Lee Ona Coleman-Reising

The family of Lee Ona Coleman-Reising is devastated by the news of her death on Monday May 1 9, 2025 at Methodist Hospital Southlake Campus from a heart attack.

Lee (née Brown) was a wonderful and vivacious person who considered everyone she met a friend. Born in Rochester, NY, Lee always joked that she was a HIGH class hill-billy. Raised in Burns Harbor, IN, one of 7 children, it was an economic struggle for Lee to get through high school much less college. Lee graduated from Portage High School (1965) and then went on to college. After high school Lee went out on her own getting an apartment in downtown Gary in the Tivoli Theater building. She had many jobs, but she kept her eye on college knowing she needed a degree to be where she wanted to be.

She received degrees from American Academy of Art, South Suburban College, and Ivy Tech Community College and also went on to study in France. In 1968 she met Greg Reising at a young Democrats meeting and a life-time friendship began. They kept in touch with each other for years, helping each other out with mutual support and caring.

After years of friendship, she and Greg got married on Nov. 1 1 , 2023. Their years of knowing each other and friendship made them a couple that one would think that they'd been married for years. They would spend hours talking to each other and Greg often called Lee his gift in his old age.

A lifetime sufferer of asthma, Lee was hospitalized for what she thought was a very bad asthma attack. But in fact, it proved to be a heart attack. After weeks of preparation in the hospital, the doctor's thought they had it under control and scheduled surgery for stents to be placed in her heart. She and Greg talked about the things they would do when she got out of the hospital, but that evening her heart gave out and she passed away. Right up to the end, Lee was happy and joking with everyone that came into her room. However, it was not to be and her life slipped away.

Lee is survived by her daughter Amanda Lee Coleman of Lafayette, Indiana, and her husband Gregory Reising of Gary, Indiana and by extension, his six adult children, Christopher Reising (Dianna) of Bloomington, Indiana, Daniel Reising (Signe Olson), of

Portland, Oregon, Adele Reising (Alex Dale) of New York, New York, Thomas Reising of Villa

Park, Illinois, Carl Lindskog (Maria) and Stacy Lindskog of Gary, Indiana . She is also

survived by four siblings: Joan Zugel of Chesterton, Indiana, Ronnald Brown, of South Carolina, Deanna Brown, of Chesterton, Indiana and Toni Brown, of Crocker. She was preceded in death by her mother, Barbara Brown (née Hamlin), brother Richard Lynn Brown, and her sister Rebecca Sue Brown Lloyd.

Lee told everyone that for her Celebration of Life, she wanted a party, so there will be one at The Aquatorium (6918 Oak Ave, Gary, IN) on Sunday, June 1 5th at 3pm, hors d'oeuvres by Chef Carl. She hopes everyone will have a good time and remembers her fondly.

If anybody ever celebrated life it was Lee.

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