Remembrance of the Life of Marcia Kaldenhoven CoL

Loretto Co-member Marcia Coleman Kaldenhoven of Heemstede, the Netherlands, was Sister Jean Martin Coleman for eight years and then transferred her vowed membership to Loretto co-membership. She died Aug. 29 in a nursing facility in Heemstede, with her dear husband, Joop, by her side. She was 78 and in the 58th year of her life as Loretto.

Joop wrote movingly of her declining few years: “During this whole process [of having Alzheimer’s disease], Marcia was strong and determined not to give in. Marcia was the best wife, mother, grandmother, sister and friend we could wish for, and we will miss her dearly. We are grateful for the time we spent together.”

Marcia’s parents were Percy Coleman and Vivian Conti Coleman of Vicksburg, Miss. She went to elementary school at St. Francis Xavier Academy in Vicksburg and high school at St. Agnes Academy in Memphis, Tenn. Marcia entered Loretto in 1962 after two years at Webster College (now University), and returned to Webster after first vows to complete a degree in theater arts in 1967.

She taught at Loretto in Kansas City, Mo., for two years then volunteered for the Loretto mission in Santiago, Chile, with an international team in the “poblacion” (“population”) Jose Maria Carol doing parish work and volunteer health work. In 1972 she changed her Loretto commitment to co-membership and married Joop, a fellow missionary.

Under attack by the repressive regime in Chile, the couple relocated to Holland where they raised their two children, Carolien and Michael. On the Loretto bio poster for Marcia, Eleanor Craig SL wrote, “Both Marcia and Joop continued their care and concern about Latin America. When their children reached school age, Marcia worked in various commercial positions and supported Joop’s work in diocesan missions, building relationships with South American and other third-world nations, including Pakistan, where Holland has a long history. Through Marcia, Nasreen Daniel SL learned about Loretto and was encouraged to transfer to Loretto from her Pakistani religious community. Marcia and Joop have frequently opened their house and their arms to many Loretto travelers.”

Many of us remember Marcia’s gracious hosting as well as her work with women’s groups. Along with her husband, Joop, we are grateful for her life among us.