Mary Lemoine

1933 - 2025

Mary Lee Lemoine, beloved wife, mother, and treasured member of the Hotchkiss community, passed away peacefully on October 9, 2025.
Born in Flemington, Missouri, Mary Lee spent her early years in Brush, Colorado, and later Cheyenne, Wyoming. On September 17, 1951, she married William P. Lemoine Jr., in Cheyenne. She became a military officer's wife, traveling with him for the next 20 years. Among other places, she spent seven years in Germany during two separate tours learning the language and traveled to surrounding countries when time allowed. Later, they returned to Fairfax, Virginia prior to Mr. Lemoine's retirement in 1970.
In 1969, Mary Lee and her husband purchased a ranch in Hotchkiss, Colorado. Her husband left for a year-long tour of duty in Vietnam while Mary Lee continued to raise their three children and learned the nuances of ranching, irrigation matters and animal husbandry in his absence. She and her husband made Hotchkiss their home from 1969 to 2021, celebrating nearly 70 years of marriage. After the passing of her husband, Mary Lee moved to Crossroads Memory Care in Delta, Colorado.
William P. and Mary Lee Lemoine raised three children and shared in the daily work and quiet rewards of military life and later running their ranch. She also a skilled ranch hand, saving countless lambs and calves over the years. She loved being outdoors and had a strength that is common to ranch women both emotionally and physically. She also enjoyed painting and doing pastel art pieces that she gifted to friends and family.
In her later years, Mary Lee's sense of purpose extended beyond the ranch. She was a creative seamstress and a talented culinary artist. In her 50s, Mary Lee spontaneously rented a small retail shop in downtown Hotchkiss. That store, Jay Creek, Ltd. grew into a popular and successful gift shop. It was a warm and welcoming place that reflected her creativity and care for others. Locals and visitors alike remember it fondly as a space filled with laughter, charm, and Mary Lee's personal touch.
Her life, like any, held both joys and challenges. Mary Lee met each chapter with grace, quiet strength, grit and compassion. Her kindness, work ethic, and deep love for her family and community will remain an inspiration to all who knew her.
In keeping with her wishes, there will be no funeral service. She hoped those who knew her would remember her in her younger years. Special thanks are extended to Crossroads Memory Care and also to Hope West Palliative Care, both helping her finish her life with the elegance and class that was true to Mary Lee's character.