Marjorie Ann Grant, age 88, passed away January 9, 2020 in Longmont, Colorado. Marjorie was born October 4, 1931, in Orangevale, California to Harley D. Paul and Jon Colter (formerly known as Mary Shackleton). She grew up in rural, agricultural Orangevale, on what was part of the original Shackleton ranch. After graduating from Portola Junior/Senior High School in 1949, she attended San Jose State College, graduating with distinction in 1953 with a B.A. in Commercial Art. She pursued graduate work in Fine Arts at UC Berkeley working towards a master’s degree in Fine Arts.
In 1963 Marjorie married Robert L. Kiner. Together they canoed, backpacked and enjoyed pristine country in Alaska and Wyoming. A daughter, Jody Ann Kiner, was born to them in 1972, but she died as an infant. They divorced in 1973. Later, on November 23, 1979, Marjorie married Thomas G. (Tom) Grant, who was a Forest Engineer with the Forest Service in Jackson, Wyoming where they met. After retiring, they moved east to Westfield, to the Green Mountains of Vermont.
Marjorie worked for many years variously as a cartographic or engineering draftsman for federal agencies including Geological Survey, Bureau of Reclamation, Bureau of Land Management, Soil Conservation Service, Federal Aviation Administration and Forest Service. She retired in 1987 from the Forest Service. She was blessed to have lived and worked in beautiful places such as Oregon, Alaska, Vermont, Wyoming, Montana and Colorado. Marjorie moved to Longmont, Colorado following Tom’s death in 2005. She became reacquainted with a former fellow worker from Jackson, Wyoming, Don Fritch, eventually becoming Partners in Life in 2011. Don passed away on July 6, 2018.
The outdoors and all of its inhabitants, as well as books, rocks, music, family and friends, were very important to Marjorie. Her life long love of nature found expression in many conservation and animal welfare organizations such as The Nature Conservancy, Defenders of Wildlife, The Sierra Club and the Humane Society of the US.
Marjorie is survived by her stepchildren: Thomas (Tom) Grant and his wife Jody of Elko, Nevada, Virginia (Gin) Bontadelli and her husband Richard of Cedar City, Utah, and Richard (Rick) Grant and his wife Linda of Bondurant, Wyoming; by stepchildren Kristine (Kris) Headrick, Mara Ann (Annie) Grant, and Thomas Joshua Grant; by second cousins: Valerie Williamson and her husband Randall Reedy of San Jose, California, Carla Raffo and her husband Bill of Santa Cruz, California, Kenneth (Kenn) Womack of Fallon, Nevada, Ronald (Ron) Womack and his wife Janice of Butte Valley, California and Toni Rae Ireland of Merced, California. She is also survived by Don’s children Mary Berning and her husband Joe, Robin Fritch and her husband Stephen Saltsman and Kenneth Fritch. Don’s daughter Darla Baumgarten is deceased, her husband is Ray; Don’s eight grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. Marjorie will be missed by family and many friends.
She was predeceased by her parents, her daughter Jody Ann, her brother Roger D. Paul, her husband of 26 years Tom Grant and Partner in Life Don Fritch.
The memorial will be held at a later date. Memorial donations may be made to the Longmont Humane Society, 9595 Nelson Road, Longmont, Colorado, 80501, Nature Conservancy, 2424 Spruce Street, Boulder, Colorado, 80302 or to the donor’s favorite charity.
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