Mary Elizabeth Morgan

Mary was born April 2, 1943 in Chicago, Illinois. She was the second of three children, and the only daughter of William Thomas and Sheila Eudora (Wallace) Morgan. She was Daddy's Girl, and enjoyed sharing memories of her upbringing, living in the city with her brothers and close friends. Mary graduated from Taft High School in 1961.

During high school, she met Richard Charles Dietz, and they married in Chicago just one month after her graduation, at the age of 17.

Together they had two children, Laura Lee and Kurt Ronald Dietz. As a family, they loved to travel and visited most of the USA by car, planning long summer vacations every year.

While the marriage didn't last, the two remained lifelong friends and even continued to travel together. Some of their favorite trips were to Alaska or Yellowstone National Park to visit their son Kurt, to Kentucky to visit their granddaughter Angela, and to Colorado to visit daughter Laura and family. They also enjoyed vacations to Scotland, Ireland, and England.

Eventually, in 2001, Mary decided to move to Colorado to be closer to Laura and the grandchildren. At that time, the real estate market was booming, and she bought her house sight unseen on Laura's recommendation (pre online viewing and internet). Although she was Chicago born and bred, she never looked back or regretted that decision, and often commented on how happy she was that she made that decision. Because of that move, she was influential and prominent in her grandchildren and great-grandchildren's lives.

Mary worked as a proofreader, newspaper production supervisor, and a textbook proofreader shift supervisor before settling into a career as a school library assistant with Colorado Springs School District 11. In each of her positions, she gave 100% as she had a lot of energy and enthusiasm and was eager to share her knowledge.

Mary had a wonderful sense of humor, was very social, enjoyed entertaining, and loved being the center of attention. She received the nickname "Barge" by her family and was known almost exclusively by that name for the last 40 years by those closest to her. Her escapades and stories were legendary, and many have been compiled into a family collection called, "P.S. You're a Barge."

Mary is survived by her daughter, Laura Lee (Dietz) London (Anthony Bonino) of Colorado Springs, four grandchildren: Angela Dawn Coomes of Owensboro, KY; Russell "Rusty" Lee Coomes of Littleton, CO; Katharine "Katie" (Jonathan) Loepp of Olathe, KS; and Kelly Elizabeth (Tyler) Asselin of Westminster, CO; and by six great-grandchildren: Mia Elizabeth Coomes, Arlo Russell Asselin, Rhys Ender Coomes, Felix Aaron Loepp, Lavender Skye Asselin, and Ivy Kate Loepp, and by her dear older brother, David William Morgan.

She was preceded in death by her parents, William Thomas Morgan and Sheila Eudora (Wallace), and by her beloved son, Kurt Ronald Dietz.

She was wildly funny, generous, loyal, and devoted to her family, and a dear friend to many. We called her The Matriarch, and she will be missed.

Barge's final wishes were for her ashes to be scattered in the same location as her son's, in Yellowstone National Park. Arrangements will be made for that to occur at a later date, with only her family present.

An informal Celebration of Life will be held on Monday, June 30 between 10 a.m. and noon at Swan-Law Funeral Directors, 501 N Cascade Ave, Colorado Springs, CO 80903. All are welcome to come anytime between those hours. Family members will be sharing memories off and on during the Celebration.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Wendell Foster Center's Hailstorm Recovery Efforts. Mary's granddaughter has lived at the Center since 1991 and it was dear to her heart. https://wendellfoster.org/