E. Colwell

E. Patricia Colwell passed away at her residence in Sun City, Arizona on July 6, 2014 after a long illness. Pat was born on January 17, 1928 in Bear Creek, Wisconsin to Alfred W. Johnson and Gladys McKenney Johnson-Pulzin. After completing high school she attended the University of Wisconsin before entering the work force in Milwaukee. Shortly thereafter she took to flying as a stewardess with TWA. In 1954 she left TWA to join the Associated Press in Chicago. However she soon went back to flying as a stewardess with United Airlines. All went well until January 19, 1955 when her plane, flight 329 crashed in a cornfield near Dexter, IA. The fuselage was split open in addition to other damage. Because of her performance immediately before, during, and after at the crash site and with the evacuation of all 39 passengers to Dexter she earned an Outstanding Stewardess Award at the UAL banquet during which she and the two pilots of 329 were honored and given bonuses. Some months later she met a friendly naval officer named Daniel L. Colwell. After a courtship involving a series of cross country flights, Pat via UAL and Dan via his squadron VAW-12 they were married in Rhode Island on January 24, 1956. That was the start of a wonderful marriage in which she was a very active partner and supportive wife during the next two Navy years, followed by the four years in England, Milwaukee and Denver involving the Thor and Titan missile systems with General Motors. Next, Pat again fully supported Dan during the sixteen management consultant years with Ernst & Ernst in Houston, Denver and Cleveland. It was during the 1962-1964 years in Houston that Richard B. Colwell was born and Pat added the most important role as a mother to her life, and she did it well. When Pat and Dan decided in 1978 that they wanted to return to Denver, they did so. Pat became a partner in Dan’s management consulting firm, and in addition started a secretarial firm of her own. All these activities continued until they both retired in 1996 and moved to Sun City. Thereafter, it was a relaxed, and well earned, life that included interesting travels and friends until such time she could no longer continue the pace due to illness. Pat was preceded in death by both parents, sisters Lois Lundt, Evelyn Eckert and Kathleen Johnson, and is survived by brother Dale Johnson. She is also survived by her husband of 58+ years Dan, son Rich and his wife Yvonne and daughters Renea, and Cara. A memorial service at Shepherd of the Hills United Methodist Church, Sun City West, Arizona will be followed by interment at Fort Logan National Cemetery in Denver, Colorado on a date yet to be scheduled. The family wishes to take this opportunity to express our thanks to all those at Hospice of the Valley for their professional care for Pat and guidance to Dan during the past months.