A Memorial Service for Loring will be held on Sunday, September 27th at 2:00 at the Memorial Chapel in Lambert Hall. Reception to follow.
Longtime Middlesex faculty member Loring Wilkins Coleman died peacefully in his sleep on July 7, 2015, at the age of 97.
Loring was born on April 27, 1918, in Boston, MA, the son of the late Loring Wilkins Coleman and Christine Snelling. He grew up in Chicago, IL, but also spent much of his youth at Tanglewood, his grandmother’s residence and farm in Concord, MA. His primary education was at Chicago Latin School and Fessenden School, with secondary studies at Middlesex. From an early age, Loring showed talent as an artist, drawing in the margins of his school books and producing whimsical works to the delight of his mother. At Middlesex, Loring was first able to develop his natural talent under the mentoring of Russell Kettell ’10, who later introduced him to H. Dudley Murphy. Loring studied oil painting with Murphy and his associate, John Enser. In turn, Murphy introduced Loring to his fourth teacher: Charles Curtis Allen. Under Allen, Loring’s paintings matured, he began selling his work, and started what would become a lifelong pursuit: teaching.
While living and teaching painting in Boston, Loring met his future wife, Katinka Podmaniczky, at a church outing. They were married in Boston on December 6, 1941, the day before the attack on Pearl Harbor. Shortly thereafter, Loring was drafted into the Army and stationed at Fort Lee in Petersburg, VA, for the balance of the war. He attended Officer Candidate School and attained the rank of captain, in command of over 200 men in the Training Aids Division. Katinka joined Loring in Petersburg, and their family began with the birth of their first child in 1943.
Following the war, they moved to Decatur, GA, where Loring worked for the Development Office of Emory University. In 1948, the family returned to New England, settling in Sudbury, MA. After a year off devoted entirely to painting, Loring began teaching art at Middlesex and, later, in the Sudbury Public Schools. He succeeded his teacher, Russ Kettell, as chairman of the art department at Middlesex, retiring in 1974. During those years, Loring also taught painting in a variety of venues, and he continued his career in the Army as a reservist, retiring with the rank of lieutenant colonel.
Loring was an avid hunter and collector of firearms. On April 19 each spring, he would march, musket in hand, with the Sudbury Minuteman Company to the Old North Bridge in Concord. As a young man he loved riding motorcycles, while in his later years, he greatly enjoyed mountain climbing with Katinka in the Austrian Alps. They also shared a love of classical music and opera.
In addition to his family and these interests, painting was always a primary focus of Loring’s life. During his long career as an artist, he transitioned from painting in oil to watercolor. He was an Academician of the National Academy of Design and a member of the American Watercolor Society, the Allied Artists of America, the Guild of Boston Artists, the New England Watercolor Society, the Concord Art Association, and the Salmagundi Club.
In February 2009, due to failing eyesight, Loring painted his last watercolor at the age of 90. He subsequently began to write an autobiography to chronicle his life and work, which was edited by Hugh Fortmiller, his close friend and former Middlesex colleague. Published in 2011, Loring W. Coleman: Living and Painting in a Changing New England is full of history, humor, and fine reproductions of his work.
Loring is survived by his four children: Linzee Coleman-Bagge, Susan Jewell, Peter Coleman ’66, and Andrew Coleman; seven grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by Katinka, his wife of 70 years, and his younger brother, Linzee Coleman ’41. He will be greatly missed by his family and friends, who nonetheless feel blessed by his love, generosity, and caring nature.
Arrangements have been made with Badger Funeral Homes in Littleton, MA. There will be no visiting hours. A funeral service has been scheduled for 2:00 PM on Sunday, July 19, 2015 at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Southborough, MA. There will be a memorial service at Middlesex School in September.