Mary Arris Obituary

Mary Annis (Roberts) Arris 1931-2025
Mary Annis Arris passed into Spirit aged 94 on June 6, 2025 in Wheat Ridge, Colorado after a long and fulfilling life. Born April 18, 1931, in Norwalk, Connecticut, Mary was the oldest child of Elliott and Elizabeth (Gilman) Roberts. Mary attended Cornell University (Ithaca, New York) and joined the Chi Omega sorority, graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Home Economics in January 1952. One of her treasured memories of her time there was meeting the renowned naturalist Roger Tory Peterson.
After obtaining a teaching certificate from Adelphi College in New York later that spring, Mary took a job teaching kindergarten in Coronado, California, where she met her future husband, Wayne Frank Arris. After a year in California, Mary and Wayne were married in Westport, Connecticut on July 3, 1954. They lived in Massachusetts for a few years, but Mary had become enamored with Colorado, and in late 1959 Mary and Wayne moved there and started a family, which grew to include Lelani and Mindi. They built a house near Bergen Park with a view of the Continental Divide where Mary lived until 1986.
Mary left teaching temporarily to raise her girls but managed to complete a Master of Arts in Guidance Counselling at the University of Colorado in 1965. In 1972, she returned to teaching; first with home-bound students in the mountain areas of Jefferson County while she continued to study, receiving a Master of Arts in Special Education from the University of Northern Colorado in 1975. In 1988 she completed a third Master of Arts degree in Applied Psychology from the University of Santa Monica. She taught at various Denver area schools and finished her career teaching special education at Morey Junior High in inner city Denver, retiring from this extremely challenging position in June 1992.
After her divorce in 1972, most of the responsibility of raising her daughters fell on Mary, and she rose to the occasion with her adventurous spirit, touring and camping with them all over the southwest and going on multi-day backpacking trips in the Colorado mountains. She was the epitome of the strong, independent woman and served as an amazing role model for her daughters. Mary was a passionate and prolific photographer who documented her family's lives and the world around her, leaving a treasure trove of memories. She loved all kinds of music and was an avid birder and nature watcher.
Mary was always seeking something more from life, and in 1977 she found a lifelong spiritual home with the Movement of Spiritual Inner Awareness (MSIA). She made many lifelong friends through MSIA, was ordained as a minister in 1982, and spent the rest of her life practicing spiritual principles and spreading love and light to those around her.
In 1993, Mary welcomed two step-granddaughters, Nikki and Veronica, into her life. A few years later, in 1997, her granddaughter Rebecca was born, and she made several visits to remote British Columbia, Canada where Lelani lived to help out with the new baby. In 2000, Mindi, who stayed in Colorado, gave her another granddaughter, Alina, who brought even more joy to her life. While her granddaughters were growing up, Mary's family rented a house in Colorado each summer, coming from across the continent to reconnect. And even when they were far away and she could no longer travel, Mary made sure to stay connected with the lives of her granddaughters.
Mary lived for several years on Lookout Mountain, several more years at Bergen Village, and moved to MorningStar of Wheat Ridge in 2016. While her body aged, Mary's mind remained sharp and full of love and humor to the end. She made many good friends at MorningStar, sharing her stories and her love with everyone who knew her, and she will be sorely missed.
Mary was preceded in death by her brother, Lawrence Roberts. She is survived by her sister Ruth Esther Bennett; her daughters Lelani (David) Arris and Aminda (Rory) Ramig; granddaughters Nicole Lund, Veronica (Trevor) Kelson, Rebecca (Trevor) Bizicki and Alina (Cameron) Podd; and three great-grandchildren. Mary's memory will be lovingly carried on by her family, who were the heart of her life. Her family is profoundly grateful to the staff of MorningStar of Wheat Ridge and Bloom Hospice for the loving and professional care she received from everyone there.
A memorial service will be held in September. Donations in Mary's name can be made to Mount Evans Hospice (Evergreen) or the Birds of Prey Foundation (Broomfield).