Audrey Lucille (Stumph) McConnell
Marriages
John McConnell - September 3, 1950
Obituaries
The Daily Sentinel page 7C - November 6, 2022
Audrey Lucille Stumph-McConnell was born
May 20, 1930 to Phillip
and Getrude(Dunmire)
Stumph in Blairsville,
Pennsylvania. She was
one of nine children.
Her mother Gertrude passed away when she was nine
years old, and in 1941 her father along with Audrey,
her younger sister, Alma and brother, Frank moved to
Canon City, Colorado for his health. Audrey passed
away at home with John at her side October 13 while
under the wonderful care of HopeWest Hospice, and
Columbine Caregivers.
She attended school in Canon City, and in high school
was active in dance, band, and ROTC. She graduated
from Canon City High School in 1949. She met John
McConnell, the love of her life in the fall of 1949, and
they were married September 3, 1950 at Christ Episcopal
Church in Canon City. They moved to Craig, Colorado
where John was employed by the Colorado State Patrol
until he entered the United States Air Force in January
1951. Upon being assigned to Forbes Air Force Base in
Topeka, Kansas, Audrey joined him. She worked for the
Hallmark Card manufacturing facility there until the
birth of their son Gary in August of 1953. John finished
his service time, then completed his degree in Physics
at Washburn University in 1960.
Audrey and John moved to Ames, Iowa after graduation
where John was employed by Ames Laboratory at Iowa
State University. They were active in St. John’s by the
Campus Episcopal Church, and Audrey worked as a
buyer in the offices of J.C. Penney until they moved
to Los Alamos, New Mexico in 1974. There she was
employed as the head of the teller department of the Los
Alamos Credit Union until she and John retired in 1990.
Retirement brought Audrey and John into a new arena
of joy, that of volunteering and working with kids.
They moved from Los Alamos, NM to Grand Junction
in November of 1990. Audrey began volunteering at
Wingate Elementary School, and John began doing
hands-on science with kids. John coined the program
SITHOK(Science In The Hands Of Kids).
The fall of 1992 brought an exciting day for Audrey
when John brought home a little third grade boy named
Ryan Patterson who wanted to stay home from school
and build his robots. It was but the first day of years
he was to come as John mentored him. She was his
supporter rooting him on in five years of science fair
competition, tailoring his clothes through his winning
all the science competitions in the country, $500,000
in cash and scholarships plus a week in Sweden at the
Nobel Awards. She packed his suitcases and got him
ready for the Sweden trip because his parents had
not arrived home from his latest competition. He was
definitely a huge joy in her life. That relationship with
he and his family has continued.
Audrey and John’s lives continued on a path of more
involvement with kids and hands-on science both
locally and on the road out of the trunk of their car. She
loved the mentoring relationship of three more students
Derek Vigil locally, Cole Harding in Denver, and Zina
Lahr in Ouray. They often heard the statement, “What
happened to the golden years”. They felt they were
living theirs with the help of kids.
In 1999 and 2000 things were changing, students
could come to them to do hands-on science, first a
room at Wingate Elementary, then the New Emerson
School. In the summer of 1999 they began building
what would be the John McConnell Math & Science
Center, a hands-on center in 6000 square feet of space
given by the School District. They were there without
major funding or an organization, like a mom and
pop center. Through the two of them they found like
minded volunteers and funds and material from various
companies, and individuals. It opened to the public in
January 2000 with 160 displays. John was the director,
but there was Audrey pushing things along and working
many 80 hour weeks. They directed it as volunteers with
another 60-80 volunteers to host thousands of students
and visitors until 2009 when a paid director was hired.
That action freed Audrey and John up to provide an
outreach program to schools in different areas of the
state. It was on the road again. They were 80 years old
and married for 60 years. Audrey was really up for it.
They had a new all wheel drive van with a wrap on it
spelling out SITHOK(Science In The Hands Of Kids).
They would leave home on Sunday and go to a town or
area and stay a week going into every classroom to do
different hands-on science activities. Audrey loved it,
students would come up to her in the hallway and say,
“Mrs. McConnell, this is the best day of my life.” For
Audrey this meant the world. They carried this out for
two years seeing thousands of kids.
It was a huge joy to Audrey and John when the Math &
Science Center as a non-profit moved to a new building
on the Colorado Mesa University to be known as
EUREKA! McConnell Science Museum. This brought
her so much pride and joy.
Audrey is survived by her husband, John of 72 years;
son, Gary (Peggy) of Ames, Iowa, two grandchildren,
seven great grandchildren, and thousands of kids whose
lives she touched.
Services will be held at St. Matthews Episcopal
Church, 3888 27 1/2 Road, Grand Junction on 12
November at 2:00 PM. In lieu of flowers memorial
contributions can be made to HopeWest Hospice,
3090 N. 12th Street, Grand Junction, CO 81506 and/or
Eureka Science Museum, 1400 North 7th Street, Grand
Junction, CO 81501.
