Marcia Lea Ziegler

April 27, 1942 – May 26, 2021

Marcia Lea (Dorsey) Ziegler passed quietly at home with her family beside her the evening of May 26th shortly after being diagnosed with ovarian cancer.

Marcia was born April 27, 1942 in Colby, Kansas to Russell and Iona Mazelle (Searle) Dorsey. She spoke often of growing up in Nebraska near North Platte on the chicken farm with her siblings and when visiting the plains mentioned how wide-open spaces and blue sky made her think of Nebraska. The family moved to Colorado when she was in the eighth grade where she first met a troublemaker by the name of James (Jim) Ziegler, a name that would be important to her life later-on.

She married Charles Grant Trichka and they had a son Malcolm Richard (Rick) in 1962 and a daughter Leslie Ann in 1966. They later divorced. She reunited with Jim Ziegler at a high school reunion where she was impressed that he was no longer the troublemaker she thought she once knew but instead an MBA graduate and head of Coors communications. Jim will say it was at this reunion that he was “gobsmacked” by her and the rest is history. They married and Marcia gained three step-children: Cheryl, Charles (Chuck), and Becky.

She began working for Mountain Bell (USWest/Qwest) when she was 19 and built a successful career in advertising and later in the legal department. She grew into an amazingly caring manager at USWest. She won awards for her success at managing while simultaneously winning the hearts of anyone who worked for her. She retired on June 27, 2004.

Education and growth were always important to her and she became a lifelong learner always seeking out ways to enrich her mind. She attended the Colorado Women’s College at the University of Denver taking coursework in Afro American studies, women’s studies and art. She also attended classes at the Denver Botanic Gardens in plant identification and drawing. In addition to these formal avenues of seeking education, she was an avid reader who amassed a great deal of knowledge from an impressive and ever-growing personal library of books on a wide variety of topics each carefully noted in her personal catalog. She also loved to travel which she often did for work or with family and friends. Her favorite places to visit were rich with the culture of the Southwest- places like Santa Fe and Taos, New Mexico and Phoenix, Arizona.

Marcia used all she learned often in her own artistry as she was an amazing artist that could manipulate any medium with ease and skill. She was known to bring in her sewing projects to work to utilize the large conference tables for spreading out fabric to cut patterns. She liked to make clothing for herself and her grandchildren, but her sewing skills did not stop there as she utilized them often in her pieces, creating many dolls and decorative pillows among other projects. Her walls were adorned with the many ink on paper drawings she completed over years but could not bear to sell or give away. She also took much pride in her homemade cards that were sent for special occasions or sometimes just a hello. This was never more the case as it was for the Christmas cards sent out each year, as her process of planning and selecting images (most often one of her own photographs) and text began far in advance.

Though she had many personal interests, her family and friends were of the utmost importance to her. She had a constantly busy social calendar between catching up with friends, family gatherings, and pursuing events and activities that she enjoyed. She was a regular at the Arvada Center and the Botanic Gardens, bringing along friends and family when she could. She attended Park Hill United Methodist Church to be close to the Beery’s but soon developed her own close friendships with the church community, playing a big role in keeping the church history/archives and designing the beautiful display cases. She treasured her involvement with the PHUMC Book Club and the friendships that afforded her.

Time spent with her children was always time well spent. She enjoyed trips to each of her children’s houses in Elizabeth and Wiggins. Marcia loved to sit on her son’s deck in Elizabeth where she was able to embrace her love for wildlife, especially the birds that flew through the pines. Marcia would also draw on her deep knowledge to discuss and wonder at the history of the area by pointing out landmarks associated with the Santa Fe trail or prayer trees or she would recall stories of the old west at a time when the area was full of buffalo and not rows of houses. Trips onto the eastern plains of Colorado often brought up memories of her childhood as she would mention the winds of Wiggins reminded her of the horrendous winds in Nebraska. Despite the wind, Wiggins was another place where she could admire the birds and scenery and enjoy the company of her daughter.

Large family gatherings were held often where she could see her sisters and their families along with her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren (who all knew her as Nana). She thoroughly enjoyed these gatherings because they offered a perfect chance to express her love for those who mattered most to her. She was ever present in the lives of her family – never missing an opportunity to be there to support her family for life’s biggest (and less momentous) events.

Marcia and her daughter had a close relationship. Though it was tested when her daughter was a teenager, their love overcame it. While both were working in downtown Denver, they were not far from each other, so they often met up for lunch. They were each other’s confidant and could spend hours talking over issues, problems or analyzing politics or social change. As Marcia’s health declined due to Alzheimer’s Disease, her daughter became her full-time caregiver.

Though the last years of her life were lived while struggling with the realities of Alzheimer’s, she carried on with such grit and grace. Even when facing the daunting truth of a memory slipping away, she still had stories to tell, people to see, and experiences to be had. Her life was full to the very last days and we are all so lucky and blessed to have had her in ours.

Marcia will be missed by her spouse James Ziegler of Golden; her sisters Sandra Saylor of Golden and Janice (Leroy) Leavitt of Ault; her children Leslie (Chris) Beery of Wiggins and Rick (Ellen) Trichka of Elizabeth; her step-children Cheryl (Bill) Gift of Littleton, Charles (Michelle) Ziegler of Highlands Ranch, and Becky (Mike) Huett of Broomfield; grandchildren Sarah Beery of Northglenn, Grant (Jen) Beery of Seattle WA , Tracey (Casey) Clay of Evans, Kyle Trichka of Cody WY and Cameron Trichka of Fort Benning GA; and great-grandchildren Tony and Vivian Spanswick of San Marcos TX, Evelyn Martiny of Thornton and Eoin, Cian and Griffin Clay of Evans; along with other family and the many many friends she has made over the years.

Marcia was predeceased by her parents; her brother Ron Dorsey; and her grandson Frederick Beery.

A private memorial and placement service for family will be held.