Paul Coleman, Maryhaven leader for a quarter century, remembered for 'warm heart'

Like many in the mental health and addiction recovery field, Paul Coleman was committed to his calling, eager to speak to strangers and always willing to field tough questions thoughtfully and passionately, those who knew him say.

That, and Coleman's own experience as an alcoholic, helps explain how he for so long led central Ohio's lead agency for treating drug and alcohol addiction.

Coleman, 79, died March 11 of heart failure, just weeks after his wife, Deborah Dye Coleman, died. They were married 54 years.

"Paul was a great leader. A visionary with a warm heart," said Angela Stewart, Maryhaven's vice president of human resources, who worked with Coleman for 10 years before he retired in 2006. "He was wise. He never reacted. He always thought things through thoroughly."

Coleman grew up in Bexley, attending St. Thomas the Apostle and Bishop Hartley High School, where he was a member of the first graduating class in 1961. He received a bachelors degree in English from the Ohio State University and a law degree there in 1968.

Prior to taking the helm at Maryhave in 1991, he was legal counsel for the Franklin County Welfare Department, assistant director of the Ohio Department of Public Welfare and was appointed director of the Governor’s Office of Recovery Services, along with board positions and task force roles. While in private practice, he represented pro bono the community’s first homeless shelter.

Under his leadership, Maryhaven reached some 9,000 patients annually and employed more than 500 people as a drug and alcohol addiction recovery and behavioral health services provider. He was known as a strong advocate for alcoholics and addicts.

An editorial in The Dispatch when he retired called him "a genial and unassuming man, an articulate attorney — and a recovering alcoholic."

In a Dispatch story when he retired Coleman said that his recovery "helped me better understand the challenge and courage of our patients."

Those who knew him best agree.

"I think that his recovery was his motivating factor for coming into this field and running Maryhaven for so many years," said James Alexander, program director for Southeast Healthcare's emergency crisis response team. Alexander began his career in 1999 at Maryhaven, where he started an engagement center.

"His commitment was contagious. What I so admired was that he never refused a patient's phone call. Never," Alexander said of Coleman. "He was never too busy, and to then follow up to ask a staff member, 'What are we doing for this patient?' He did it every day."

Alexander recalled Coleman saying "that his job was easy. To hire good people and get out of their way."

Coleman is survived by his three children Paul (Colleen), Elizabeth Toledo (Holbart), Miriam Chang (Edward) and seven grandchildren.

Calling hours will be March 24 from 10 to 11 a.m. in the vestibule of Christ the King Catholic Church, 2777 E. Livingston Ave., where a Mass of Christian burial will follow. Burial will be at St. Joseph Cemetery. Arrangements are being handled by Egan-Ryan Funeral Home.

dnarciso@dispatch.com

@DeanNarciso

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Paul Coleman, former CEO of Maryhaven, dies at age 79