Jaci Howard

Jacquelyn "Jaci" Jule Howard, age 65, of Greenwood Village, Colorado passed away far too young on June 28th, 2018 following a hard-fought battle with poor health. She held on long enough to enjoy the first 3 1/2 years with her grandson, Maddox. Jaci was born April 6, 1953. She is preceded in death by her parents, LaVon (Booth) and Donald Milne. Jaci is survived by her daughter, Gentry (Travis) Taylor of Centennial, CO; her sons, Matthew (Jenny) Howard of Centennial, CO and Chad (Mars) Howard of Englewood, CO; grandson, Maddox Howard; and other loving family and friends.

Jaci was born in Big Sky Country in Montana, a place that always had a special place in her heart. She moved to Colorado when she was very young and considered it her true home. She caught the travel bug early on when she studied abroad in Italy during college to become a teacher. While she changed careers to become a stay at home mom with the birth of her first child, she never stopped being an educator to those around her and never stopped seeking knowledge for herself.

She had three very active children - Gentry, Matt and Chad. She somehow managed to attend almost all sporting events (swim team, soccer, baseball, hockey, football, basketball, lacrosse) as well as school events, concerts and a ton of other activities while still making a wonderful home. An adventurous and passionate cook, Jaci taught her children how important it was to learn to cook and have family meals.

Jaci loved to travel but one of her favorite places to visit was Disney World. She took her children many different times throughout the years, and was able to take her grandson Maddox there for the first time last fall. A memory we'll all cherish for the rest of our lives.

We'll miss her, along with all the things we had hoped to be able to do with her in the upcoming years. We will cherish the memories we had growing up, the trips we took, the times we laughed, and the times we cried. Each one of us had the fortune to introduce her to the loves of our lives, and know she was happy for us. Over the last two years we were blessed to have her be a huge part of Maddox's life, as a babysitter and playmate... his Mima will always be close to his heart.

We will love her forever, and take comfort knowing she is now back in the arms of our grandma LaVon. We will continue on with her traditions of love, compassion, adventure and growth within our own families.

Gentry and Travis Taylor, Matt, Jenny and Maddox Howard, and Chad and Mars Howard.

We love you more...

A Memorial Service will be held at 1:00 pm, Sunday, July 22, 2018 at Olinger Chapel Hill Mortuary, 6601 S Colorado Blvd, Centennial, CO 80121, followed immediately by a Celebration of Life Reception at the Olinger Chapel Hill Cemetery Pavilion.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in Jaci's name to Denver Dumb Friends League, 2080 S Quebec St, Denver, CO 80231, www.ddfl.org or to Denver Rescue Mission, 6100 Smith Road, Denver, CO 80216, www.denverrescuemission.org.