Jessica Anne Gregory

Our ray of sunshine, Jessica Anne Gregory of Aurora, CO passed away at the age of 36 after a brief illness on March 22, 2024. She is survived by her Nana, Anne O’Connor, Parents, Jim Gregory, Kathleen (O’Connor) Germeroth and Gary Germeroth, sister Kaitlin Gregory and brothers Zachary and Rory Germeroth. Jessica is also survived by Dozer, her bulldog son, 11 loving first cousins and a wealth of family, friends, teachers and students who were lucky enough to have crossed paths with the light of our life.

Jessie’s journey through life was a true full circle, she was born and left this world at the same hospital. The 36 years within the circle were filled with dancing, laughter, trips to the beach, music, bulldogs, the Broncos & Rockies and endless memories. Jess had an infectious smile and loved very deeply.

Jessie was the oldest child in her immediate families. She took this role very seriously and always tried to be a leader of the crew. Jessie would never shy away from moving one of her wayward siblings, cousins or friends back into the place she had intended for them. From a very young age, Jessie could captivate you with her beautiful eyes and smile, while at the same time be casually pilfering a baby doll away from her little sister Katie. Like all siblings, Katie and Jessie had their moments of discontent, but it was generated from a deep forever love.

Jessie loved to read, beginning with books like Goodnight Moon and ending with hardcover two-inch thick tomes. No e-books though, Jessie believed in the sturdiness and feel of a good hardcover to convey the story.

As Jessie grew into her early years in high school, she made her first move to independence – living in the basement. As with most kids, this event triggered some good or not so good moments, and the eventual ploy of her mom using Jessie’s ten-year younger brother Rory as the basement spy/espionage agent to make sure nothing untoward was going on in the basement. We are still trying to figure out if this led Rory to getting a degree in criminal justice.

Jessie graduated from Legacy High School in Broomfield, CO in 2005 and graduated Magna Cum Laude from Colorado State University in 2010 with a degree in Social Work. Over time, Jessie migrated to a calling that she loved – she became a teacher at a Pre-K school. Her approach to every child was the same, she treated them as her own and cared deeply about them even after they graduated. For Jessie, the greatest ache and challenge came from watching her students graduate, even while knowing that it was the progression of life. One of Jessie’s greatest joys was the pride she had in all of her kids and the friends she made with her fellow teachers.   

With all of the great assets that Jessie had, like all people there were a few challenges. A couple of examples - remembering specific dates like birthdays, remembering account passwords and computer technology in general was not a strong suit for her. To help with these issues and countless others, Jessie relied on her brother Zach to be her rock and source of information. Jessie trusted Zach with her soul, no matter what the situation.

One of the constants in Jessie’s life was her belief in her family. She loved being part of an extended group of cousins who enjoyed having fun, sharing stories, swapping life lessons and being together.

For all of us who had the honor to know Jessie, her magnetic personality and glowing smile will remain.

If you wish to make a donation in memory of Jessie, please consider either the National Alliance on Mental Illness (www.nami.org) or to classroom supplies for the students at Merryhill  https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/U0NFCR2VHSG6/ref=hz_ls_biz_ex

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A visitation will be held at on April 3, 2024 from 5:00 – 7:00pm with a service and reception the following day at 11am, both held at Horan & McConaty (County Line Road location).