Maren Jill Coffman

A radiant mother, wife, daughter, sister, friend, professor, traveler, and resident of Tega Cay, SC, had her time on this earth cut short.

Dr. Maren J. Coffman was the wife of and survived by the incredibly lucky (she wanted me to write that) Brett Coffman, and the loving mother of four amazing children: Amanda Coffman, Courtnie Coffman, Zachary Coffman, and Kameron Coffman, who she will always love and adore.

Maren grew up in Sandy, Utah as the middle of five children. Early in life she spent 18 months in Venezuela where she learned about Latin American culture and became fluent in Spanish. She later earned a B.S. in Nursing from Weber State University, M.S. in Nursing from Syracuse University, and a Ph.D. in Nursing from the University of Connecticut. Not only did she excel in the classroom, but she also spent years helping patients in their homes as a home health nurse and then became a university professor at the University of North Carolina – Charlotte. There she gained tenure, led Latin America study abroad programs, worked with teams to obtain grants, conducted research, built bridges between academia and the public health department, published in top journals, and made a difference in the lives of numerous students.

She had many interests and talents that she pursued passionately, often inspiring those around her to pursue them as well. She was a master chocolatier trained in France, spent many years as a Camp Nurse at Camp Thunderbird, and was a gifted potter.

Maren is survived by her parents Arlyn and Judy Anderson (Sandy, UT), brother Lance Anderson and his wife Angie (Draper, UT), sister Tammy Lundquist (Kaysville, UT), brother Alan Anderson and his wife Kim (Sandy, UT), and brother James Anderson and his wife Brandy (Coeur d’Alene, ID).

The family would like to thank the countless nurses, doctors and support staff that lovingly cared for her. And we would like to extend a very special thank you to Dr. Arielle Heeke, Maren’s oncologist and trusted friend. The family would also like to thank the extensive and highly capable network of family and friends for the countless acts of kindness and love shown to us all in so many ways.

There is a “Celebration of Maren’s Life” service on Wednesday October 8th from 6-7:30 at Palmetto Funeral Home in Fort Mill, SC.

In lieu of flowers, please direct donations to Maren’s scholarship fund for UNCC Nursing Students. https://give.charlotte.edu/ascendportal/s/give . After selecting the gift amount under Designations click "Show More+" A box will pop up and search for the Maren J. Coffman Doctoral Nursing Education Scholarship.