Obituary of Scarlett Selenaia Coleman

Scarlett Selenaia Coleman passed away unexpectedly on June 10, 2023 in Tucson, AZ. Survived by her parents, Donald Francis Coleman Jr. and Danielle Ann Coleman, her sister, Chelsea Leigh Coleman Sugai and Nickolaus Sugai. Also mourning her are grandparents Donald Francis Coleman Sr., and Dennis and Claudette Coyle; uncle and aunt Greg and Raquel Coleman, and cousins Hunter, Karsten, and Harrison. Scarlett joins the family’s guardian angels in heaven: brother, Patrick Thomas Coleman, grandmother, Patricia Marie Coleman, uncle Thomas Patrick Coleman, and aunt Stephanie Lee Coleman.

Scarlett lived her whole life defying expectations. She was born on July 5, 1995 in Tucson, AZ with a genetic heart defect. With a life expectancy of two weeks, went on to receive the gift of a life saving heart transplant at 4 months old.

Shortly after her transplant, Scarlett took off on her life journey. She was a precocious student who may have needed a little prodding, but truly loved to learn, fueled by a curiosity of the world around her. Throughout childhood, she dove into books, taught herself to play instruments, formed a love for animals, history, language and developed new hobbies like airsoft, glass blowing, and computer programming. Scarlett always had one foot in the analog and the other in the digital world. Her ability to learn new skills was one that impressed those around her, along with a quirky sense of humor and laughter that was infectious.

But like her Grandma Pat, it was art which became her true passion and led her to earn a BA in Philosophy and Art History from the University of Arizona in 2020. She continued on to study art education at Northern Arizona University in 2022, while working as a teaching assistant at the college. Scarlett was a gifted artist who found joy in working with many art forms including; oils, collage, mixed media and charcoal. Most recently, her talents led her to create unique, problem-solving designs using a 3-D printer. She also had the honor of showcasing her art at exhibits including; the Northern Arizona University Undergraduate Symposium and the Clara M. Lovett Gallery in Flagstaff, AZ. She believed that the imperfections in her art, which—like many people—gave the works their character and personality.

Over the years, Scarlett volunteered her time at the Tucson Wildlife Rescue, Arizona Game and Fish, as a safety officer at the northern Arizona Shooting range and as a camp counselor for children born with genetic heart defects at Camp Del Corazón in California. She was a quietly compassionate and unique individual, who cared deeply for the needs of the vulnerable.

She will be greatly missed by those around her, but will live on in her work and in the fond recollections of those who had the opportunity to know and love Scarlett.

"In the eternal spirit of Scarlett, please donate to plant trees in her honor at some of her favorite places across the state. To contribute, call Mayfield Florist at 520-633-4176 for the Scarlett Coleman Tree Fund. Sustainability of our natural world was one of her greatest passions."

   https://www.mayfieldflorist.com/flowers/home/scarlett-selenaia-coleman-tree-fund/ 

A memorial mass will be held at St. Cyril of Alexandria Catholic Church on Saturday, June 17th at 10:30 a.m. 4725 E Pima Street, Tucson AZ 85712