February 22, 1940 - January 06, 2021
Mary Helen (Renneisen) Gish 80, of Ft. Collins, Colorado peacefully passed away at home with the loving support of her family on January 6th, 2021 after a courageous battle with Ovarian cancer.
Mary was born in San Jose, Costa Rica on February 22, 1940. The Renneisen family moved to the United States in 1948 settling in Cheyenne, Wyoming. Mary was the oldest of eight siblings and often took on the role of their second mother. She was preceded in death by her father, Alfred Renneisen Sr., brother Arthur Renneisen and brother Alfred Renneisen. Mary is survived by her husband, Robert Fred Gish Sr., daughters Karen (Andy) Holtmeier, Laurie (Andy) Soliday, and Dr. Krystle (Josh) Wixson, sons Robert Gish and Jeffrey Gish, mother Sally Renneisen, brothers John Renneisen, Richard Renneisen and Alan Renneisen and sisters Margaret Haberkorn and Carol Rasor. She was a beloved grandmother to granddaughters Amanda Eichhorn, Dr. Abigail (Holtmeier) Platt, and Rylee Wixson, grandsons Andrew Holtmeier, Alex Holtmeier, Drew Soliday, Lance Gish, and Nathan Gish, four great grandchildren and love to extensive family members, innumerable friends and a dear Costa Rican family.
Mary was always at peace and maintained great faith as she made the peaceful transition from this life. She will be missed and touched many lives with her grace and love.
In her later days while living with cancer, she continued to focus her priorities on issues important to her. Mary was passionate for women’s and minority rights, assisting the underserved and less fortunate and protecting animal rights. She was proud to have attended the Million Women’s March in Washington DC on January 21, 2017. Mary volunteered extensively throughout her lifetime and was honored as 1992 Volunteer of the Year. Mary spent passionate hours on the Obama election campaigns and worked many years as an election judge. She was a founding member of the Aspen Grassroots Experience, bringing inner city children to Colorado. Mary was an avid reader with an extensive personal library. She studied the Civil War, Judaism and Russian classics. She graduated from Cheyenne High School in 1958 and attended Raymond Walters in Cincinnati, Ohio and Ohlone College in Fremont, California. She loved her dogs and spent many evenings with these beloved friends. She was an enthusiastic follower of her children’s and grandchildren’s activities as well as her favorite sports teams including the Golden state Warriors, New York Yankees, Denver Broncos and Wyoming Cowboys. She loved opera, classical music, the arts, dancing and the natural world. She would have open discussions with others visualizing the equality of mankind and praying for peace with all sharing the world. Over the years, she was very supportive of her husband, Robert Fred Gish as his work covered all four time zones in the United States. Mary was co-chairman with a fellow classmate organizing their successful 55th and 60th high school class reunions.
Thank you to those who supported Mary with prayers, cards, encouragement and telephone calls. Whether you called Mary a mother, wife, daughter, sister, aunt, sister-in-law acquaintance or friend, to know her was to love her. Mary may be gone physically, but our memories and her spirit will forever bring a smile to our faces.
Mary’s wishes will be honored by holding private family memorial services in Colorado and Costa Rica at a later date. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to her favorite charities including Doctors Without Borders, Smile Train, ASPCA or Pathways Hospice in Ft. Collins, Colorado.
