Martha "Sandy" McKenney

Martha McKenney passed peacefully at home Sunday, December 1, 2024 with family by her side. She is survived by her daughter Jeanette and son-in law Arnold Gutierrez in Brighton, Colorado, and 3 sons – Randy, Glenn and Evan residing in New York. She enjoyed spending time with her 6 grandchildren and 13 great grandchildren and nieces and nephews in Colorado.

Martha’s journey began in Paonia, CO in 1937. She graduated from Paonia, H.S. in 1955. After graduation she moved to Denver, CO and began working at the telephone company. She met her first husband at the roller skating rink in Denver. They were married and her and Arthur moved to Topeka, KS where their first son was born. When Arthur left the Air Force they moved to New York to be near his relatives.

In New York they continued to grow their family with a daughter followed by twin boys. Many happy years were spent in New York with the children visiting grandparents and aunts and uncles over the summers and holidays. In 1968 they bought their first house in Rhinebeck, NY and settled in there for several years.

In 1979 Martha decided to move back to Colorado with the children to be near her aging mother and siblings. She worked a few years at the Rocky Mountain News as a programmer. Then she took a position with Dillon Companies until her retirement in 2000 as a Sr Systems Programmer.

She travelled to many tropical locations in her retirement years. She went scuba diving in Palau, the Cayman Islands and finally settled on a vacation home in Roatan, Honduras.

She also enjoyed several years reading a variety of books with a ladies book club group. She met some great people and made some lifetime friends.

In 2022 due to declining health, she decided to move in with her daughter and son-in-law, where she remained until her passing. She spent many holidays, birthdays and graduations with her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren in Colorado.

We will miss her dearly, but know she is in a better place.

Her daughter

Jeanette Gutierrez

Martha wanted to support the American Cancer Society. Please go to this website to donate and check the box next to “I want to dedicate my donation” and fill out the dedication information on the form to honor Martha McKenney.

https://donate.cancer.org/Memorial/Donation