Martha de Ulibarri

Martha Jones de Ulibarri was born on May 21, 1940, in Ringgold, Louisiana. Her husband, Nicanor Rumaldo Ulibarri, her parents, Percy Jones and Corry McDowell Cook, and her brother, Thomas Graves Jones, all preceded her in death. She died peacefully upon the first snowfall of the ’25-’26 season on December 1, 2025. She was 85 years old.

Martha was born in her grandfather’s clinic in Ringgold, Louisiana, on May 21, 1940. Her parents, Percy Jones and Corry McDowell Cook, were both from Ringgold and Martha’s childhood alongside her older brother, Tommy, was steeped in a large extended family of aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents in Bienville Parish. Martha’s family moved to Shreveport when she was in grade school and she graduated from C.E. Byrd High School.

While studying English at Louisiana State University, Martha came to Colorado to spend a summer session in the journalism school at the University of Colorado at Boulder. That summer, Martha fell in love with Colorado and the mountains and she discovered the Episcopal church and its liturgy, thanks to her CU sisters at the Chi Omega house. One can only imagine that she spent her final days back at LSU pining for the fresh air and mountain vistas that she enjoyed so much while in Boulder, as she promptly moved to Denver upon graduating from LSU in 1962.

Martha taught English for a few years at Iver C. Ranum High School in Westminster and during that time met her first husband, Ben Eastman. They were married on Lookout Mountain and moved to Evergreen to a home that Martha lived in and loved for nearly 50 years. During the first years in Evergreen, Martha gave birth to her daughters, Katie in May 1971, and Sarah in February 1974. Later in life, Martha often reflected that her greatest accomplishment and legacy was her children and the parents they have become to her grandchildren – Avery, Logan, and Isaac.

Martha’s professional life blossomed once she obtained her Masters in Communication from the University of Northern Colorado and she went to work for the Visiting Nurse Association. Martha’s tenure with the VNA lasted for over 30 years, during which time she was instrumental in such endeavors as bringing hospice care to the first AIDS patients in Denver and advocating for patients on the Governor’s AIDS Council, starting a statewide, open-to-all flu shot clinic at grocery stores and other venues, all while lobbying for home health care of all varieties both on capitol hill in Denver and in Washington D.C. As one of her VNA friends and colleagues shared:

“Your mom was a guardian of the VNA legacy. She ensured we never forgot we were following in the footsteps of the brave, dedicated Flower Women who went into homes others would pass by without glancing. They provided care with compassion and without judgment. They stood tall, yet not above or better than anyone else. That describes your mom, too.”

In addition to her work and volunteer advocacy in the health field, Martha loved to ski (she started competing in cross country ski races in her 60’s!), going to the movies, reading anything and everything, and she loved to travel. She and her second husband, Nicanor Ulibarri, took many trips to Spain and Mexico where they spent time all over the place, but shared a special love of Saltillo, Coahuila where they studied Spanish and made many friends. Martha was an active member of her church in Evergreen, the Church of the Transfiguration, where she served as a docent and where she loved to walk the labyrinth in the pines to reflect on her purpose in the world.

In 2014, following the death of her husband, Martha decided to sell her beloved home in Evergreen and she made the transition from mountain living to be in Colorado Springs with her daughter and twin grandchildren. She immediately immersed herself in work for the local Democratic Party and dedicated herself to any project she could find for her new church community at Grace and Saint Stephen’s Episcopal, and held a particular fondness for her church Tai Chi group. She also joined a writers’ group within which she found great kinship, feedback, and support for her endeavors writing short stories and poetry.

Martha spent the final chapter of her life being taken care of by the incredible caregivers at Brookdale Monument Valley Park in the memory care unit. Although for a time her dementia was a challenge to her, Martha’s spirit of being a fierce advocate burned through the memory loss and presented itself as a source of great humor and love for and to those around her. Her sweetness and silliness in her final days were a true gift for the people who sat with her and cared for her. She will be missed by a great many friends, colleagues, and, of course, family. She leaves behind her daughters, Katherine (Eastman) Spicer of Colorado Springs, and Sarah Eastman of Dublin, Ireland, and their respective families.