Sudden Death
Coleman moved to the Mornington Peninsula, buying a rural property at Arthurs Seat and running the Dromana Hotel.
In the early hours of 5 April 1973, he died suddenly of coronary atheroma. The public was stunned and saddened. Some controversy later emerged when it was claimed that a doctor, who was called to attend him, failed to do so until it was too late.
On Saturday 7 April 1973, a John Coleman memorial match was held at Windy Hill in front of a record 34 293 fans/mourners. Essendon beat Richmond by 47 points that day. After a large funeral conducted at St Thomas' Church of England, in Mount Alexander Road, Moonee Ponds (the church in which he had married) by Archdeacon Randal Hugh Deasey (1916–) on Monday 9 April 1973, attended by many of Melbourne's sporting community, Coleman was cremated. 400 people packed into the church, and another 600 stood outside the church listening to the service broadcast over loudspeakers.
The pallbearers included his brother Albert, his former business associate Ted Rippon, and the former Essendon full-forward Ted Fordham. The mourners included Sir Maurice Nathan and Ralph Lane from the VFL, and Essendon footballers John Birt, Russell Blew, Jack Clarke, Ken Fraser, Geoff Leek, Greg Sewell, David Shaw, John Somerville, and John Williams.
His estate was sworn for probate at $280,270.
Read more about this topic: John Coleman (Australian Footballer)
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—Robert Louis Stevenson (1850–1894)