Long-time Baker resident Marjorie

Marjorie Sharp Coffman
Long-time Baker resident Marjorie (Marj) Coffman passed away peacefully on February 18, 2024. At 96 years old, she had announced that she was ready to leave, and get on to her next adventure. She was born on August 20, 1927, to Harold and Dorothy (Hill) Sharp, in Oklahoma City, OK.

She is predeceased by her parents, husband William (Bill) Coffman, brother Donal Sharp, daughter Shirley Jean Hess Breitwieser, and granddaughter Jenna Hess Wayland (Kevin). She leaves behind her brother Rick Sharp (Ruth Anne), son David Hess (Darby Honeyman), granddaughter Alia Breitwieser Goehr (Lorenzo), grandson Jeremiah Hess (Juanita), great grandchildren Gunnar and Llewellyn, Jenna’s husband Kevin Wayland, and great granddaughters Isla and Freida.

Marj met and married Fred D. Hess in 1945. They had two children, Shirley Jean and David. Marj met Vitvan, the founder of the School of the Natural Order (SNO), in 1948, and moved the family to the School’s Headquarters near San Marcos, CA, in 1953.

After her first marriage ended in 1961, Marj returned to Oklahoma City, where she reconnected with her high school sweetheart, Bill Coffman. They were married in 1962, and lived in Salt Lake City, UT. In 1970, they moved to Baker, NV, to be near the present Headquarters of the SNO.

Marj began teaching Grades 4-8 at a two-room school in Garrison, UT. In 1975, she and Bill bought a second home in Ely, NV, where Marj taught Grade 4. She also taught young students guitar lessons after school. Bill worked for Mt. Wheeler Power, where he was promoted to General Manager until his retirement.

In 1982, Marj was chosen by the School District to develop a curriculum for gifted children in Grades 4-6. “Those were the best years, because the children in those classes were so motivated and eager to learn”, she said. Those classes were also awarded the first computers in the White Pine School District.

Before and after retiring in 1990, Marj tirelessly worked at editing and preparing the literature of the School of the Natural Order for publication. Additionally, she served on the SNO Board, organized summer seminars, taught classes, cooked, and produced the School’s newsletter, Resonance.

She also became an avid quilter, with the Sagebrush Quilters, in Ely. As her grandmother had made quilts for each her children, Marj was inspired to make quilts for her son and grandchildren.

Her beloved husband, Bill, died in 2014.
Marj was known for her deep intelligence, her love of life-long learning, her feistiness, her ready laughter, and her pragmatism. She remained adamantly independent until the end, but was not shy about asking for assistance from her community when she needed it.

We wish to thank all her friends in Baker and beyond, for their kindness and support over the years, and we wish to thank the staff at Millard Care Home, in Delta, UT, for their heartfelt support, care and patience. We are incredibly grateful to all of you!

There will be a Celebration of Life for Marj on Saturday, June 22nd, 2024, at the Baker Hall, in Baker, Nevada, beginning at 1:00 PM. There will be an opportunity for guests to say a few words. Refreshments will follow.