Leah Jean "Jeanie" (Quinn) Thomas
Marriages
Chuck
Obituaries
Grand Junction Daily Sentinel page 3D Obituary - November 19, 2017
Jeanie Thomas
Jeanie Thomas passed to her next life on November 10, 2017. She died peacefully at HopeWest Hospice in the presence of family. Born Leah Jean Quinn, she was born in Crawford, NE and raised by her parents, Howard and Olive Quinn in Chadron, NE. As a teenager, she worked with her older brother Jim in the familyowned creamery. After high school, she moved to Denver to pursue a career as a professional musician. She lived with her soonto-be sister-in-law Jeanne Clarke. It was in Denver that she met her husband Chuck. They had no children together, and she was a step-mother to Dr. Charles Thomas (deceased). The couple performed as the Charles Thomas Duo and toured the Midwest playing at summer resorts, dinner-dance clubs, and private events. They settled in Grand Junction. Jeanie and Chuck became popular performers at many local venues. For many years, Jeanie played organ during the JUCO baseball games. She delivered singing telegrams for birthdays, anniversaries, and special events; her original lyrics delighted the songs’ recipients. Jeanie taught tap and ballroom dancing, and, for 20 years, she and Chuck were the founders and directors of the Grand Junction Dance Club. For many years, and within weeks of her death, she played regularly for the weekly meetings of local Rotary and Kiwanis clubs. A seeker of spiritual truth, Jeanie was a member of both Unity of Grand Junction Church and Unity of Grand Valley Church. Jeanie was optimistic and enthusiastic, and she greatly valued her many friendships. She loved to laugh and to make people happy with her music. She was always game to try new experiences; she was one of the first female private pilots. She loved parties and any fun event qualified as a "happening". Raised as a Catholic during the Great Depression, she was a loyal and loving family member and friend, and she lived her life with gratitude. In 2009, Jeanie Thomas was deeply honored to be recognized by the Women’s Foundation of Colorado as "Woman of the Year". She was an active volunteer with HopeWest Hospice. Jeanie Thomas will be remembered with fondness, a smile, and the recalled tune of an uplifting lyric. Jeanie is survived by her sister, Helen (Richard) Sweeney of Grand Junction, and her brother, Jim (Jeanne) Quinn of Arvada, Colorado; six nieces; one nephew; six grand-nieces and nine grand-nephews. Memorial contributions may be made in Jeanie’s name to HopeWest, 3090B N 12th Street, Grand Junction, 81506; Chuck and Jeanie Thomas Scholarship Fund, CMU Foundation, 1100 N. Avenue, Grand Junction 81501, or Kiwanis Grand Junction, PO Box 1377, Grand Junction, 81502. Memorial services will be scheduled at a later date.
