Henrietta Hay

She is survived by her children, John (wife, Ruth Murphy) and David (wife, Jolanta Hay); grandchildren, Ian Hay, Pamela Hay Sharp (husband, Paul Sharp), and Bob Hay (wife, Lauren Feldman Hay); and four great-grandchildren.

A resident of Grand Junction since 1945, she was a weekly columnist for the Daily Sentinel from 1988 through 2010, entertaining, informing, and occasionally annoying the residents of the Western Slope. Her son Dave organized and posted her columns at https://www.davehay.com/henrietta/. She was a broadcaster on Grand Junction radio stations in the 1940s and 1960s, and was a librarian at the Mesa County Public Library for more than 25 years. She was one of the founders of the Western Slope chapter of the National Organization for Women and served on the Colorado Women’s Rights Commission, and was active in women’s rights issues throughout her life. She was particularly proud of her letter “C,” which was denied her when she graduated from the University of Colorado in 1934 because women did not get varsity athletic letters at that time, but which she finally received in the early 2000s when the University retroactively awarded them to female athletes from earlier years.

Her family specifically acknowledges and thanks her friends, Terry Pickens and Lorraine Jensen, for all the love, care, and assistance they have given her throughout the years. We would also like to thank the staff of The Commons, where she lived from 2004 through 2019; the caregivers at HopeWest, who looked after her for the past few years; and those at La Villa Grande Care Center, where she lived for the past year.

There will be no services at this time. Donations in memory of Henrietta Hay can made at: www.HopeWestCO.org or mailed to HopeWest, 3090B N. 12th St., Grand Junction, CO 81506. A celebration of her life will be held as soon as it is safe to do so.