Catherine Ferry Coleman
January 23, 1955 - August 8, 2018
Catherine Mary (Kate) Ferry Coleman was born in Sharon, PA, the first child and only daughter of Charles H. and Mary Catherine (Deneen) Ferry, who both preceded her in death. Her father’s national sales job for Proctor and Gamble and Dial Corporation took the Ferry family to many cities across the country, including Olean, NY; Leonia, NJ; Tonawanda, NY; San Bruno and San Lorenzo, CA; Livonia, MI; Rolling Meadows, IL; and Scottsdale, AZ.
Kate was an honor student for three years at William Fremd H.S. in Palatine, IL, and at Saguaro H.S. in Scottsdale, AZ, where she graduated. She was a magna cum laude graduate in English from Arizona State University, where she also was president of Kappa Alpha Theta Sorority.
After graduation, she began a 23-year career in newspaper marketing at Phoenix Newspapers, Inc. In 1980, Kate married Jay Coleman, a sports/feature writer at The Arizona Republic newspaper, and the couple moved to the San Francisco Bay Area early in 1981.
Kate was marketing director at The Oakland Tribune newspaper from 1981-90, and later held the same position at the San Jose Mercury News from 1990-2000. With two young daughters at home, she left the newspaper industry early to be a full-time mother. She was a board member for many years at Goodwill of Santa Clara County, and was a founding member of the Guatemala Sister Parish Committee at St. Joseph Mission San Jose Catholic Church in Fremont, CA, where the family made their home for more than 30 years.
Kate was a voracious reader, a gifted writer, an exceptional story teller (especially her legendary Irish stories), an accomplished baker and designer of gourmet cookies, and was well known for her charm and wit.
She is survived by her husband of nearly 38 years, Jay; daughters Casey and Maggie; brothers Charlie (Jude) and Mark Ferry; an aunt, Gloria Ferry; eight nieces and nephews; and dozens of cousins. Services will be on Friday, September 21, 11 a.m., at St. Joseph Catholic Church, 43148 Mission Blvd., Fremont, CA.