The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Funeral set Saturday for SCSU gymnast
Funeral services have been set for Milford resident Melanie Coleman, the 20yearold Southern Connecticut State University gymnast who died Sunday after a training accident.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at St. Mary Church, Precious Blood Parish, 70 Gulf St. in Milford. People are asked to meet directly at the church. Interment will follow at St. Mary Cemetery on Buckingham Avenue in Milford.
Calling hours are set for 4 to 8 p.m. Friday at the CodyWhite Funeral Home, 107 Broad St. in Milford.
Police are expecting a large turnout for the funeral and wake. Residents and motorists are asked to be patient and respectful during those times.
The department “has added officers to assist with traffic in those areas,” said Mike DeVito, a police officer and department spokesman. “We assume traffic will be heavy during the wake.”
Coleman suffered a spinal cord injury while practicing on the bars at the New Era Gym in Hamden on Friday. She was treated at the scene by her coach, who is certified in CPR, and by emergency personnel who were summoned to the scene through a 911 call. She died at YaleNew Haven Hospital Sunday.
According to chief state’s medical examiner Dr. James Gill, Coleman died of “complications of blunt injuries of head and neck.”
Gill ruled Coleman’s death an accident.
Coleman was a junior majoring in nursing at the university and said she was hoping to follow her two older sisters in that profession. Coleman was a threetime AllState selection and captain of the 2017 Jonathan Law High School gymnastics team.
Her family said her organs would be donated to others in need.
In a statement, the family said, “We are confident that her spirit, laughter, and humor will live on through the ones who loved her most, as well as through the gift of life to those who needed it most through organ donation.”
According to her death notice, Melanie Amber Coleman was born on June 2, 1999, in Milford to Thomas and Susan Coleman.
“Melanie was born and raised in Milford. She attended Pumpkin Delight
Elementary School, West Shore Middle School and Jonathan Law High School. At JLHS, she was a member of the National Honor Society and was an allstate track runner, excelling in the 4x400 meter relay.
“However, Melanie’s greatest passion, gymnastics, began at the age of 2. Her talent led her to become an allstate gymnast at JLHS and she continued to compete in college. Melanie was a junior at Southern CT State University, majoring in nursing while making the Dean’s List...
“Melanie loved spending time with her family, especially with her brother Jimmy, with whom she shared a special bond. She always looked forward to the annual family trips to Disney. Melanie made lifelong friends who were incredibly important to her throughout school and her sporting activities.
“She was a talented photographer who loved capturing scenes of the beach, sunrises and sunsets. Melanie was an artistic, vibrant, smart and talented young woman who emitted love and kindness to everyone around her,” her death notice reads.
Along with her parents, Melanie is survived by siblings Valerie Alexa, Tiffany Elise, James Thomas and Nicholas Michael; maternal grandparents, Maryann and Raymond Steinman; paternal grandmother Kathryn Coleman; aunts and uncles Elizabeth and Craig Carr, Kathleen Mahieu, John and Linda Steinman, Christine and David Heenan, Christopher Coleman, John and Rolinda Coleman and Paul and Renee Coleman; cousins Daniel, Christopher, Jillian, Andrea, Robert, Jessica, Jack, Stephanie, Joseph, Tyler, Lauren, Sean, Jack, Roger, Kaitlyn, Ryan and Patrick. She was predeceased by her paternal grandfather, Thomas C. Coleman.
A GoFundMe page as been set up to help the family. As of Thursday morning, more than $67,000 has been raised.
Anna Andrich, who organized the fundraiser, said, “The family is overwhelmed with your support. In an effort to continue sending support to the family, we have also set up a meal train to provide dinner in an organized manner to the family. Please sign up at the following link if you wish to drop off a meal for the Colemans: https:// mealtrain.com/y2177y