Mary R. Ontiveros

Our beloved Mary “Nini” Renee Ontiveros of Fort Collins passed away on Saturday, February 19th at the age of 70. She was born on April 13, 1951, in Pueblo, Colorado to Sara and Joe Ontiveros, Jr., and spent most of her adult life in Fort Collins. After graduating from high school in 1969, she left to start her journey at Colorado State University where she became a life-long Ram for fifty-one years. As a first-generation college student, Mary earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology and Master’s degree in Student Affairs in Higher Education. She married Billy L. Burt (on June 5, 1976) whom she met while attending Colorado State University. They welcomed their son, Matthew in 1983, who instantly became a loyal and enthusiastic member of the Ram family. Inspired by her father’s political activism and the movements and marches that were happening across the country in the 60’s and 70’s, Mary took this spirit to heart in becoming a leader for education equity. Serving in the varied leadership positions that she held at the university, she has been well-described and widely-respected as a “CSU Pillar.” From serving as the executive director of admissions, associate vice president in the Division of Enrollment and Access, a faculty member in the School of Education, and consultant to CSU Pueblo, to her most recent position as CSU’s first vice president for diversity, Mary’s transformative impacts influenced not only administrators, faculty, and staff, but especially the thousands of students whom she supported over the years. Mary’s many hobbies included her love of reading and working on puzzles. She enjoyed painting, going to the movies, playing golf, and, of course, cheering on the Rams in football, basketball, and volleyball games. Her greatest joy, though, was being surrounded by family. She was preceded in death by her parents, sister Josephine Self, brother Joe Ontiveros, nephews Augustine Guzman II, Austin Powers, and brother-in-law Donald Biehl. She is survived by her husband Billy, son Matthew, her sisters Rebecca Ontiveros (and David Perez) of Trinidad, Colorado, Teresa Biehl of Plano, Texas, Dolores (and Augie) Guzman of Fort Collins, and her nephews and nieces, Bennett Self, Michael Biehl, Jolene Rogers, Lyndsay Johnson, Sara Self, Joey Guzman, Joseph Ontiveros, Ricky Guzman, Hauna Kelly-Ontiveros, and brother-in-law James Self. Visitation will be held from 10:00 until 10:45 a.m., on Monday, February 28th at Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Parish. Funeral services begin at 11:00 a.m. with a reception to follow. The interment at Grandview Cemetery, Fort Collins, will be held at approximately 2:30 p.m. A second memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. on Friday, April 22, 2022 at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, Pueblo, CO. Please visit goesfuneralcare.com to read Mary's full obituary. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Ontiveros Latinx Fellowship Program, courtesy of the Colorado State University Foundation, https://advancing.colostate.edu/ONTIVEROSLATINXFELLOWSHIP.

Mary R. Ontiveros

February 19, 2022