missed on earth.
Services are scheduled for Friday, April 27, 2018 at 11:00 am at Santa Clara Mission Cemetery in Santa Clara, California. Interment follows.
My mother Mary, or “Margie” as she was known, was an extraordinary woman. She left her legacy in this life in many ways. Most importantly, she was the mother of eight children and the grandmother, great grandmother and great-great grandmother to countless others. She also came from a large family.
Mom was strong-willed and a survivor, having conquered many obstacles in her life. She was determined to make a good life for her kids and held them foremost in her heart. She was firm and relentless, always in charge and always the leader. She liked it that way.
She was an avid reader and a prolific writer, having composed short stories and poetry much of her life. She wrote about the fondness of nature and the other loves of her existence. She also wrote about the downtrodden among us and the value they had in their everyday struggles with living. She had an astute way in which she viewed the world. She told stories about places she had been and those she had never seen. Mom had a keen sense about people, places and things and held a remarkable gift for the mundane. In one her many poems, she told about life on her twenty acre “ranch”:
“When in the country you see beautiful flowers of many different colors,
growing wild, miles and miles.
How wonderful is nature for our pleasure.
Even though they don’t stay long
The blossoms will fly away but soon the flowers will return.
The best luxury one could have is noticing the miracles day by day.”
Mary was an antique hound and a rock collector who found fascination with each one she encountered. She found beauty in the smallest of things that many of us take for granted. She was adventurous and filled with attention to detail. She loved to paint and she loved to dance.
She put family first, always, and cherished their very existence. Several years ago, she wrote:
“My precious moments are when all my darlings are with me.
I love my four boys and four girls dearly.
2.
I know they suffer with me for the fact that we were very poor.
How hard it was for all of us!
To me, they are my treasure, perfect in every way.
And, no one better say differently.
This is my family,
And now I am not alone anymore.
They gave me grandchildren I love
And my precious moments are when we are together.
They know I am here to help them any way that I can.
I love my children dearly!
Those are my precious moments”
Today, she will be laid to rest next to her daughter, Sonia, and alongside her granddaughter, Tamara. Mom would be so happy to be reunited with them. It was meant to be. Mom would have wanted it that way.
We gather to celebrate a long life well-lived – through good times and bad. She was no saint; only a woman who loved her family dearly and, a family who loved her in return.
Te adoro, Mama, you will remain forever in our hearts and minds. You were one of a kind who could never be duplicated. Your passing leaves a void in the lives of so many. Thank you for your being. Your life was not only long-lived but full of meaning. A life we celebrate as we lay you to rest on this glorious spring day. The blossoms will fly away but soon the flowers will return. You said so yourself.
