Mildred Jean Pinkelman

Mildred Jean (Fitzgerald) Pinkelman was born on Feb 24, 1926 in Omaha, NE, the daughter of Francis (Frank) Fitzgerald and the former Mildred Claire Dross. She never cared much for 'Mildred,' thinking it old fashioned, and preferred 'Jean' throughout her life. When she was a child, her parents moved to New York City after her father accepted a job at Columbia University. The family, which included younger brother Robert, lived in Queens until about 1940, when her mother returned to Omaha with the children after her divorce from Frank. Jean finished high school in Omaha and enrolled in the nursing school at Creighton University in Omaha, where she graduated in the class of 1949. She was working as a nurse in Omaha when she met Lyle Pinkelman, another Nebraska native who had returned to his home state after Army service at the end of WWII and college in Washington, DC. They were married on Oct. 20, 1951 at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Bellevue, NE. Their first child, Mary Kay, was born the following year in Omaha. In 1953, Lyle's company offered him a transfer to Denver, and the family moved there that summer. In addition to Mary, Jean had four sons, James, Robert, John and Joseph, all born in Denver. After a few years at home with her children, Jean returned to nursing, working at St. Anthony Hospital (Sloan's Lake location) and Beth Israel (later closed), and finally at Charm Acres Nursing Home in Lakewood. She stopped working in 1991, along with Lyle, and they spent the next few years in happy retirement in Lakewood, CO. Jean sang in the choir at St. Bernadette and helped care for Lyle as he began experiencing health issues. After his death in December 2002, she accepted an invitation from youngest son Joe to live with him and his family in San Pedro, CA. She spent the rest of her life in Southern California. Jean was a devoted wife, a caring and loving mother, and an outstanding nurse. She enjoyed reading, singing and watching movies (Tyrone Power was her favorite actor, and 'The Magnificent Seven' her favorite film). She also became a fan of the Colorado Avalanche hockey team. Jean and Lyle were parishioners at St. Bernadette from 1956 until his death and her move to California in summer 2003. She attended Mass regularly, prayed the rosary daily and, in her final years, often could be heard reciting the wonderful Catholic prayer, ""O Sacrament most Holy, O Sacrament Divine, all praise and all thanksgiving, be every moment thine."" Her family and her friends will miss her terribly, but we are comforted knowing that she had a long, happy and blessed life and that she is now at peace, reunited with her beloved husband and ready to begin eternal life with our Lord in heaven. May God bless our mother and look after her.