Mickey Zay Obituary

Zay
Mickey Zay
January 4, 1943
August 22, 2022

Mickey Zay, beloved mother, grandmother, sister, wife, daughter, generous friend and loving soul, passed away on August 22, 2022, at the age of 79. Born Eileen Ann Donovan in St. Louis, Missouri, to Robert and Agnes Donovan, she entered a convent at age 13, and taught elementary school as a Franciscan nun. She left the religious life and met the love of her life, John. They were married and moved to Colorado, where they raised three children. Mickey was a devoted homemaker and worked as an elementary school secretary. Mickey and John followed their dream to build an off-grid dome house in the mountains as they retired. The endeavor led to John's death in 2004 and Mickey later began working at the John Zay Guest House at Penrose hospital. Here, she met and touched the lives of many people, as she did throughout her life. Over the past 3 years, she struggled with the painful effects of a long bout with Crohn's disease, and is now finally free from pain. Her courage, spirituality, and loving kindness were inspirational to so many. She was preceded in death by her parents, husband, and brother Tim. She will be forever missed and loved by her children, Jessica, Jonathan (Kristin), and Matthew (Barbara), siblings Patricia (John), Maureen (Rick), and David (Diana), grandchildren Gabriel, Juniper, Orion, Randall, and Frederick, nephew Sean and nieces Clara and Cynthia. She loved nature, hiking, traveling, cooking, playing games, reading to her grandchildren, and spending time with family and good friends. A service will be held on Saturday, September 24th, at 10:00 am, at Benet Hill Monastery in Colorado Springs.