October 11, 1970 - July 29, 2023
Maria Elena Chavez Spoon was born at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Denver, CO October 11, 1970 to M.Judy Gasdick Chavez. Maria passed away on Saturday, July 29th, 2023 at Pathways Hospice, after nearly a year’s long battle with Liver Bile Duct Cancer. She is survived by her husband, Brian and children Helena and Lucy. Her Mother, Judy Father-in-law, Mike, and sister-in-law, Jane Appleby, Uncles Paul and Robert Gasdick, Jay Houser and Aunt Jackie Gasdick.
Also, many Friends, Aunts, Uncles, and Cousins in the Rios, Bernhardt, Chea, Gasdick, Albensi and Brkovich families.
Maria was a graduate of University of Northern Colorado with a B.A. and University of Colorado at Colorado Springs with a Masters in Higher Ed. She worked for almost 25 yrs. at the University Of Colorado, Denver and Boulder campuses. Near the end of her career she worked as an academic advisor, helping to retain students to graduation.
In her spare time, Maria was an artist most recently being a regular participant in the Loveland Pastels on 5th show from its beginning until her diagnosis in August of last year. She had also worked in paint, ceramic and was in several juried art shows through out the Front Range. In her early years she was a dancer with Danzantes de Colores and did Folklorico dancing at the State Capital for Cinco de Mayo. She loved the Arts in every form and encouraged this in her children at every opportunity.
The memorial and celebration of life for Maria will be held 2:00pm this Saturday August 5th at Kibbey-Fishburn Funeral Home, 1102 Lincoln Ave, Loveland, CO.
In lieu of flowers please send donations in Maria’s name to Inheritance of Hope at https://inheritanceofhope.org.
