Marla Jill Ofstad

Marla Jill Ofstad of Arvada, CO passed away peacefully on May 20, 2022 after battling Dedifferentiated liposarcoma cancer for over two years. Marla was preceded in death in by her father, Milo, mother Florence (Effie), sister Sheila, and Effie’s second husband Jim Norris. Marla is survived by her husband Dave Showalter (Arvada, CO), and Dave’s daughters Kelly and Jessi, Dave’s grandchildren Madisen, Sadie, and Luke. Marla was well-loved and touched so many people, with dear friends everywhere, many of whom visited and reached out in Marla’s last days. Dave’s daughters called her their bonus mom and Marla was the glue in our family.

I had the great privilege of being Marla’s life partner, then husband for over 33 years, beginning with carbo loading a pasta dinner for a 20 mile running race on April fools ’89.

What I want you to know is how Marla lived. Marla’s cancer journey, battling a rare and aggressive cancer is emblematic of her incredible optimism, hope, and love for life and so many she touched on her remarkable life’s journey. She shrugged off the devastating diagnosis and faced the journey ahead with hope, humility, and resilience. Brutal chemotherapy took her hair, but could not touch her dignity, and Marla was hopeful every day of those difficult two plus years, coinciding with the global pandemic. As a couple, we faced the challenges together and laughed every day.

Marla and I had actually met in the summer of ’88 while running a race up Mount Blue Sky (Mt. Evans at the time) over 14,000 feet on the highest paved road in North America. I was quite enchanted by this beautiful, athletic, humble woman as we chatted side by side for miles; yet without cell phones, there was no way to exchange contacts and I wondered if I’d see her again… fortunately, I found Marla at a Pheidippides Running Club track workout the next spring, when our 33 year love affair began.

Marla was working in IT for United, then Covia, and had her own home in Littleton with a golden retriever named LeRoy and a spirited black lab named Duffy. We were running races from 5k’s to marathons, traveling around the west. We also skied, cycled, and hiked in those early days; then went backpacking in Wyoming’s Snowy Range, followed by Glacier National Park - and Marla was hooked, her wild spirit set free by wilderness. This would be our lifestyle for the decades to follow and she craved the adventure and solitude of backpacking. I would guess that Marla ran 40 marathons, migrating to all trail running. Marla was an incredible athlete, lithe, strong, a health nut and gourmet cook of all things plant based. Marla was also a loving daughter and sister, who gave tender end of life care to Milo, Sheila, and Effie in succession over the years. Marla earned her bachelor’s at Denver University, then put herself through a masters of Program Management degree, also at DU. With the masters degree, she was able to change her career path from IT to program management at Sprint, where she worked for 15 years until retirement.

As a couple, we developed a wanderlust, saving airline miles for big trips that turned into expeditions around the world - to Nepal, Peru, New Zealand, Mount Blanc, Norway, Kilimanjaro and more - Marla flowed over the mountains and was most at home on higher ground, nothing but earth and sky. She loved planning the trips and there’s a planned trip to Switzerland’s Matterhorn in a notebook on her desk as I write these words. Together, we climbed 45 of Colorado’s 14,000 foot peaks, many of them multiple times.

Marla was gifted generously and donated to a wide range of causes, all starting with animal welfare. If you approached her for a cause, she would joyfully respond. With so much cancer in her family, Marla was compelled to start an annual wine tasting for cancer party that ran for ten years straight, raising thousands of dollars for ACS cancer research. Marla also made it possible for Dave to go full-time as a conservation photographer, a gift that I’m incredibly grateful for to this day.

After Marla retired in early 2016, she began taking sacred journeys, solo trips for her soul, also volunteering for animal welfare in the U.S. and as far as Costa Rica. She backpacked solo in Montana, ran a trail marathon in Oregon, cycled up Mount Lemmon near Tucson… and we would often meet somewhere in the west, always a joyful reunion. Marla began an enlightenment journey with her dear friend Susan, meditating, hungry to learn, and finding a new path. Through this work, I watched Marla grow and blossom into her true self, exuding radiance; present, centered, and joyful. We grew as a couple too, developing a synchronicity and gratitude that felt so extraordinary, like we were in on a secret. We were just fine being together throughout the cancer journey and pandemic; a purity in knowing that we had one another, like two halves of the same person.

Marla gave and received love freely, touching so many people and lives on her journey through shared experiences, the wisdom, joy, and sincere caring that she gave to all of her relationships. She didn’t suffer fools, but if she loved you, you knew and felt it. I’ve never met anyone like this beautiful, joyful, kind, brilliant, generous, loving, athletic human being. As her husband, I loved saying “my wife Marla” with great pride - and I loved that she called me Wally. I am beyond grateful for all the love and life we shared. Marla taught me how to live.

Marla is of the mountains, sky, and rivers now. She is all things beautiful, wondrous and free. May Marla’s radiance live in all of those who knew and loved her.

In loving gratitude, Dave Showalter, Marla’s husband