Obituary of Mary E. Baldwin

Mary E. Baldwin, 91, of Iowa City, died Friday, June 6, 2014, at Solon Nursing Care Center in Solon, IA. Funeral services will be held at 3:00 p.m., Monday, June 9, 2014, at Gay & Ciha Funeral and Cremation Service in Iowa City, with burial to follow at Oakland Cemetery. Mary Elizabeth was born on Oct. 5, 1922 in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. to William F. Coggins and Catherine (Rogan) Coggins. She was a graduate of Jenkins Township High School, Jenkins Township, Pennsylvania, and the business courses she took after High School prepared her for civil service work. She was proud of her position as secretary in the Pentagon in Washington D. C. at the end of WW II. She met her husband Don M. Baldwin while ice skating in Chevy Chase, Maryland. Don always liked to say he fell at her feet. They married on March 27, 1948 in Raleigh, N. C. and were married for 65 years, until Don's death on October 21, 2013. Don's job took the family from coast to coast, including Michigan, Maryland, New Jersey, Illinois, California and Georgia, and with each move Mary created a lovely home. She was an excellent baker, especially of pies. The longest Mary lived in any one place was in Medford, New Jersey, where she was an active member of St. Mary's Parrish. Mary loved to play piano and bridge, and she participated in multiple book clubs. Her strong sense of aesthetics informed all aspects of her life. Her love of color and her spirit were reflected in her watercolor paintings, for which she won several awards, including a First Place in a juried show. She took art classes in Midland, Michigan, San Mateo, California, Salisbury, Maryland and in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She was keenly observant and fiercely individualistic. She loved to ice skate, play tennis and swim. Many happy memories revolve around the ocean on both coasts. Mary was known to keep beach chairs in the trunk of the car and a bag of beach towels by the back door. Mary was preceded in death by her parents William and Catherine Coggins, her husband, Don, her brother, John Coggins, and her great nephew, Anthony Coccia. She is survived by her children: Kathryn Robinson (Michael Robinson) of Winter Park, Florida, Don F. Baldwin (Marge Baldwin) of Coffee Creek, Montana, Mara Lewis (Vivian Opelt) of Dublin, Ohio, Tama Baldwin (John Mann) of Iowa City, Iowa, and Jenifer Baldwin (Eric Jeitner) of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She is also survived by grandchildren: Sean Robinson (Rachel Robinson) of San Diego, California and Justin Robinson of Chicago, Illinois. Mary will be missed by her family and by her friends, including her neighbors at Melrose Meadows In Iowa City. The family is especially thankful to the staff at Melrose Meadows, Solon Care Center and Iowa City Hospice for their loving dedication and diligent care.