Jeanne Winslett Jones

Jeanne Winslett Jones passed away peacefully on July 2, 2022, at the age of 76 after a long battle with dementia. Jeanne was born Kathryn Jean Winslett in Glenwood Springs, Colorado, on April 23, 1946, to Fred and Edna Winslett, and grew up in Meeker, Colorado. She was several weeks premature and immediately showed her fighting spirit and will to live. After losing her father to cancer at the age of five, Jeanne and her mother continued to live in Meeker and run their ranch on Milk Creek. Jeanne earned her teaching degree at the University of Northern Colorado and began her teaching career in Timnath, near Fort Collins. It was there that she met her husband, Allan, a veterinary student at Colorado State University. The two married on December 27, 1969, at St. James Episcopal Church in Meeker. After Allan finished veterinary school, they moved to Meeker where he began practicing veterinary medicine and she was a substitute teacher in the Meeker schools.

Jeanne loved building her life in Meeker with Allan. She was proud to be the 4th generation of ranchers to call Meeker home, with roots dating back to 1885. She served as a 4-H leader and on the 4-H Foundation and was active with the Rio Blanco Woolgrowers Association and the Republican Women. When Allan became a county commissioner, she loved traveling all over the country with him for meetings and conferences where she embraced meeting new people and experiencing new areas of the country. She made several life-long friends along the way. Jeanne’s gift for gab meant that she could strike up a conversation with almost anyone, which often lead to new friends or fun stories. Strangers at a shared table in a ski lodge soon became long-time friends and recipes exchanged with someone at the grocery store became Thanksgiving dinner staples.

While Jeanne loved to travel and experience new things, her heart and soul remained on her beloved ranch on Milk Creek and with her community in Meeker. She inherited her love of horses from her father and was happiest when in the saddle. Jeanne also loved attending weekly services at St. James Episcopal Church and never missed the opportunity to visit with her friends over coffee and treats after the service. She rarely missed a quilting class with her friends, even as dementia slowly took hold of her.

Jeanne was devoted to her family. She loved spending time with her daughter, Beth Ann, and son-in-law, Matt. Her pride and joy were her two grandchildren, Kate and Ben. She couldn’t help sharing a story or photo of her beloved family with everyone she met.

Jeanne is preceded in death by her father, Fred Winslett, mother, Edna Winslett Zingheim, and step father Paul Zingheim. She is survived by her husband of 52 years, Allan Jones, her daughter, Beth Ann Jones Parsons and son-in-law, Matt Parsons, her beloved grandchildren, Kate Parsons and Ben Parsons, and many dear friends. Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m., Monday, July 11, 2022 at St. James Episcopal Church. Interment will follow at Highland Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to St. James Episcopal Church in care of Grant Mortuary.