Mary Jane Gearhart

Mary Jane Gearhart

Mary Jane Gearhart, 89, passed away on January 26, 2022, at the home of her daughter, Connie Deahl Smith, in Pueblo West, CO. She was born on October 12, 1932, the youngest of seven children, to Sam and Mollie Allen of Higbee, CO.

Mary Jane loved her childhood in the hills, mesas and rim-rock country of Higbee, CO. She graduated as salutatorian from La Junta High School at the age of 16 and started her career at the Colorado Bank and Trust (CB&T) in La Junta, CO, shortly thereafter. Mary Jane married George Ed Deahl in 1951 and started her family. By the time her four children were all in school, Mary Jane returned to work at the Colorado Bank and Trust, obtaining a banking degree with the Colorado Graduate School of Banking in 1982 and continuing to work at CB&T until she retired in 2002 as Compliance Officer and Auditor for the bank. She continued to work part-time for the bank as a consultant for several years following her retirement.

Mary Jane was an avid fan of the Denver Broncos and the Colorado Rockies, attending games whenever she could and visiting the Rockies’ Spring Training Camp in Scottsdale, AZ on several occasions. She was a life-long member of the Higbee Get Together Club. She was a life-long member of the United Methodist Church as well as a member of the La Junta Chapter of the Order of Eastern Star for several years, during which time she held the office of Past Worthy Matron, as well as other offices. Mary Jane also enjoyed buck-skinning with her second husband, Gus Gearhart. She attended buck-skinning rendezvous activities throughout Colorado and in several other states for many years. Mary Jane also enjoyed hunting deer and antelope with family and friends. On one hunting trip to Wyoming with her son, she dropped an antelope with a .243 bullet right through the heart. In more recent years, Mary Jane wrote and self-published a collection of children’s stories, titled Rock House Stories, regarding the different pets she had during her life.

While Mary Jane could be dignified and graceful when the situation called for it, she could also surprise people with her funny side—case in point: who remembers a Santa Fe Trail Days parade where she dressed as the “Leader of the Pack” revving up and riding a tricycle for the entire parade route? Mary Jane will also be remembered for her unfailing, always patient—and often anonymous—acts of kindness and inclusion for people she loved. Perhaps most of all, Mary Jane will be remembered for her beautiful and genuine smile that could light up any room.

Mary Jane is survived by her children, Charles Ed Deahl (Tina) of Shellsburg, IA; Linda Deahl Jones (Mike Dunlap) of Cocoa Beach, FL; and Connie Deahl Smith (Herb) of Pueblo West, CO; her stepchildren Tamera Gearhart Kempton, Jace Gearhart and Tim Gearhart and their families; her grandchildren, CJ Jones (Greg Estep), Ryan Walters, Travis Jones (Shelly), Darald Smith (Melissa and daughters Natalie, Adalynn and Aurora), Levi Smith, Molly Walters Clark (Alex) and Mackenzie Deahl; 3 great grandchildren, numerous nieces and nephews, as well as numerous lifelong friends, including a special mention to Linda Scott and her sons, Sean, Michael and Brian. Mary Jane was preceded in death by her parents; her siblings (Jim, David, Johnny, Barbara, Margaret and Frances); her nephew Robert Allen Jones; her daughter Margaret Deahl Walters; her first husband George Ed Deahl and her second husband Gus Gearhart.

Funeral service for Mary Jane will be held on Wednesday, February 2nd at 10:00 am, at the United Methodist Church in La Junta, with the Reverend Lynn Tabb officiating. Interment will follow at the Higbee Cemetery.

Please make donations to your favorite charity in remembrance of Mary Jane.

Online condolences may be made at www.PeacockFH.com. Peacock-Larsen Funeral Home & Arkansas Valley Crematory is in charge of arrangements.