Renee, 82, passed away after a brief illness on December 18, 2024 surrounded by her family.
The daughter of the late Michael and Theresa (nèe Gettan) Noufer, Dorothy (then called Dolly) was born and raised in Hubbard, Ohio. She earned her bachelor’s degree in business education and library science from Kent State University (later adding additional post-graduate classes to her resume). It was at Kent where she met her beloved husband of 60 years, James (Jim). They spent the early years of their marriage in Kent before moving to Westerville, Ohio.
When Renee became pregnant, she was forced to resign her classroom teaching position and spent the next several years at home raising their children, Eric, Jill, and Chad. Never one to sit still, she found time for jobs that she could do from home. She typed dissertations and theses for college students (at just 50 cents a page!), proofread and edited, wrote and published three resource books for K-12 school libraries, and transcribed cassette tapes for the Ohio Psychological Association. In 1979, after renewing her library certification, she worked in the Westerville School District as a librarian at Walnut Springs Middle School until she retired in 1998.
In 2001, they moved to Arvada, Colorado and made it their new home. They had visited frequently since Jim’s dad had lived in Westminster, her dear college friend Dody Jackson was here and her sons graduated from the University of Colorado in Boulder. Renee loved the purple mountains and abundant sunshine and with Jim they explored all the corners of the state. She missed the closeness of her friends and family but never the “gray Ohio weather.” They spent many evenings together watching the beautiful sunsets over the Flatirons and Long’s Peak from their back deck.
In retirement, Renee took a strong interest in genealogy and researched the family’s roots and met relatives on trips to Hungary, Romania, Ireland, and Scotland. Closer to home, upon learning that the Arvada Historical Society had moved into the McIlvoy House, she helped establish the new archives, creating and cataloging files on many of Arvada’s leading families. Over the course of the next fifteen years as a volunteer and a board member, she helped with various AHS events. She especially enjoyed working with Catherine Walter on the Christmas auction and with Anita Marcussen on AHS garden walks, cemetery and house tours, afternoon teas, and the Arvada Harvest Festival.
She also was a past-president and board member of the Broomfield Genealogy Society and member of the Boulder Genealogical Society, Westminster Historical Society and History Colorado. She enjoyed the excellent presentations at the Foothills Genealogical Society and recently attended the 100th anniversary of the Colorado Genealogy Society. As a member of WISE (Wales, Ireland, Scotland, England) Family History Society, she made two research trips to the LDS archives in Salt Lake City.
Beyond genealogy, she was a supporter of the cultural life of Denver. She and Jim volunteered as ushers at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts for a dozen years. She was a member of the Denver Art Museum and just last month she delighted in taking the whole family to the Maurice Sendak exhibit. She also was a member of the Denver Museum of Nature and Science and enjoyed the performances at the Arvada Center.
Renee and Jim enjoyed traveling and together they visited all 50 states and 30 countries. They loved going to concerts - Elton John, Neil Diamond, Billy Joel, Rod Stewart, Paul Simon and the Eagles being among their favorites. She was a voracious reader with a home library of over 2,000 paperbacks that she meticulously cataloged in a spreadsheet along with all the other books they read. She took great joy in gardening and loved getting her hands dirty planting and weeding in their home garden. With dear friends Lori and Louis Entenmann, they hit the circuit of summer church festivals and art fairs.
Above all, Renee delighted in the accomplishments of her children and lit up when talking about them. She loved visiting Crested Butte, Chicago, and Littleton to spend time together. She treasured time with the grandkids, never missing an opportunity to attend one of their sporting events. She took a genuine interest in others and loved meeting and truly getting to know new people. A friend of Renee was a friend for life. Sassy and funny, she loved fiercely, and maintained a positive attitude in the face of chronic illnesses.
Preceded in death by her brother Eugene Noufer, she is survived by her beloved husband Jim, her cherished children Eric (Luisa), Jill (David) Sullivan, Chad (Jenny), delightful grandkids (Max, Cecilia, Avery, and Emmy), many dear cousins including Cheri (Harold), Susie, Judy, Skeets as well as nieces and nephews. Special thanks to Dr. Stephanie Hess who was more like a daughter than just a caregiver.
A celebration of her wonderful life will be held in Denver in the spring. In lieu of flowers, donations to the https://arvadacenter.org/support-us/donate-now in Renee’s memory would be appreciated.
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