Dorothy Mae Thunquest

Dorothy Mae Thunquest, age 59 of Windsor, CO, went to be with her Lord and Savior at home on March 27, 2023. She was born on May 25, 1963, in Seattle, WA, where she lived until her family moved to Antioch, CA when she was 14 years old, and she attended and graduated from Antioch High School in 1981. On June 2, 1984, she married John Sexton and they moved to San Jose, CA where they both took jobs with Hewlett Packard. John and Dorothy transferred to Fort Collins, CO in 1990, continuing to work for HP. John passed away on March 5, 2003. For companionship, three months later, Dorothy adopted two ragdoll cats, naming them Purryl Marie and Bella Mae. Her two cats became like her two children. Dorothy married Gary Thunquest on July 22, 2005, in Berthoud, CO where they lived, and she became a stepmother to Gary’s sons Jordan and Sean. In August 2005, Dorothy’s sister Lorie passed away and shortly thereafter her niece Samantha came to live with them. They moved to Windsor, CO in March 2008. Dorothy’s cat Bella Mae passed away from cancer in 2018 at the age of 15. Dorothy retired from HP as an executive assistant on March 31, 2020, with 35 years of service. She enjoyed 3 years of retirement. Dorothy was diagnosed with advanced stage 4 Pancreatic Cancer on January 27, 2023. After her first session of chemotherapy, Dorothy had to be hospitalized for 13 difficult days. When she came home, she made the decision to forego additional medical treatment and adopted the motto “Less hardship and more Heaven,” with one goal – to make it to Samantha’s wedding to Colby Vossler. Dorothy met her goal and attended the wedding on March 11, 2023, and at the reception was able to have one last dance with Gary. Dorothy passed away 16 days later. Purryl Marie, in failing health, was euthanized two days after Dorothy’s passing, 3 weeks shy of turning 20 years old. Dorothy enjoyed traveling to Europe, Asia, the Caribbean and to Hawaii 18 times, her favorite place, where she and Gary would spend their anniversary each year. She also enjoyed frequent snow skiing, hiking, and cycling trips with Gary and friends. Dorothy is survived by her husband Gary Thunquest, stepsons Jordan Thunquest and Sean Thunquest, mother, Carol Harper, sister Liz (Will) McKnight and brothers Michael Harper, Edward (Janet) Harper, Mathew (Jennifer) Harper and Jon Harper and many nieces, nephews and their children. Dorothy shared her abundant love with her family and friends, and with all cats and animals. Services will be held at Foundations Church in Loveland, CO on Thursday April 6th at 11 a.m., with a reception following. All her family and friends are invited to share in the celebration of Dorothy’s beautiful life! Special thanks to Pathways hospice service for their amazing care.