Colleen M. Rollings

Colleen Margaret Rollings was a loving wife, mother, grandmother, sister, and friend. Following a long life, she died of lung cancer at home surrounded by her husband and son on March 24th, 2022. Colleen was born on August 3, 1953 in Denver, Colorado. She graduated from Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado, where she met her husband, Thomas “Tom” Rollings. They traveled together before moving back to Durango where they welcomed their two children, Ryan and Rachel. The family moved to Farmington, New Mexico to pursue work before obtaining Master’s degrees in Special Education from Adams State College in Alamosa, Colorado. There they enjoyed a grueling mix of simultaneous work, education, and parenthood. After a brief time in Ordway, Colorado, the family moved to Coffeyville, Kansas where Colleen became a respected Special Education Teacher who helped hundreds of youths during her career of over 20 years. In 2006 her daughter Rachel was killed in a car accident, changing the course of her life. Colleen longed for the peace provided by the mountains of her childhood and retired to Buena Vista, Colorado. There she designed, decorated, and cared for her home of which she was immensely proud. She also taught home management skills for Habitat for Humanity, helping dozens of families find their first home. For the next twelve years she enjoyed visiting and caring for her grandchildren as well as spending time with her vibrant community of friends, with whom she was able to share her passion for family, politics, and cats. She is survived by her loving husband of forty-two years, Tom; her son, Ryan; her grandchildren, Zebulon, Eliza, and Jane; and her brothers, Martin and Sean. A memorial service will be held Saturday, April 2 at the Congregational United Church of Christ in Buena Vista, CO at 1 p.m. with a reception to follow at the VFW hall in Johnson Village, CO.

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