Harwell Coleman was born on June 10, 1938, in Kountze, Texas. He was the second child born to the union of Reverend Evelt Alonzo Coleman and Mary Elizabeth Frazier Coleman and spent his childhood primarily in the Texas towns of Kountze, Marshall, and Atlanta. He accepted Christ early in life, and the practice of his faith was a constant throughout his life.

He was a proud member of the Class of 1956 at Pemberton High School in Marshall, Texas. After high school, Harwell continued his education at Langston University in Oklahoma on a football scholarship. While at Langston, he was the captain of the Langston Lion football team. He was a member of the 1959 championship team at Langston. He graduated from Langston with a Bachelor of Science in Physical Education. Harwell later received his Masters in History with a minor in Earth Science from East Texas State University.

Harwell began his career in public education as a high school teacher and coach in at Central High School in Jefferson, Texas. He later went on to work as a coach and teacher at Booker T. Washington High School (Atlanta, Texas), Marshall High School, and Pemberton High School (Marshall, Texas). After working at Pemberton High School, he worked as the Dean of Men at Jarvis Christian College.

In the early 1970s, Harwell moved to Dallas, Texas, and began working in Dallas Independent School District. He worked as a high school coach and teacher at Skyline High School. He eventually began working as a home school coordinator in the school district. In this position, he worked to build a better partnership between schools and families. Harwell worked to train teachers on how to effectively work with parents on their campus, and he worked to support and train parents to work with their children at home. During this time, he also made a lasting impact on the students in the learning centers located in DISD, where he was known as everyone's papa on different campuses. He truly enjoyed his work to build a stronger connection between schools and families and served in this role for over 20 years. Additionally, he worked as a timekeeper for athletic events at Forester stadium for 25 years. Harwell would retire in 2004 after 42 years in public education.

Harwell truly cherished the simple things in life. He loved participating in monthly lunches, class meetings, and the annual Christmas party with his Pemberton High School classmates. He also enjoyed spending time making sure he had the best yard on Lake Placid. He spent countless hours trimming bushes, raking leaves, and mowing the grass. Above all, his most cherished time was when he had the opportunity to enjoy the company of his family.

Harwell was preceded in death by his parents and four siblings. He leaves to cherish his memory his brothers Marvin Coleman and Donald Coleman (Lula); two sisters Mary Adams and Shirley Simon; one daughter Porcha Coleman Hogan (Hogan); two sons Victor Sasser and Glynn Sasser; three granddaughters Kendra Hayes (Albert), Toni B., and Kimberly Smith (Christian); two great-grandsons Jackson Smith and Hendrix Smith and a host of nieces, nephews, extended family, and friends.