Coleman Stockdale Leuthy

My name is Samdrup Tshering and go by Sam. First, thanks to my dear wonderful, loving, sympathy, caring Employer With A Little Help Inc.(WALH) for the kind updates, sympathy card on behalf of our late client Mr. Coleman. It was my beautiful experiences and memories being one of the caregivers for late Mr. Coleman.

As a caregiver, before anything else, my first instinct in mind was to respect, love and care to all the seniors, since when I was a little kid and not less to all the sentient living beings.

The roots of caring behavior are "biosociogenic," it develops often unconsciously, perhaps even instinctively and surely is emotionally charged among all the sentient living beings. I had truly enjoyed respecting, caring, bit of concerning his poor meal appetites, and if he was having his enough sleep at night in my heart being a caregiver during my little more than five months.

 The best memories and time I know of late Mr. Coleman was honest, simplicity, educated, intelligent, naturalistic, wilderness traveler adventurer, closely associated with the beauty of nature. He was amazingly conservative of nature and coupled with diversity of arts and crafts collections. The most fascinating about him was craving for thrust to know wide range of beauty in the world, where he has room full of National Geography Magazine at his up stair library room. The other fascinating interest about him was a chemist researcher on wide varieties of mushrooms and shrub and herbal medicines. His fascinating interest made me inspired to learn and know more about the variety of mushrooms' from him. He was a kind human; he used to walk me around his room and showed wide variety of his books on herbal and shrub collections on earth. I shared a video clip on "The Secret Garden-Bhutan" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wy6CbXHC9h8) Scientists clamors to harness secret miracle drug mushroom fungus. He enjoyed the clips and impressed.

He was also a proud member and contributor of a Conservation, Recreation, & Education with the Washington Park Arboretum Foundation. I accompanied late Mr. Coleman for the cookie bash party event invitation in late 2011 and he was pride to conferred one of the outstanding Presidents of the North American Rock Garden Society. I felt deeply touched and thrilled to have seen him such a great honor, which he was absolutely deserved for his tremendous contribution for the society.       

As a caregiver, before anything else, my first instinct in mind was to respect, love and care to all the seniors, since when I was a little kid and not less to all the sentient living beings. I remember requested him for his Blessing, he instantly smiled and raise his hand and he said here is my blessing.

I was saddened on that morning having seen him his likely final stage, however I was grateful to have him served last ensure, he then after few hours peacefully passed away right in front of us. He cared about his nephews much and the nature much. He was one of a proud human, who lived his life meaningfully and he very deserved for being a great human.

Since death surely awaits everyone, late Mr. Coleman's was my first hand experience leaving behind his own refuge body beyond, from his own soul and it happened very peacefully that fine beautiful mid day.  May his spirit remain in peace forever .

From the time I joined the Mountaineers and took the climbing course, I noted Coleman's name attached to nearly every activity I was interested in.  I imagined him to be some sort of whirlwind superhero.  Decades later, I joined the North American Rock Garden Society and, to my amazement, he was real!  And I met him in person!  He was even more than the superhero I had imagined, he was a knowledgeable plantsman with a friendly willingness to share his knowledge; a vigorous climber and hiker, an enthusiastic grouup leader for the rock gardener field trips; an altogether active and much-appreciated member of the local NARGS chapter; and to me one of those people described as being a privilege to know. 

He invited us all to gather at his place across the mountains every year for a chance to trot up the hills to see the Lewisia tweedyi in bloom.  He served as our treasurer for years, was a member of the board and, I'm sure, filled several other offices before I was there.  It's hard to imagine how the rock garden group, for one, will close, let alone fill, the huge gap created by the loss of Coleman, and I know the members of other groups feel the same.  Thanks, Coleman, and if there's any justice, you are wandering now with Heidi amongst the brilliant wildflower meadows and high peaks of your home mountains.

