Welcome friends and family. We are gathered here to celebrate the well lived life of Jackie Kay Thirsk. Thank you again for being here.

            In each of our lives, Parents, Grandparents, and Great Grandparents play a special role within our life and throughout our life. Their love shapes us into the person we are today. They do this in more ways than we often realize. On Friday December 15th, we said goodbye to a wife, a mom, a grandma, a great grandma and a wonderful friend. Larry, was blessed to have spent 56 plus years of his life with the woman he loved. They married on June 2nd, 1961, after knowing each other for a short six months. They loved each other more than their hearts allowed them to. Which may explain Larry’s multiple heart attacks! He worked hard at loving Jackie. Everyday she made him laugh, cry, become lovingly mad, but always end the day with a smile, a kiss goodnight and never going to bed angry. Her devotion to Larry was visible by the simple act of waking up every morning at the same time as him, no matter what time it was. Making him his simple breakfast and sending him off to work, hunt or whatever the day brought. She never wanted to miss a moment with him.

            Jackie was born to Oscar and Margaret Osborne on May 1, 1942. She grew up with her two sisters, Shara and her younger sister Judy. Growing up she was known for her long curls and her mother always had it curled down her side and back. She was always willing to try something new, up for any adventure and always saw the potential for fun in everything. Jackie was very outgoing. One of Judy’s favorite memories, is that Jackie was the first person to take Judy to their neighborhood dance club called Teen Town. That is until she met Larry and Judy became the third wheel and was no longer aloud to tag along. Jackie and Larry were perfect for each other.

            She was a loving mother to her two beautiful children Kevin and Heather. She raised them teaching them good values, strong faith, and about God’s love. Kevin and his mom had a special relationship and she was the one person that he could always go to about anything. One of his favorite memories of his mom, was when she came to visit him during his divorce.  He was having a difficult time and she showed up out of the blue. She stayed for two weeks and provided a comfort that only a mom could do for her son during this difficult time. Kevin knew he could never repay her for the peace that it brought him in his time of need. As for Heather, her mom was her best-friend. It was the type of relationship that every mom wants to have with her daughter, and their’s was perfect. And boy did they laugh, have adventures, big and small. But mostly they laughed a lot! No matter the time of day, she could always call her mom and confide in her about anything. Her favorite memory with her mom, was every year since when she was a kid, they would go down to the Colorado State Fair and just wander around. Her mom looked forward to walking through the vendor booths, seeing the animals, riding rides (the not scary ones), and seeing all of the different vendors displayed every year.

            She was blessed with 5 beautiful grandchildren! Chelsea, Luke, Noah, Brianna and Kylee shared so many amazing memories with her. It is rare for a grandparent-grandchild relationship to be so essential and long lasting, however, Jackie was a special kind of person. No matter where her grandchildren were, she made time to check in with them and to send them lots of hugs and kisses. Being a part of their daily lives kept her young. She loved to simply chase after them and enjoyed watching them make their own way in life. Her grand daughter Brianna and her husband Drew, gave Jackie a great-grandchild that she fell absolutely in love with the moment he was born. Max called her MeeMaw, a title she was proud of and he would blow her kisses over and over again.

            Jackie bravely fought cancer for three years to the day and gave it a run for it’s money. She lived her life to its fullest and that shows on many faces here today. God, faith and family were her most treasured possessions. So it is only fitting that we join her today to give her the farewell she deserves. It’s said that those who touch our lives inspire us and love us. And they do so for a lifetime. Today we honor and celebrate her life and her love. We have the opportunity today to remember and share her treasured stories and know that it was all of us – her family and friends – who helped Jackie to live a long and happy life.