Roberta Jean Kester

Jean was born and grew up into a household in Des Moines on High Street with her mother Alberta, Grandmother Mary Ellen Rhodes and Step Grandfather. Growing up as the only child in the boarding house they owned and Jean, at a young age, helped manage the tenants. Learning at an early age about business practice that she maintained throughout her life and career.

Jean graduated from Des Moines Tech High School 1954 having studies in accounting, secretarial skill including full ShortHand. Her first job out of High School was with the downtown office of the Fuller Brush Co. It was there that Jean met a dashing handsome man, Raymond. Apparently the attraction was strongly mutual because on May 25, 1955 Jean married Raymond Lee Kester in Des Moines, Iowa.

Because Raymond had family in both Enid, Oklahoma and Pueblo, Colorado they decided to take a road trip for their honeymoon they drove to Colorado, seeing his Aunt Inez Hatch and her husband Hamar Hicks. That visit was the impetus for them to drive back to Des Moines, load up whatever belongings they had and move to Pueblo. Eventually buying a home on 2512 High Street. That became the start of the Kester family, Ray, Jr in July of 1957, Kenneth Earl November of 1960, moved from the small 2 bedroom to Greenwood Street in 1962 to be closer to school and more room for Daniel Martin in January of 1963.

The family rolled along with everyone doing the normal 60’s family life, Dad working, kids in school, and Jean running the household until 1969 when she jumped back in to banking at Park National Bank in the Belmont area of Pueblo.

Jean became heavily involved in wide variety of activities including as a member of the Colorado Civil Air Patrol, taking photography class, learning guitar and decades long participation in the Pueblo astronomy club, even building built her own large reflective telescope where all of the family took turns hand grinding the large reflective glass for the mirror at the kitchen table. Jean was an Early Adopter, latching on to the earliest available technologies. In the very early 1980s Jean had the first mobile actually luggable phone of anyone we ever knew and also was learning BASIC programming on her Ti-44 computer.

A new home in 1972 moving to Peakview Dr. in Pueblo’s North Ridge and the family was frequently camping in the mountains of Colorado, engaged in the cold high mountain air for dark night star photography.

Over the decades, banking was Jeans calling; and it had a few exciting moments when she was the branch Manager and had two armed bank robberies, one with shots fired (at the ceiling).

A turn in 1979 when her husband had a severe stroke changing lives in an instant. She and Raymond bought a single level home in Pueblo West where the changes were better accommodated prior to Raymond’s move to a more suitable care facility.

Jean continued her career with various financial banks, savings and loans in Pueblo, Colorado Springs and Canon City, working until she was in her early 80’s non-stop until Covid when her work at the YMCA finally brought that to a close.

Jean’s dedication to her son Kenneth was enduring as was his dedicated reciprocating attendance to her needs in later life made her later years more independent, just the way she wanted it.

It is never possible to capture the amount of dedication, devotion, sacrifice and thoughtful robust leadership that Jean brough to her family and her community. She will be greatly missed by all who knew her. The part rarely mentioned is the background influence and foundation that the next generations now stand on from her work in making new things happen in new ways. These are things that few can know, and nearly none comprehend.

We Love you Jean

The Kester family:

Sons: Raymond, Jr, Ken, Daniel, Step-Daughter, Juanita. Grandchildren; Alysha, David, Sara, Nathan, Samantha and Mallory.

Great Grandchildren; Hunter, Cassidy, Ada, Cory, Marcus.