Ann Ellen Capodanno

Born in Somerville, MA to an Irish mother and Italian father, Ann was the middle child of three. She graduated from St. Joseph’s High School at 17 and earned her RN from Carney Hospital soon after. By her early 20s, she was already the youngest head nurse on a 40-bed ward at Massachusetts General Hospital - a sign of the drive and determination that would define her life.

In 1961, to her mother’s endless delight, Ann married Jerry Sullivan, the Irishman from Kansas she’d fallen for - and in the historic “Third Big Snow” blizzard that buried Boston under 14.5” of snow, no less. After a honeymoon in Montreal, CN (where ironically there was no snow for their ski trip) and a few years living in Harvard Square, they voyaged across the Atlantic on a steamship to sample living in Europe. Two children were born in The Hague, one in Boston, one in Paris, and one in Virginia, as they moved back and forth across the Atlantic before settling down in Bethesda, MD to raise this busy family. With five young children in tow, Ann navigated not just airports and foreign cities but the evolving roles of women and mothers in a changing world.

Never one to settle into convention, Ann was a remarkable advocate for women’s rights and a role model for women of all ages. With the support of her progressive-minded husband and the challenges of 5 young children only 6 years apart, she went back to her maiden name and completed a Masters of Psychology degree from Antioch College in the 1970s. Following this newly channeled passion, she worked for 6 years as Associate Director at the Psychiatric Institute of Washington (D.C.) and for 9 years as a Senior Consultant promoting process improvement at Medlantic Healthcare Group’s Washington Hospital Center. Throughout it all, she stayed close with her siblings - organizing road trips to Boston and beach escapes to Cape Cod - and cultivated a life rooted in both connection and purpose.

In 1991, with the youngest kid off to college, Ann and Jerry relocated to Boulder, CO where she spent the rest of her life enjoying the state’s stunning scenery, progressive culture, and year-round outdoor lifestyle. Despite workaholic tendencies, upon arrival Ann took a 6-month break from employment to explore her new college-town nestled up against the picturesque Flatirons mountains…and fell deeply in love with the change of lifestyle. Loved sitting in bookstore cafes sipping coffee. Loved weekly visits to garden nurseries. Loved skiing the slopes of Summit County. Her personalized license plate reads “MTN ANI.” In 1996, her daughter nominated Ann for induction into the "Plaza of Heroines" (tinyurl.com/AnnCapodanno) at Iowa State University and she is now honored there along with 4,000 other women for notable impact on their families, communities, and society.

Then, at 60, Ann would say she landed the best job of her life - as Oncology Program Manager at the University of Colorado Hospital. For 12 years she collaborated as a peer with CU Cancer Center oncologists to enroll and track their patients in clinical trial protocols, bringing both rigor and heart to this work. The last phase of Ann’s life included nearly 2 decades of volunteering at community service organizations, tutoring adult ESL students visiting from around the world, and teaching her grandkids to ski.

Ann was a voracious reader of books, magazines, and newspapers - reading a book a week in her last 5 years of life and right up until the day she died. She loved baking, going to the theatre and the gym, riding her bike, and trips to the local public library. She never lost her Boston accent, and her kids (and grandkids) never tired of poking fun at her for it. She is survived by her 5 kids; Daniel, Moira (Lance), Douglas (Carolyn), Neil (Connie) and Gianna (Annette) - 4 of whom live in Colorado within a 30-minute drive from her home, a gift she treasured deeply. Ann saw each of her 11 grandchildren - Connor, Cody, Chaney, Carly, Caelan, Porter, Egan, Naomi, Piper, Menbere & Maregu - graduate high school, after attending countless numbers of their academic and extracurricular activities. Those who knew her, are left with a lifetime of memories from her long and adventurous journey. To share memories of Ann, please write to: [email protected].

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Emergency Family Assistance Association (Boulder), InterCambio (Boulder), or the Sister Carmen Community Center (Lafayette).

A celebration of life will be held 08/02/25 @ 1-5pm (671 Brennan Circle, Erie CO 80516).

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.howemortuary.com for her loving family.