MARY KRAFT
Marriages
DEAN KRAFT
Obituaries
Grand Junction Daily Sentinel page 6B - July 31, 2003
Vail Daily page A9 - July 30, 2003
Mary Walsh Kraft, 1961-2003
Long-time local Mary Walsh Kraft passed away Saturday in Montrose after a brief illness.
Mary moved to Vail in 1987 from Cohasset, Mass., where she grew up. She worked in the restaurant business at Blu's, The Cook Shack, and the Ore House for 9 years. In 1994, Mary pursued her dream of becoming a nurse by commuting to nursing school at Mesa State in Grand Junction.
Mary graduated in 1996 and began working at Healthy Beginnings, a prenatal clinic, in Glenwood Springs. Her last two years in the Vail Valley were spent at Eagle County Public Health in Avon as a county health nurse.
Mary initially came to Vail to be with her beloved husband, Dean Kraft. Dean and Mary loved the valley and the lifestyle it afforded. Mary, an outstanding athlete, loved to ski, mountain bike and hike, but one of her most avid desires was to have children. In 1999, Mary and Dean experienced a wonderful change in their lives with the birth of their first son, Colin Kraft. A year later, Mary and Dean moved to Ridgeway, where their second son, Tyler Kraft, was born. They continued to visit Vail and the many friends they left behind.
Mary was a person whose daily action embodied the very essence of kindness, goodness and compassion. Her generosity of spirit was larger than the universe. As a friend or sibling, she infused you with her sense of fun, adventure and discovery, and her loyalty ran deeply. As a wife, she wholly filled Dean's heart and life. As a mother, she loved with every fiber of her being.
Losing a woman like Mary somehow diminishes our world, as well as leaves us, as the people who knew her with a wrenching void in our hearts and lives. However, she touched countless people with her warmth and love, and those lives will always be so enriched for having known her. Her dedication and commitment to her family, her friends and her community will continue to inspire us all.
Good journey, Mary. Words cannot begin to describe how much you will be missed. We will hold the memories close. Go with peace and love.
There will be a memorial service for Mary at the town park in Ridgeway on Sunday at 11 a.m. Memorial contributions for the education of Colin and Tyler Kraft can be made to the Kraft Family Fund at First Bank of Avon.
