Mary Lou Venrick

Mary Lou Strickland McCarthy Venrick Mary Lou Strickland McCarthy Venrick, 89, (December 30, 1925 to August 8, 2015) was born in Alamosa, CO to Maude and Ray Strickland and moved to Denver, CO to attend most of her schooling including South High School. Mary Lou was married to Joseph McCarthy in 1945 and lived in Denver CO and had four daughters. Joe McCarthy died in 1968 and she was united in marriage to Thomas Venrick, a long time friend in 1987 until Tom passed away in 1996. Mary Lou continued to live in their home in Denver CO until her death. She was an active volunteer for the Veteran's of Foreign Wars (VFW) that she and Tom were members. She enjoyed reading and her garden was in constant bloom. She was a life long democrat and was a volunteer election judge. Mary Lou was an avid Bronco fan and loved Peyton Manning. You would know it was Bronco Sunday by her apparel, from sweaters to earrings. She also looked forward to her trips to ""The Hill"" where she played the slots in Blackhawk. Mary Lou is survived by her daughter Lonnie Jones and her son-in-law Paul Jones of Littleton CO, her daughter Sandra (Sandee) J.M. Parsons of Denver CO, her daughter Cindi McCarthy-Williams and son-in-law Jim Williams also of Denver CO, and her daughter Kathryn K. McCarthy of Portland OR; and her three grandchildren, Lt. Col Derek Jones (active Army), Tia Wolkov (Denver CO) and Brendan Haymaker (Hawaii); and four great grandchildren Teagan, Cayden, Weston and Remy. In special recognition, the family would like to personally thank the constant efforts of Mary Lou's niece, Debra (Debbye) McCarthy who weekly came to help her with her needs around the house, yard, groceries as well as her personal appearance under the guise of, ""just doing her hair"". Debbye was more than family in all that she did for her for 45 years that provided Mary Lou the ongoing care and support to live all her days in her beloved house and enjoy her garden. Mary Lou lived a life full of surprises and challenges. The challenges included losing two husbands and a companion. Thus, she referred to herself as the ""black widow"", but stayed positive and up beat through it all. One of the surprises she received was being reunited with her first-born daughter she had relinquished to adoption. Through this relationship, she gained two more grandchildren and subsequently four great grand children. This was a gift to her and the family as she commented often how lucky she was that her daughter had searched and found her. Overall, she was grateful that all her daughters ""turned out well"". Mary Lou kept her spirits high and humor intact until the end. Porter's emergency room and ICU will never be the same after Mary Lou was there. All the nurses and doctors commented how extraordinarily lighthearted she was in spite of how gravely sick she was. She loved the attention she received from doctors and nurses, and humorously told them so! Once she was under 24/7 hospice care in her home, she remained appreciative of her caregivers. On August 20, 2015, there will be a interment at Fort Logan at 11am at staging area A and reception following at the Englewood VFW at 2680 W. Hampden Ave, Englewood, CO 80110 (303) 789-9733. Please join us to celebrate Mary Lou. In lieu of flowers, please make contributions to the Denver Hospice Center 501 S. Cherry St #700, Denver CO 80246; 303-321-2828.