GRETCHEN GOODWIN
1977 - 2003

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BY KIM GOODWIN FLYNN

(Gretchen’s Proud Mom)

Third Anniversary, Memorialized in True Gretchen Style, November 1, 2006

Gretchen's service was held in Denver at the Unitarian Universalist Church on November 6, 2003. Eighty-five percent of the service was her family and friends sharing memories about her.

One in particular was from a friend from as far back as elementary school. Emily shared with the 400+ people in attendance that she always carried an extra pair of underpants in her backpack because she new that if she was with Gretchen she would laugh until, "I peed my pants.” Another friend, Miwa, shared the memory of a particular day in college when she was stressed about an upcoming exam. She called Gretchen and asked for help. Gretchen dropped everything, went to Miwa's apartment, listened to Miwa's troubles and then simply stated "Miwa, you just need to grow your bangs out." The point being that life is way too important to stress THAT BAD . . .

That is the way Gretchen lived. She majored in fine arts at CU Boulder, with an emphasis on oil painting. She was a snowboard medalist, silver and bronze in Women's Nationals at Mammoth Mountain, California. Gretchen traveled with her boyfriend to Central and South America, hiking the Inca Trail during rainy season to the ruins of Machu Pichu as monkeys threw fruit at them! She connected people who didn't know each other and enabled them to begin friendships that lasted. She loved her family, took the time to do simple things like talking to her younger brother's third grade class about snowboarding AND shopping with her two youngest brothers for Halloween, three days before she died. She went as the "Pink Lady" from the movie "Grease." She knew the words to "The Blues Brothers” and "The Rocky Horror Picture Show," thanks to her awesome dad. She was not a wealthy young woman due to her travel and snowboarding habit, but she managed to live life as though she were the wealthiest person in the world . . . and we believe she was, yet not as wealthy as we are for having her. Gretchen always shared the wealth she had, as you will see in the photos.

We miss her so much--she was the sun, and I think she has something to do with the arrangements of the clouds each and every day. And because of that, I look up daily. If there are clouds in our blue Colorado sky, I smile and say, "Nice, Gretchen.”