October 21, 1927 - January 7, 2024
Mary Belle McKeown, 96, of Loveland, passed away on Sunday, January 7, 2024, at Pathways Hospice in Fort Collins. Mary Belle McKeown was born on October 21, 1927, in Ishpeming, Michigan, to Jean Alfred and Belle (Brazil) Beaudin. Mary Belle graduated from Ishpeming High School in 1945 and attended Northern Michigan University, in Marquette, earning a degree in PE in 1949. Mary Belle’s initial employment came as a PE instructor with Bishop Baraga HS in Marquette, MI. During her free time on weekends, Mary Belle would commute to Iron Mountain to ski and participate in winter events. The 1940’s was the golden era for winter festivals and Mary Belle won the title of Winter Queen at the Iron Mountain ski area.
Through mutual friends, Mary Belle met an ambitious engineering employee, John R. McKeown, who had recently taken a job with the Bureau of Reclamation, working on Boysen Reservoir dam near Shoshoni, WY. Mary Belle married John R. McKeown in Ishpeming on March 26, 1951, and moved to Wyoming shortly thereafter. John and Mary Belle moved from Shoshoni to Loveland in 1952. After raising her family in Loveland, Mary Belle earned a Masters in Adult and Community Education, graduating in 1981.
Mary Belle was actively involved in education and the outdoors, teaming with Thompson School District to establish the after-school learning program, Junior Great Books, and was named the first Director of Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) of Larimer County. Given her focus on care of the elderly, Mary Belle spent ten years working for Archdiocese of Denver, supporting Bishop George Evans to establish the Office of Aging. Mary Belle volunteered as the Director of Adult Education for St. John The Evangelist Catholic Church leading the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA). Given her thirst for education and broadening her strong Catholic Faith, Mary Belle enjoyed earning her certification as part of the First Archdiocese of Denver Catholic Biblical School in 1986.
Mary Belle had a passion for the Colorado mountains, snow skiing and hiking, and provided opportunities for her children and grandchildren to enjoy the outdoors. Mary Belle shared her legacy of the great outdoors by volunteering at Rocky Mountain National Park during the summer park schedule. She enjoyed talking with many tourists hiking and camping in the National Park as she was stationed at the Wild Basin and later, Long’s Peak Ranger Stations.
Mary Belle McKeown is survived by her children Kathleen McKeown (Gary Betow) Fort Collins, Colorado, Timothy J. McKeown (Rosanna) Westminster, Pat Lovato (Joseph) Loveland, Margaret McKeown Kelley (Michael) Greeley, eight grandchildren, Faith Betow, Shawna, Connor & Christopher McKeown, Riley, Corey & Shea Lovato, Ryan Kelley, a sister-in-law, Helen L. George, Minneapolis and numerous nieces and nephews. Mary Belle is preceded in death by her husband, John R. McKeown, and her grandson John Bartholomew Betow in Sept. 2005.
Services are planned on Monday, January 29, 2024, at Saint John the Evangelist Catholic Church, 1730 West 12th Street, Loveland, Colorado, with Recitation of the Rosary at 10:00 am, followed by the Mass of Christian Burial, 11:00 a.m., celebrated by Reverend Joseph Hartman, Archdiocese of Denver. You may view the ceremony online here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2dhMEauwqEE
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial contributions in Mary Belle’s name be made to St. John Evangelist Catholic School in Loveland, https://www.sjecatholicschool.com/ or Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, https://www.komen.org/
