Coleman Wyatt Day

He was my Angel. I called him Angel so much, that people began to think this was his name. He was with me at my shop in Marietta square almost every day. He loved to bring a stack of books for me to read for him. We would listen to music all day. We liked the Grateful Dead, Dave Matthews, The Allman Brothers Band, and later on Witt Lowry, and Comedy.

Cole was a baptized member of the Greek Orthodox Christian Church. He attended Sunday School, and then church for years.

Coleman had some challenges early on. He was smart and serious, but he had selective mutism (not traumatic mutism). He could not talk to people except our immediate family for years. He loved to play with real vacuum cleaners with his Aunt Martha, his Grandmother and his Great Grandmother, It helped break the ice of his severe anxiety. His pre-school at Annunciation Day School helped a little. Kindergarten was a better fit and he would participate more.

He went to Lewis Elementary in Kennesaw for elementary school. He tried to help children who would get in trouble a lot by writing them notes to acknowledge how they must feel. He was also diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder and severe anxiety.

Cole studied the violin in private lessons with a dear friend in her home. He liked her and learned to read music. This helped him when he found a private saxophone teacher, Zak, a little later. They hit it off well! Cole excelled in the McLure Middle School Band. The were great!

When Cole was in Allatoona High School he continued with their top band.

One of his biggest challenges began on March 25, 2015. I was going to pick him up after school. I realized I was getting sick quickly. He drove me to urgent care. The doctor took one look at me and did a blood test which revealed a dangerous blood cancer. I had to be pulled out of the lives of Cole, age 15, and his brother Chris, age 12. My husband cared for us for a very long time. A few years into this situation, some of Cole's friends took over the basement, where the drug abuse began. The ADD, Anxiety, and very little supervision played into this situation. He would bravely tell about his addiction and try to help other in recovery. There were a few brief relapses which took him back almost to square one.

He finally became clean for five years, during which time he lost many friends to overdose. He tried his best to educate people about the peril of fentanyl. Cole gave Narcan nasal spray to everyone. Narcan can reverse an overdose. One cannot use it on oneself if they are at the point of death, We must be aware. Illegal fentanyl is in almost every narcotic in deathly doses. I lost my son to an unnecessary accidental overdose.

Cole had many interests in his brief lifetime. He loved fishing, and he was quite good at it! He loved cars, trains, and NASCAR races. We attended Braves games as a family. Animals trusted him and he was loving and gentle with them. Cole went through the Cub Scout Program earning his Arrow of light, He became a Boy Scout enjoying primitive camping, hiking mountains, canoeing and kayaking. We traveled together to Oklahoma City, Disneyworld, Washington D.C., New York City and Brooklyn. He loved visiting relatives in the mountains of Southwestern Virginia, Tennessee, and North Carolina. Cole loved our trips to the Outer Banks with his grandparents. We traveled to England, Scotland, and France. Notre Dame Cathedral was his happy place.

He passed on the hottest day of the year.

A visitation for Cole will be held Sunday, July 20, 2025 from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM at Winkenhofer Pine Ridge Funeral Home, 2950 North Cobb Pkwy, Kennesaw, GA 30152. A second visitation will occur Monday, July 21, 2025 from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM at Greek Orthodox Church of Atlanta, 2500 Clairmont Rd, Atlanta, GA 30329, with the funeral service to follow. The committal service will occur Monday, July 21, 2025 at Pine Ridge Memorial Park, 2950 Cobb Parkway North, Kennesaw, Georgia 30152. A luncheon will take place following the interment in the Reception Cottage at Winkenhofer Pine Ridge Funeral Home & Cemetery.