Robert D. “Bob” Coleman

Robert D. “Bob” Coleman, 72, died Friday, Aug. 11, 2017, following a six year battle with cancer. He is survived by his wife, Gayle; daughters, Jenny and Sara; son, Jon; granddaughter, Cecilia; brother, Tom; sister, Janice; as well as other family members and close friends.

Born and raised in Summerdale, Pa., the son of Robert and Gladys Coleman, he had a lifelong fondness for Summerdale, and even went so far as to name his company after the hometown he loved. In his early years, Bob participated in the Boy Scouts and worked at various jobs including a summer selling Bibles door to door. After graduating from East Pennsboro High, Bob got his undergraduate degree at Oklahoma Christian College and went on to get advanced degrees at the University of Oklahoma and the University of Texas Medical School at Houston. Bob went on to do postdoctoral work at Penn State Medical School and in Marburg, Germany. He and Gayle met while he was working at Cornell University and they were married in 1982, in Hershey, Pa.

Bob spent years working for different companies as a scientist before striking out on his own and establishing Summerdale Inc. He went on to develop a number of highly successful products and built friendships with his business colleagues.

Bob was a passionate runner all of his life. He maintained an unbroken running streak for decades save for a brief hospitalization that prevented him from running for a few days. He completed 42 marathons, including two Boston Marathons and other races. Running was his passion and pride his entire adult life, completing his final race, the Crazy Legs Classic on April 29, 2017. Bob worked to maintain an active and healthy lifestyle with regular trips to the local YMCA and a constant appetite for kale and herbs. Despite putting up a valiant effort, cancer finally took Bob.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Sarcoma Foundation of America.