Beloved mother, grandmother, aunt, sister, wife and friend, Joan Lee (Owens) Eakins, 88, of Aurora, Colo., formerly of Gerald, passed peacefully after a brief illness Saturday, Jan. 6, 2024, at Advanced Health Care.
She was born Nov. 16, 1935, to Herbert and Lillian Owens in St. Louis.
She was raised in Gerald, and graduated from Union High School in 1954. She attended the University of Missouri where she was a member of the ZTA sorority. She moved with her family to Denver, Colo. in 1955. She worked for the Martin Marietta Company and then Broyles Allebaugh and Davis as an accounts clerk. Joan also volunteered her time working with the Colorado Democratic Party and was an active member of the Colorado Historical Society.
Later in life Ms. Eakins followed her dream of completing her college education and graduated with honors from the University of Colorado Denver in 1988 with a Bachelor in Anthropology.
She used this degree as a volunteer at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science and various anthropological projects around the southwest United States, as the cultivation of the Indigenous American culture and history was a life-long passion. She was an avid world traveler, always enjoying experiencing other cultures and countries. She was an active member of The Red Hat Society and the Shenandoah Garden Club. She loved gardening and pursued that interest even further by becoming a State Certified Master Gardener where she volunteered her time with the Colorado State Extension Office.
She was preceded in death by husband, George Eakins; brother, Jack Owens; brother-in-law, Jack Eakins; and son-in-law, Paul Cole.
Joan is survived by children, Jana Cole, Christopher (Carole) Moulton, and Ann (Chris) Prince; brother, Dennis (Lynn) Owens; sisters-in-law, Margaret Owens and Pat Eakins; and seven grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.
Memorial suggested to be made in name of Joan Eakins to Gateway Domestic Violence Services and/or the Denver Rescue Mission.
