Mary Evelyn Dunnington

Mary Evelyn Kinnison Dunnington was born on May 27, 1944 to Homer and Lois Jean Kinnison and passed away at home on October 15, 2021 after courageously battling cancer for almost four years.

Mary was named after her paternal grandmother and her paternal aunt, two special people in her father's life. She grew up on a dairy farm outside of Mt. Moriah, near Bethany, Missouri. Her very first paying job was driving a farm truck for a neighbor. She grew up with three siblings, an older brother Larry John and two younger sisters Noma Rosella and Cathy Theresa. LJ, Rose and Mary had adventures on the farm and helped take care of baby sister Cathy.

After graduating from Mt. Moriah High School, Mary took classes at the teachers college in Maryville, MO and then moved to Kansas City where she met her future husband of 57 years, Kenneth Franklin Dunnington, on a blind date. They married on July 5, 1964. Through the years, they made their home in Biloxi, MS; Hastings, NE; Houston, Beaumont and Vidor, TX; Kansas City, MO; Colwich, KS; Aurora, CO and finally in Ft. Collins, CO.

It was while living in Colwich, KS that Mary trained in an orthodontist office in Wichita as an assistant, making a career in that profession and retiring in Aurora in June, 2008. She loved working with her young patients, and also worked with young people as an instructor at Loveland Ski Area.

Mary and Ken had two children, Lisa Renee (Anthony Horsch) of Ankeny, IA and Kenneth Edward (Susanna Allen) of Ft. Collins, CO and six beloved grandchildren, Lauren & Ryan Horsch, and Alistair, Thomas, Natasha & Arabella Dunnington. Mary was a loving mother and grandmother who always attended ball games, concerts, plays and dance recitals for her children and grandchildren. She encouraged reading, intellectual pursuits and following personal passions in all of us.

One of Mary's passions was archeology, and she attended many events with the Crow Canyon Archaeological Center. On one of her adventures to Pueblo country, she discovered an intact, newly unearthed pot that was estimated to be 1000 years old, which now resides in the Hopi Cultural Center on Second Mesa in Arizona.

Mary's other passions included art, music, travel and outdoor activities. She loved making things like ceramics, basket weaving and scrapbooking and supporting the arts through volunteering for the Loveland High Plains Arts Council, Loveland, CO and by collecting bronze sculptor pieces, pottery and paintings. She enjoyed theater, and was particularly fond of Wenton Marsalis, looking forward to his concerts when he came to this area. After retirement, she kept busy in Ft. Collins by helping with the Harmony Library used book store, volunteering at The Gardens on Spring Creek and in the acquisition room of the Ft. Collins Museum of Discovery where she put her archeology skills to use in cataloging and preserving artifacts for the museum. As a family we enjoyed many camping trips and other travels in the US and Europe. Up to her cancer diagnosis, Mary could be found with friends on various biking, hiking and snowshoeing trails and on ski slopes around Colorado.

Mary is survived by her husband of 57 years, Kenneth, her two children, six grandchildren, 3 siblings, and nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents.

A memorial in honor of Mary Dunnington has been established with Ft. Collins Museum of Discovery, 408 Mason Ct., Ft. Collins, CO 80524 or donations may be made to the American Cancer Society, online at https://donate3.cancer.org

A celebration of life for Mary's family and friends will take place at a date to be determined next spring.