Theresa Ann Conaway (Coleman) Armstrong was my mother. She was born in New York City. She married my father, Joseph Tracy Coleman, Sr., in January of 1952. They had 4 children: Joseph Tracy Coleman, Jr. (1952), Michael Anthony Coleman (1954), Mara Theresa Coleman (1956), and David Wayne Coleman (1960). Mother worked for many years as a surgical LVN in New York City, Oakland, San Diego, and Washington, D.C. Her later career was spent on various intensive care units in San Diego. She married her second husband, Melvin Douglas Armstrong, Sr., in 1974. Mother had three grandchildren: Reina Michelle Coleman (1997), David Wayne Coleman, Jr. (2003), and Amber Renee Coleman (2006). Mother was a strong and independent woman. After her youngest child's marriage in 2002, with (finally) an empty nest and having been divorced twice, she lived alone and independently for the rest of her life. After leaving San Diego in 2004, she purchased homes in Mohave Valley, Ariz. and North Las Vegas, Nev. She was still living on her own, renting a home in Las Vegas, when she became ill.

Besides her offspring, Mother is survived by her older brother, Garrett Webster Conaway, Jr., numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins, her brother-in-law, Austin David Powlis, and her daughter-in-law, Janet Steele Coleman. She was preceded in death by her father, Garrett Webster Conaway, Sr.; her mother, Doris Gillman Conaway; and her sisters, Robin Conaway Powlis and Toni Catherine Conaway, among others.

Mother lived her life for her children and grandchildren. She gave us all of the love and support and knowledge that any children or grandchildren could possibly need. Her love and her spirit will live on in all of her offspring.