Sally Vanwelden

Sally Ellis VanWelden, 74, lost her courageous battle with cancer Monday, February 21, 2022. Sally passed peacefully in the presence of her loving husband, daughter and family priest after a courageous battle with cancer.  Sally was born in Deadwood, South Dakota and was the daughter of Ken Ellis and Maryellen Ellis.  She grew up as one of five siblings.  After graduating from high school, she moved to Colorado to attend and graduate from what was known at that time as Colorado State College.  She then met and married her husband, Buzz, in 1970 after a short nine month courtship and they have been in love ever since.  Their only daughter, Amanda, was born in 1974 and currently resides in Massachusetts with her husband and three children.

Sally taught in Mapleton public schools for over 30 years before she then moved into a mentor leadership position supporting new teachers at all levels.  She did that until she retired in 2007.  Sally loved teaching and gave herself to each and every student she taught.  She continued in retirement by volunteering to read and do story time at local home daycares.  Her close Western Hills friends still gather once a month to have lunch and catch up on each other’s lives.

She loved her church, Good Shepherd, and its members dearly.  Faith and her community filled her heart.  It was her home away from home and gave her great fulfillment.  She served in many capacities: Vestry, Altar Guild Chairperson, Lector, Sunday School and co-chairing the annual Pumpkin Patch.  Her Faith Club was very important to her as were the friendships she had within it.

Sally loved to travel, read, bike, hike and cook.  Her true passions were her friends, family and her grandchildren.  Sally and Buzz spent time with a group of friends hiking and biking through different parts of Colorado over the last 30 years.  Those friendships and the wonderful times they spent together were some of their best memories.  Sally’s siblings would get together annually for sibling reunions and in recent years would Zoom at least once a month.  Sally’s three grandchildren filled her heart with love.  She was an amazing “Grammie” who would play on the floor with them, be their biggest cheerleader, listen to their heartaches and sprinkle “fairy dust” on them at bed time.

Sally was the beloved wife of Carl “Buzz” VanWelden of Centennial.  She was the mother of Amanda Sullivan and her husband, Bill Sullivan of North Andover Massachusetts.  She is survived by her precious grandchildren, Ryan, Kenna and Emily.  She leaves behind her siblings, Nancy, David, Julie and Laurie and many loving nieces and nephews who were very close in her heart.

A service will be this Sunday, February 27th at 2:00pm at Good Shepherd Episcopal Church in Centennial, Colorado.  A celebration will occur immediately after at the church.  All who loved her are welcome to attend.  In lieu of flowers, the family invites you to donate to her beloved church, Good Shepherd https://gshep.org/ or the American Cancer Society.