Marjorie Jean Boehner

Marjorie (Marge) Jean Boehner, 77, of Ft Collins, died on Wednesday, October 23, 2024, from Parkinson’s dementia. Marge was born on May 8, 1947 to Henry Joseph (Joe) Boehner and Mary Elizabeth Boehner (née McCarthy). The second of four children, she was raised with older brother Jim and younger brothers Dick and Jack in Trenton, Missouri. The siblings were close and Marge played with, and taught her younger brothers many things, but they were not allowed to touch her treasured ceramic horse collection! Following in her father’s footsteps, Marge was a varsity cheerleader and graduated from Trenton HS in 1965. Marge met Daniel Thornton Griffith at Missouri University. They married in 1968, she quit college and they moved to Korea, where Dan was stationed. Eventually moving to Colorado, they settled in Fort Collins, where she lived the rest of her years. They had two children, April (1977) and Joe (1980). Marge had a diverse working life. She had a short stint in the entomology dept at Kansas State University. In Colorado she was a potter, before opening a small business called Mother’s Market. After she and Dan divorced, she juggled life as a single parent and decided to go back to school. She earned a degree and in 1991, Marge and her children moved across the country for nine months while she completed her Masters of Social Work at Boston University. Once back in Ft Collins Marge worked as a counselor. In 1993, mutual friends introduced Marge to Richard (Dick) Osborne and they were married shortly after. Dick brought three children to the marriage, all of whom were college-age or older. Marge took an early retirement so she could spend time and travel with Dick. She stayed involved with volunteer work, helping with the Foothills Unitarian Church rummage sale for many years, getting involved during elections and volunteering at the food bank. As Marge’s Parkinson’s progressed she continued to live at home with the support of Dick and her son Joe until she moved to Aspens Memory Care in 2023. Marge always enjoyed music and singing, and was part of the Silvertones choir group for a time. She was an avid and canny garage-saler, and a thrift store connoisseur. Marge was a talented seamstress, often altering clothing she picked up second-hand and making the odd dress or costume for her children and grandchildren. An early adopter of personal computers, starting with the first Macintosh she was a fan of Apple products for the rest of her life and was often complimented on her tech skills. Marge honed her gardening skills under Dick’s tutelage and the warm months were spent tending their extensive garden. In the evenings they enjoyed the fruits of their labor, sipping gin and tonic by their small pond and throwing a ball for the dog. Before Parkinson’s got in the way, Marge and Dick traveled extensively, exploring Canada, Europe and Costa Rica, sometimes with bikes in tow. They also made a trip to China and multiple trips to New Zealand to visit their children’s families. Marge is survived by her brothers Jack and Dick Boehner, children April Bedford and Joe Griffith, step-children Kendra Bridges, Eric and Tim Osborne, and grandchildren Zoe, Jessica, Dyson, Oscar, Conner and Crow. A casual celebration of life will be held at the River Rock Common House on Friday, November 1, 12:30-2:30. Light refreshments will be provided. If you would like to attend, contact April at 1aprilsb1@gmail.com for information and directions. In lieu of flowers, if you would like to honor Marge please consider donating to Parkinson’s research. https://www.parkinson.org/

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Marjorie Jean Boehner

May 8, 1947 - October 23, 2024