Vera Stafford

1940 - 2023

Stafford, Vera
Kay
9/11/1940 - 9/3/2023

Vera Kay Kirchmar Stafford lived a full life, with which she was very content. She passed from pancreatic cancer a year after diagnosis. She is preceded in death by her parents Carl and Vera Kirchmar, and her brother Larry Kirchmar. She is survived by her two children Melanie and Randy Stafford (and his wife Melissa) from her marriage to ex-husband Parker Stafford, by her three grandchildren Hannah Stafford, Carly Dixon, and Summer Stafford, and by her brother Buddy Kirchmar and their three younger sisters Barbara Shepard, Carol Holgate, and Mary Cox. She was born in Colorado Springs and moved around Colorado and Denver with her family before settling in Arvada and later in unincorporated south Jefferson County. Kay graduated from Arvada High School in 1958 as a Boettcher Scholar attending Colorado State University. After marrying Parker and raising two children, she completed a B.A. degree from CU in 1974 and Master of Library Science degree from DU in 1975. She worked as a manager of corporate records for Phillips Petroleum and Manville Services Corporation for a decade, then turned to public service as a Trustee of Jefferson County Public Libraries and board member of the Jefferson County Library Foundation. Kay was an avid golfer, winning multiple championships at Red Rocks Country Club and serving on the CWGA board. She is remembered as a very generous mother and grandmother, and a very dear and intelligent friend by her book and Spanish clubs. A well-traveled person, Kay had visited all seven continents. She was a voracious reader, and volunteered for several humanitarian organizations, motivated by her interest in social justice. Kay is loved and missed by many.