Mary Haddon

Mary Denise Haddon (nee McCarty) passed away on November 08th, 2022 after a short but powerful battle with cancer.

Born June 17th, 1948, she was raised in Glenview, IL before moving to Denver to attend Loretto Heights College in 1966. There she met her husband, Timothy Haddon, a student at the Colorado School of Mines. After both graduated in 1970 Mary worked in Washington D.C. as an administrative assistant before emigrating to Australia to marry Tim on February 26th, 1971.

What followed was an adventurous life as Mary spent her newlywed years in a mining camp in Western Australia before moving homes frequently between the USA and Australia in support of Tim's career advancement. She gave birth in 1973 to Michael (married to Christin) and in 1976 to Jennifer (married to Brennan). Mary and Tim travelled extensively, both for work and pleasure, eventually exploring all 7 continents.

Mary's proudest professional achievement came from her involvement with Rocky Mountain Honor Flight, a non-profit organization dedicated to honoring World War II veterans for their sacrifice and service. She joined as a volunteer in 2007, before being appointed President in 2008. For over 14 years she passionately campaigned to raise funds and awareness, devoting time and resources to organize 41 trips flying veterans to Washington D.C. to see memorials in their honor, serving more than 1200 former service members. Her organizational skills in planning trips led to Rocky Mountain Honor Flight becoming a gold standard in the Honor Flight network, with her itinerary used to train other regional networks in how to create memorable experiences. For all her efforts Mary received numerous national and local service awards and recognitions, all of which she tried to downplay in order to refocus the spotlight on "her veterans".

A devoted and supporting wife and mother, a loyal friend, a lifelong student of history, a fierce champion of honoring veterans, a philanthropist, and the immensely proud grandmother of Margaret, Timothy and Abigail, Mary was 74 years old.

A Celebration of her life will be held Saturday, December 17, 2022, 11am, Horan & McConaty Family Chapel, 3101 S. Wadsworth Blvd., Lakewood, Colorado.  Please email MDHMemorial@hotmail.com if you would like to be updated when details are available.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the charity of your choice.