Jean Halligan

Jean exemplified what it meant to be a Westerner. She was direct, honest to a fault, friendly but with a hint of shyness, and loved her native state, Colorado, along with it’s people, sunny days and wide-open vistas. Some of her most precious memories were the many summers she spent on her grandparent’s ranch in Hotchkiss, CO with her brother Bob and her cousins, going on wagon rides, jumping from the hay loft into a hay pile, and trying to catch all sorts of critters in the irrigation ditch. Later, Jean became passionate about raising pet birds and going to ice skating shows, particularly when it included her favorite skater, Nancy Kerrigan.

Throughout her life, Jean was a devout Christian who both lived and practiced her faith and read her bible daily, quoting passages when she felt it was needed.

Jean and her brother Bob were raised by their devoted mother, Helen Finney, who was a single parent. Jean was a graduate of South High, Denver and Western State College in Gunnison, CO. Jean taught first grade for a number of years at 6th Avenue Elementary in Aurora. She used to say that she didn’t know if her students would be mathematicians, but they would be good readers.

In the early 70’s, a fellow from the Boston area (Quincy, Mass) came into her life at a singles community, Village Green in SE Denver. It was love at first sight for him (Roger) but took some work and convincing for her to know this was to be her lifelong partner and husband. They have two wonderful sons, William Roger (born 1974) and David James (born 1977). With a new insurance job opportunity offer available for Roger within the Boston area in 1983, the family relocated. Although Jean enjoyed her New England family, in particular her mother-in-law, Helen Halligan, she pined for the West and particularly Colorado, and the family moved back in 1986. As fate would have it, within two years of returning, Jean would soon be devoting more time to her mother who was in declining health. Jean and the family enjoyed many vacations in Colorado such as Crested Butte, and the North Fork Valley in addition to trips to Hawaii, California, Santa Fe and New England including Cape Cod. Jean and Roger celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on July 15, 2022.

Jean passed away on December 24, 2022 due to a recent illness. Jean is survived by her loving husband, Roger; and her two supportive and loving sons, William and David of Centennial, CO; her brother Bob of Denver; and numerous cousins in CA, TX, FL and CO; and two brothers-in-law and a sister-in-law in MA and SC.

A funeral service for Jean will be held on Friday, January 13, 2023 at 11:00am at Horan & McConaty Funeral Home, 5303 E. County Line Road, Centennial, CO 80122 followed by a reception from 12:00 - 1:30pm. For those who cannot attend Jean's service, please join us virtually by clicking on the following link: https://event.forgetmenotceremonies.com/ceremony?c=64b759d9-7162-4e41-96ab-1f8cdf35a6a8

In lieu of flowers, donations in Jean’s memory may be made to the Denver Rescue Mission.

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