Coleene Dowd Espinosa

Coleene Dowd Espinosa passed away on Thursday June 20 in her home at St. Anthony’s Senior Living community. She died quietly in her bed as family and friends crowded around, remembering and celebrating her. Coleene touched innumerable lives in her time on earth, and many funny and loving stories were shared as she lay waiting for God’s embrace. When she was a little girl, her father nicknamed her “Tuckie,” after a lovable character in a popular comic strip who frequently got into mischief, and the nickname stuck even though Coleene was seldom if ever naughty—but she did have a mischievous sense of humor. She was the kindest and most caring woman imaginable, always good-humored and generous. Her favorite song, which she sang to every one of her many children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, was “You Are My Sunshine.” She was our sunshine. To be in her presence was to be bathed in warmth and light and hope.

Coleene grew up in Dawn, Missouri, a farming hamlet outside Chillicothe, the youngest daughter of Hugh Pat Anderson and Inez Della Stone. She was the youngest girl in a family of eight rambunctious children. For all her life she delighted in telling stories of her brothers (Pat, Jack, Richard, Bob, and Ted) and her sisters Lala and Carol, who she was especially close to. After high school she moved to Kansas City and entered nursing school. Although she soon married and started a family, she remained a smart and capable nurse at heart, always attentive to others’ needs, always a healing and joyful presence in people’s lives. A devoted Catholic, she served the parish of St. Catherine’s for decades, singing weekly in the choir and overseeing countless funeral lunches. Her phone constantly rang with calls for assistance, and she never hesitated to rise and go.

Although her life was filled with faith and joy, Coleene was often tested. She lost her first husband, David Dowd, after twenty-five years of blissful marriage. Her beloved son Mike was suddenly and tragically taken from her. Her grandson-in-law Tom died in a motorcycle accident when he was far too young. Her mother and father, her brothers and sisters, passed into God’s arms one by one, and each was deeply mourned. But nothing could shake Coleene’s fundamental joy and optimism. Her deep faith sustained her through every trial. Eventually she remarried. Frank Espinosa was a fellow parishioner she knew from countless Masses they attended together. Frank was at her side when she died; for twenty-eight years they watched over each other.

Frank’s family became her family, another circle joined to her and Dave’s, another flock taken under Coleene’s wing. She and Frank moved into a new home in the parish where she hosted huge family gatherings at Thanksgiving and Christmas. At Easter. At Fourth of July. At every Chiefs’ game (she was a big fan and kept candles of St. Patrick Mahomes and St. Travis Kelce lit during games). Frank and Coleene’s home was the scene of much joking, humor, and happy bedlam. A plaque on the wall read, “Where four Catholics are gathered, there is always a fifth” (and a six-pack as well). Coleene would don one of her many smart outfits (she was a “fashionista” who loved her clothes and shoes) and bustle about the kitchen, putting on a huge spread of food, with plenty of barbeque.

Coleene was never happier than when she was knee-deep in her flowers. She was a prolific gardener and turned every home she inhabited into a paradise. She made sure all cardinals, hummingbirds, and feral cats were taken care of as well. In the evening she would sit at her piano and play for her family. A self-taught musician, she could play almost any song by ear. She sang beautifully.

Coleene is mourned by the children she had with Dave: Mary (her husband Brad, their children Kara and Alea), Lori (her son Benson), and Lisa. Her daughter-in-law Patti, and Patti and Mike’s children Matthew, Alison and Samara, were always at her side. Frank’s entire family grieve her as well: Mark (his wife Brigid, their children Frank, Clare, Joe, Jack, and Bob), Denise (her husband Denny, their children Dean, Kristen, and Haley), and Sarah (her husband Paul, their children Luke, Danielle, and Elaina). Her grandchildren’s wives and husbands will also always remember her. In addition, Coleene had seven great-grandchildren who sadly will never fully bask in her love: Kara’s daughter Lila, Benson’s daughter Lorena, Frank Jr.’s daughters Ava and Libby, Kristen’s son Rudy and daughter Jaclyn, and Clare’s son Will.

A visitation, beginning at 9:30 AM with the Rosary, will be held on Tuesday, June 25 at St. Thomas More Catholic Church, followed by the funeral Mass at 11:00 AM, and interment at Mt. Olivet Cemetery. In lieu of flowers the family requests donations be made to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (afsp.org).