On Sunday, December 25, Denise Connor, loving wife, mother and grandmother, passed away with her husband and children by her side. She was 69.
Denise was born on April 5, 1953, to Jerome and Saire Jans. She grew up in Wilmette, Illinois, along with her twin brother Steve and her older brother Jay, “Skip.” She attended New Trier High School and went on to study early childhood development. She then used this education to open and run a day care center and later moved on to work for Roaring Fork School District, where she managed the kitchen at Carbondale Middle School.
It was at her hometown at the outskirts of Chicago that she met her husband Paul Connor, who she would spend the rest of her life with. Together they had three children: sons Erin and Adam, and daughter Brittany. In the late 1970s, Denise and Paul moved to Colorado and made their home up the Crystal River Valley near the town of Marble. Her time living and raising her family up the Crystal was always very dear to her. She retired in 2013 and moved with Paul to Page, Arizona.
It was in motherhood that Denise found her passion. She was a wonderful, selfless, dedicated mother and grandmother. She loved being at home, reading, cooking or watching football. When she wasn’t at home, she could be found out walking her dog or boating and fishing on Lake Powell. She loved to be on the lake with her husband and family.
Denise is survived by her husband Paul, her sons Erin and Adam, her daughter Brittany, her grandchildren Cody, Colton, Madalynn, Walker, Treyton, Tanner, Caliah and Brecken, and her brothers Steve and Jay, as well as her nieces, nephews and friends. Denise will be deeply missed by everyone who was lucky enough to know her.
