Fw: rainbow passage, a brother transformed

Another Rainbow Brother, Coleman Berry, has joined the Spirit in the Sky. Good journey, my brother. Quoted text below taken from agr@agr.welcomehome.org ------------------------------------------------------------------- Hi Rob, A dear friend of mine, Coleman Berry, was killed Thursday night while riding his scooter. I don't know who to contact from the Rainbow Family to make sure his Rainbow Family friends knew so I Googled The Rainbow Family and yours was the first name up. In the years I have known Coleman he has told me many stories but the one that resonates today is the role The Rainbow Family played in his life. Coleman had a rough childhood that left him with lifelong emotional scars. As a result of his past, he had become a wild sometimes violent young man. He told me that the Rainbow Family showed him that he did not have to be that man to be strong or to be happy. He learned at Rainbow gatherings that he could be gentle and kind, party and laugh,love all the people around him and be loved in return just by being himself. He wanted a different way of existing in the world and by example the Rainbow Family showed him the way. That was many years ago but right up until he died Coleman lived as a loving caring man who was the light of the parties he attended (and he attended A LOT of parties and festivals). He had so many beloved friends that he mentored and learned from. At most gathering he could be found either swing dancing with lovely goddesses or sitting in front of a fire talking until the sun came up with the friends he cherished so dearly. Coleman was the life of every party he attended. He built his home from an old school bus and made it so beautiful on the inside that the bus was once featured on HGTV. I don't know if there are anymembers of The Rainbow Family who still remember Coleman but I wanted to make sure I let someone know who could pass on this information. His memorial service which if Coleman's wishes are honored will end up being a big happy party will be Monday Oct 6, 2008 at 4pm at The Brahma Ridge Event center inCandler, NC. Thank you for your help, Hillary --------------------------------------------------- I found Coleman Berry's obituary and wanted to share it here. -------------------------------------------------- CITIZEN-TIMES.com: Obituaries Coleman Berry Candler – Coleman Scott Berry, 48, of Candler, N.C., passed at his home Thursday, October 2, 2008. Coleman lived in the Brahma Ridge community in his infamous yellow school bus and was a successful natural foods broker with Nature's Trading Company. Coleman was the former owner of The Bus Stops Here and Coleman's Burrito Palace and he was a major vendor at the Lake Eden Arts Festivals for several years. Coleman cared passionately about community and he dearly loved his family and friends. He was happiest at a festival or gathering, believing that the shared power, wisdom and grace found in the company of like-minded men and women was life's true treasure. He was a beloved co-founder of the Brahma Ridge Farm in Candler and a cherished member of The Brothers and Sisters of the Reunion. Coleman was the life force of any gathering and, as if endowed with a magnetic field, people were drawn to his charismatic energy. His resounding laugh will always echo in the hearts of those who loved him and throughout the canyons of the farm that was his home. Coleman was a Southern gentleman and lived according to his own hard-won code of being. He credited the Rainbow Family and the Grateful Dead for teaching him a different way of living and giving him the tools to become the man he wanted to be. Coleman lived fully in the moment and often said, talking badly about people bears no fruit. Coleman, who had his father's sparkling blue eyes and his mother's will and determination, was a role model, mentor and teacher to many generations of men and women. If you were lucky enough to have been a member of Coleman's extended family you knew that his loyalty, courage and love were unwavering. He leaves behind his sisters, Holly Berry, of Asheville and Poppy Berry, of Seagrove Beach, Fla.; and his father, E.W. Scotty Berry, of Poquoson, Va. There will be a memorial for Coleman Monday, October 6 at 4 p.m. at Brahma Ridge Farm in Candler. For directions please go to the website, www.brahmaridgefarm.com. An online registry is available at www.penlandandsonsfuneralhome.com Published: 2008-10-06