GraceAnn Coleman

GraceAnn (nee McElwee) Coleman, daughter of the late Thérèse (nee Pereyra) and Joseph McElwee Jr., was born on March 16, 1959.  She passed away on October 31, 2022.

GraceAnn and her thirteen siblings were raised on Winding Way in Merion Station, Pennsylvania.  Along with her many brothers and sisters, GraceAnn attended Saint Matthias in Bala Cynwyd before enrolling at Archbishop John Carroll for high school.  GraceAnn enjoyed close friendships at both Saint Matthias and Carroll and maintained those friendships throughout her life.

After Carroll, GraceAnn continued her education at the University of Scranton where she met the love of her life, Ed.  After many years together, GraceAnn and Ed ultimately married on June 9, 1990.  Like Ed, GraceAnn knew that she wanted to have a big family – though perhaps not quite as big as her parents’ family of fourteen. Together, GraceAnn and Ed raised their six wonderful children: Kirsten Noelle, John Gerald, Connor Joseph, Michaela Grace, McKinnon Anne, and Gaelen Cáite.  Nothing brought GraceAnn more joy than sharing in her children’s lives and in watching them succeed.  She was in true awe that they were hers, often remarking “When I grow up, I want to be you, kids.”  She meant it.

In addition to her role as devoted mother and wife, GraceAnn was also a steadfast and loyal friend to her many siblings and siblings-in-law, a doting and welcoming mother-in-law to her children’s significant others, who adored her, and a proud and loving aunt to her many nieces and nephews, who already miss her dearly.

GraceAnn was a study in contrasts.  She could be silly one moment, and insightful and wise the next.  She was an expert on Carly Simon and James Taylor and yet couldn’t get enough of Broadway. The Francophile who lived for several years in Paris was the same woman to claim that the best meal of her life was at a Chili’s on the Champs-Elysees with Ed.  Sometimes you just need an ice-cold beer.

GraceAnn will be remembered for her wit, for her laugh, and for her love of music, art, and travel.  But mostly she will be remembered for her ability to make those in her orbit feel celebrated, noticed, and loved.  Her capacity for love was unmatched and her loss will be felt by all those who were blessed enough to have been touched by it.

GraceAnn is predeceased by her husband Edward Coleman, brothers Gerald and Martin, and her sister Mary Carol McElwee.

She is survived by her children Kirsten (Shane), John (Marianne), Connor, Michaela, McKinnon (Kevin), and Gaelen, her brothers Joseph III (Nanette), Michael, John (Catherine), William (Francine) and Thomas (Kathleen) and her sisters Therese McElwee, Donna Marie, Lisanne (Chris) Balady, M. Noelle Hildreth (John), and Rosemarie McElwee and her sister-in-law Barbara McElwee.

Relatives and friends are invited to her Viewing on Sunday, November 6^th from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at The D’Anjolell Memorial Home of Broomall, 2811 West Chester Pike, Broomall, Pennsylvania 19008.

Guests are also invited to pay their respects on Monday, November 7^th, between 10:00 a.m. and 10:45 a.m. at St. Norbert’s Church, 50 Leopard Rd., Paoli, PA 19301, followed by her Funeral Mass, which will begin at 11:00 a.m. at St. Norbert’s.

To celebrate GraceAnn’s joie de vivre, we ask that all attending wear vibrant colors in lieu of the traditional black.  GraceAnn loved a fancy hat and going ‘against the grain,’ and she would love to be celebrated in the same fashion

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