Mary Alice Maier Tonkinson

Mary Alice was born February 6, 1937 in Longmont, Colorado to Cal and Elsie Maier. She graduated Salutatorian from Longmont High in 1955. Mary Alice married her high school sweetheart, Jamie Tonkinson on September 8, 1957 in Longmont.

In 1943, 6-year-old Mary Alice and her family moved into a home in Old Town Longmont. After her parents died in 1967, she and Jamie moved their 6-year-old daughter and 4-year-old son into the same house. She lived there until September of her 87th year!

Mary Alice loved music, and it “played” a part in so many aspects of her life. She began playing the piano when she was 5, and by the time she was in high school she was accompanying the school choirs and fellow students. She attended CU School of Music for 2 years, and then married Jamie – this she proudly referred to as her “PHT,” Putting Hubby Through” – because she worked to support them while he earned his degree. Jamie got a job with IBM and they moved to New York.

They returned to Longmont when IBM opened its Longmont facility in 1966. Mary Alice was thrilled to be back in town and, besides actively raising her children, she was involved in many organizations.

She was a long-time, dedicated member of Wednesday Music Club, and helped that group make it to their 100th year in 2017. She was a life-long member of the First Congregational Church in Longmont. She and Jamie worked hundreds of hours over the years to support the church’s annual Christmas Home Tour. She was President of the Board for the Longmont Symphony Orchestra and on the Board of the Callahan House.

Her piano skills were kept sharp by the fact that she was a highly sought after accompanist for choirs, students, adults, and musical productions. Students in the school choirs where she worked loved “Mrs. T.” For the school district’s annual Solo and Ensemble Contest, she would often accompany over 25 students in a single day! She played for productions at both the Longmont Theater Company and Jesters Dinner Theater. Around 2001 she agreed to “temporarily” fill in as director and accompanist for the Senior Center Singers. 18 years later she retired due to failing eyesight.

Many other activities kept her busy: She led both Girl and Boy Scout troops. She worked in several positions at Longmont United Hospital and the Longmont Clinic. Mary Alice and Jamie loved helping plan reunions for the Class of ’55. And, she was a fervent cat lover and had a wide variety of feline companions over the years.

Mary Alice is survived by her cat, Snowball, daughter, Terrie Kirkpatrick, and her husband, John, of Longmont; son, Alex Tonkinson, and his spouse, Arthur Hundhausen, of Denver; two grandchildren, Alex Kirkpatrick (Emily) of Park City, UT and Sara Kirkpatrick (Kody Mallory), of Portland, OR; nieces, Becky Allen and Carla Longfellow, of South Carolina, and nephew, Mark Longfellow, of North Carolina and nieces, Barbara Brown of Castle Rock and Cindy Schafer of Maryland, and her sister-in-law, Jane Longfellow of South Carolina.

Memorial services will be at First Congregational United Church of Christ, 1500 9th Avenue in Longmont at a later date. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Longmont Symphony Orchestra in her name. These donations will go to a scholarship for assisting students in their musical education.