Life is, after all, a circle. Connie Zendron’s first marriage ended in divorce. Her second left her a widow. In 2004, she married Ron Zendron and gained two adult daughters — but all four in this newly forged family had known each other for decades.
Connie and Ron had been longtime friends, going back to when they were just starting out in grade school in Boulder. Ron passed Connie a note in first grade asking her to be his girlfriend. She passed a note back and said yes. They went to dances together in middle school and at Jefferson High.
Connie was well known in Boulder, working at the Windsor Bar, the Boulder Medical Clinic and the Boulder Basin Senior Center, and for Jefferson County, to name a few. She operated The Hair Depot with her sister Shirley, beautifying Boulder residents a snip and a perm at a time — including both of us, then young children, who years later would become her daughters.
Connie was a member of a bowling team with her Boulder friends. For decades, they traveled by van and plane to tournaments across the country. We know shenanigans were had, but only those involved know the details; what happened on bowling trips, stayed on bowling trips.
A friendship was formed when a request for help was answered. Chad and Terri “Sis” McFadden were looking for help watching their son Zach. Connie and her then husband Glade answered the call. They became like family, and that bond lasted the rest of Connie’s life.
With the birth of Lucas, Angie’s son, Connie became a grandma, a role she was clearly meant to fill. She always asked after her grandson in the same manner, “How’s our boy?!” They spent hours together making forts in the living room, but their favorite pastime was sitting in the recliner, Lucas in Connie’s lap, both eating chips. Carefully comparing each chip to see who got the biggest as they belly laughed at silly cartoons.
Connie was born on Thanksgiving Day in 1947. (Possibly connected, at least that’s what we like to think, there was an earthquake during the early morning hours on the day of her arrival.) She died on March 27 of this year. In between, she was a loving sister to Jim, Shirley, Danny, Donna, Doug and Debbie; a doting aunt; and a trusted friend to too many to list here. She was loved throughout the Boulder community and beyond. She appreciated a good joke, a cold beer, a tight hug and a peck on the cheek. She will be deeply missed.
Sharing the life of a loved one in a short essay is a monumental task. The memories we keep closest all demonstrate Connie’s love of life, her love of family, her kind heart, her beautiful smile and boisterous laugh. How lucky were we to have someone who has made saying goodbye so hard.
