Derek Coleman

Derek was born on February 4^th, 1971, to Richard and Beverly Coleman. Derek was raised in Vernon and  Bellow Falls, Vermont, where he attended Vernon Elementary School and graduated from Bellows Falls Union High School in 1989. Shortly thereafter,  he married his high school sweetheart Melissa Dunn, and they had two sons, Tyler & Forrest.

Derek was an expert hunter and marksman. Between Vermont and New Hampshire,  he would tag out each year. He was so proud when he hunted  down a bear with his bow. He took pride in the art of the hunt. He only hunted with a  bow later in life and would scout and plan his hunting expeditions most of the year. Derek also loved sports like his dad & nephew Keegan. The three shared a special bond of their love and dedication to the Red Sox, Celtics, Pittsburgh Steelers and long games of cribbage.

Derek’s proudest achievement was being Forrest and Keegan’s life coach in hunting and baseball. He also loved spending time with his niece Chloe, doing homework, watching movies and braiding her hair. He loved the children in his life more than anything.

After a devastating  injury at work fifteen years ago, Derek was prescribed highly addictive pain killers. This was the beginning of a terrible addiction Derek could never seem to get ahead of.

Derek  moved to Iowa to stay with his best friend Vinny Morris in hopes of getting clean and finding  a new and healthier life . It was there Derek met the love of his life Sonya McLain. Together, they had two beautiful children, Grace & Kip. When things sadly did not work out, Derek made his way back to Vermont to spend quality time with his mother and father before they passed.

Between the sadness of losing his family, the iron fist of his devastating addiction and undiagnosed mental illness,  the struggle was just too much for him to endure. Derek left this world one year to the day of his father’s death, on April 4, 2023.                                                                                                                        
Derek is survived by his children, Forrest Coleman, of Vermont and Grace and Kip Coleman, of Iowa,  his loving sister, Stephanie Coleman Givens of Brattleboro, VT, his nephew Keegan Coleman Givens of Eastham, MA, his niece Chloe Bly Givens of Brattleboro, VT , Melissa Dunn Coleman of NY, and Sonya McLain of Iowa, as well as loving aunts, uncles and cousins.  Derek was preceded in death by his parents,  Richard and Beverly Coleman, his son Tyler Dillon Coleman, and his brother-in-law, Arthur Givens.

Derek was a kind and loving soul, and a friend to many. Derek’s story should be a lesson to us all. Behind every addict, there is a family and friends who care deeply for their loved one. Behind every addict, there is a living, breathing human being who battled a demon that can destroy what was a once a functioning member of society.