For many summers it meant a weekend trip from Seattle for us Naturalist's to Colemans farm near Leavenworth.
There would be tents, RV's and a trailer, but Cindy and I would sleep up in the open air 2nd floor of the barn.
There were mattress's there that we put on the floor and then our sleeping bags. The only problem was the
 mice that also used the same place. No matter we both survived it. There were wild flowers,
birds and butterflies to see and hikes to go on. In the evening a potluck and a campfire.

                                             THOSE WERE THE DAYS MY FRIENDS WE THOUGHT THEY
                                              WOULD NEVER END!!!!!!
                                                                                            
                                               

                                              Cindy Palmer & Virginia Gill

 Heidi was colemans  good companion for 14and 1/2 years always accompanying him on walks through the arboritum and trips to the farm in levenworth. When it became too tiring for Coleman i started walking heidi on tuesdays and then coleman's caregivers Dave, Eric and Sam.  began walking her regularly She, like Coleman, was getting long in the tooth and suffered from advanced congestive heart failure. She was ready to join her life long friend. I know theyre together and happy. good bye Heidi Leuthy 3-23-97  2-14-12

When Harvey and I first starting to key council and I didn’t know very many people, Coleman always greeted me with a great smile and made me feel so very welcome. I always felt like he assigned our rooms with special care for our comfort and he always asked about Reggie. Time went by and we grew to know more people, but I still always looked forward to seeing Coleman; he was a real gentleman and I will never forget him.

 Pam Janszen, PNWKC

Coleman should be in the Key Council Hall of Fame. He probably made more forays than anyone else, was always welcoming, always willing to share whatever he knew, and was just great to talk to. We'll miss him.

 Buck McAdoo, PNWKC

 I shall miss Colman too.  He did an amazing job organising, printing and distributing the PNW Key Council Keys, being treasurer for so many years and being always kind, friendly and helpful.  
Christine Roberts, PNWKC

 At the very beginning of my interest in mushrooms in about 1968, Ann and I took a non-credit evening course about mushrooms from Dr. Daniel Stuntz and Coleman Leuthy served as the volunteer teaching assistant. We will miss him.

Mike Beuge, PNWKC

 We shall indeed. When I decided to ‘become a mushroom gone bad” by returning to the UW for my PhD, it was Coleman who found a place for me to rent for the first year and served as the intermediate stope biking home from the lab on my way to my room.  A delightful collecting companion, from a mossy glade with Ben Woo at the 1983 Camp Wooten foray to the Canadian Border above Metalline Falls (where we survived interrogation by a nervous border patrol guard after 9/11).  He was kind and very special.

Lorelie Norvell, PNWKC

Coleman was a significant force in shaping our society. He was
a friend, an educator, identifier, co-ordinator, and shared his knowledge
of mushroom and plant identification freely. He served on our Board and as
our President.

He was our residential Lactarius expert, and every year we sought his
expert assistance for our annual show, until recently when his health kept
him away.

I am so thankful that we were able to have him at the Cookie Bash in
December. Rest in Peace, Coleman. You will always be our dear friend.

Our condolences to his family and other close friends.

Marian Maxwell
President, PSMS

 Coleman was my high school biology instructor at Nathan Hale High in 1972. He held a great annual field trip over to the Columbia Basin and Leavenworth. At that time he taught plant identification and wild edibles, but mushrooms were not part of it. I’ll never forget our group climbing up a rock outcrop just this side of Leavenworth, close to the Alpine House candy place. We all sat on the slope with Coleman quizzing us about Latin plant names. It was my turn for daisy. Of course I couldn’t remember the family name and came up with Daisyaceae. We all headed over and stayed at a multi-story house across Icicle Creek from what is now the Sleeping Lady. Unfortunately, someone working at the house was carrying in a tray full with several cups of hot cocoa and tripped, sending the very hot liquid down the back of a female student. It was a very unpleasant night for her.

I invited Coleman to be a guest lecturer at a Snohomish County Mycological Society meeting when I was president several years ago. And I remember him at several PNW Key Council forays.

He will indeed be missed.

Bonnie Ecker, PNWKC