Alice Mary Renton

Alice was born on November 6, 1936 in Mexico City, Mexico, to Paul V. Murray and Elena Picazo de Murray and grew up in a proudly Irish-American and Spanish-Mexican bilingual and bicultural family.

After graduating from the American High School, she attended Rosary College in River Forest, Illinois, where she earned a B.A. in History and met her best and lifelong friend Anna Marie “Chey” Gonzalez. Returning to Mexico City, she studied at Mexico City College, a unique institution with a mix of local Mexicans and international and American students, many of whom were US veterans benefiting from the G.I. Bill.

At MCC, Alice earned her M.A. in History and also met and fell in love with Don Renton, an American student and US veteran from Connecticut who would become her husband. They married on December 22, 1960 and had their first child, Brian, in 1961. He was soon followed by their daughter Pia in 1962 and son Kevin in 1964. While recovering from the birth of her second baby, Alice read a life-changing book that introduced her to the teachings of Maria Montessori. She and Don, equally inspired by Montessori’s ideas and their love for their own children, decided to pursue careers in Montessori education and made it their lifelong work.

Alice was active in Montessori and early childhood education her entire life, and became a well-known, respected and beloved teacher and teacher trainer. In 1977, Don and Alice relocated with their three children to Boulder, Colorado. For the first time in her life Alice got to experience the delight of living near Mother Nature’s creations outside of a big city.

Continuing her passion for education, she worked not only in Montessori but in bilingual/multicultural and migrant education, consulting and lecturing in many cross-cultural settings throughout the U.S. and Latin America. She served as a faculty member of the Montessori Education Center of the Rockies, was a co-founder of the inter-American education network Consejo Interamericano Montessori, and started her own business “In Other Words Languages for Children,” developing a curriculum for teaching second languages to young children. In 2017, she was recognized as a Living Legacy honoree by the American Montessori Society.

She is remembered by her former students and colleagues not only as a gifted instructor and mentor, but additionally for her kindness, humor, warmth, wisdom and inspiration, with many indicating that she “changed my life.”

All who were blessed to be part of Alice’s life commemorate and remember her ever-curious and brilliant mind, quick wit and sense of humor; her unflagging dedication to justice, peace and women’s rights; her compassion, selflessness, and beautiful bright eyes always full of childhood wonder. Newspaper clippings mailed in neat envelopes, classical music on the radio and stacks of books; whole-grain bread and chai; sunlight in her hair, and toes dipped in the warm sand and waves of Mexican beaches; walking side by side with Don through the autumn leaves in the quiet of Estes Park; traveling in Ireland with Brian; visiting Africa; admiring the flight of birds through the sky; the smell of lavender, soft purple clothes and her nickname “Cozy Grandma;” her besitos, Chocolate Abuelita and enjoyment in preparing wonderful food; the gentle teachings of Buddha; mountains drenched in the pink and blue hues of early morning; the preciousness of her own life and of life itself, and most of all, the smile on her face when she was with her loved ones. A love indescribable.

Alice was preceded in death by her husband Don, sister Elena Murray Parodi and brother Paul Murray. She is survived by her three children, Brian (Lizbeth Mendoza), Pia (Scott Griffith), and Kevin (Nadia Mora Lara) and cherished granddaughters Marisa and Maia Griffith and Sarah Renton and grandsons Julian, Rio and Vincent Renton. A celebration of Alice’s life will be held at a later date this year.