Mary Eiber

She was a long-time resident of Colorado Springs, Colorado and a native of Denver where she was born on March 8, 1944. She grew up in a loving and culturally rich household with her parents, Joe and Marie Taiber who, many years before, had become United States citizens from Bavaria, Germany. On December 28, 1964 she married the love of her life, Gary Eiber, and celebrated nearly 40 years of marriage with him before his death in 2004. Their marriage was a fairy tale kind that was special, fun and seems rarely found. They met roller skating when she was15 years old and dated only each other until their wedding day 6 years later. My mom was always fond of telling the story of their first meeting where she told her mother, “Mom! Do you see that boy in the patchwork shirt? I'm going to marry him some day!” She was right. What an amazing relationship they were lucky to have!

My mom attended Colorado University in Boulder and then graduated from the University of Hawaii in O'ahu where my parents were stationed by the Air Force in their first years of marriage. She taught elementary school there where she learned many of the traditional Hawaiian songs and my dad learned to play the ukulele! She and my dad were then stationed in Florida in the late 1960's until they made Colorado Springs their permanent and favorite residence. In 1989 she became a tutor for Sylvan Learning Center where she was still employed at the time of her death. She loved working with her students and took great pride in their learning and their lives. I know that she misses them as much as they miss her!

My mom had varied interests and volunteered for many community organizations including the Colorado Springs Junior League and the American Association of University Women. She was also a board member of the Memorial Hospital Auxiliary and served as president from 1978 to 1979. My mom's most enduring love was for anything musical! She was a board member of the Colorado Opera Festival as well as involved with the Pikes Peak Opera League where she served as president twice from 1987 to 1989 and 1999 to 2000. She not only supported the arts but enjoyed participating in them as well. She sang throughout the years with The Songspinners, Inter Vocal Fusion and most recently with the Celebration Multicultural Ensemble (through The Shivers Celebration) where she also served this year as their President.

My parents immensely enjoyed traveling and vacationed extensively throughout the United States, Mexico and Europe. Some of her favorite places included Mazatlan at The Playa, Glenwood Springs (where my parents honeymooned), and cruising the Mediterranean. She loved dancing to Bob Seger, her kitty Butterfinger, reading, novel group luncheons, the opera, her deck and her beautiful backyard, Tuesday happy hours, going to The Famous and hearing me, her daughter, sing, and watching the Broncos on what we, as a family, officially named “Football Sunday”. She was a best friend to me, and she touched so many lives. It was a life well lived.

What she would really want you to know about her though, is how much she loved life. She enjoyed everything she did, lived productively, cultivated her relationships, gave generously and could always be found with a positive attitude and a smile on her face. That is truly the essence of my mom!

She is survived by her daughter and son-in-law Dawn and Charles Eiber-Thurmond; sisters and brothers-in-law Pam and Terry McClelland and Jill and John McKune; a nephew Garry McClelland, his wife Carrie and their two daughters, Jean and Jessica. She was preceded in death by Joe and Marie Taiber, Gary and Rosemary Eiber, as well as her husband, Gary F. Eiber, Jr.

A celebration of life will be held at 4:00 p.m. on Sunday, March 25, 2012 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Summit Ballroom, 2886 S. Circle Drive in Colorado Springs. In lieu of flowers, she would have wanted donations to be made to either The Pikes Peak Opera League or the Humane Society of Colorado Springs. She loved both of these organizations and consistently gave her heart and her support to both!