Georgia "Jean" (Brenner) Davis

Georgia "Jean" (Brenner) Davis died October 24, 2026, at age 90. She was born February 2, 1936, in Burlington, Colorado, to George and Frances Brenner. Named after her father, she was the first of their two children. Over nine decades, her life took her from a farm north of Burlington to Denver and then to Lakewood, where she and her husband, Jerrol Jean "Jerry" Davis, raised their children and spent the rest of their lives.

Jean and her younger brother, Jerry Brenner, grew up on the family farm in an adobe house. There was no running water, electricity, or indoor plumbing. Their mother cooked on a wood stove and did the washing with a tub and washboard. The work of keeping a household going involved far more than turning on a faucet or putting clothes into a machine. That was the home Jean knew as a child, long before she had a household and children of her own.

For a brief period when Jean and her brother were young, Frances became ill, and the children stayed with their Grandpa Gobel. The "two young hell-raisers" sometimes left their grandfather needing a break, so he gave them an important daily assignment: a two-mile walk to fetch the mail. Rural mail wasn't delivered every day, but Grandpa wasn't about to let that minor detail stand in the way of a little peace and quiet.

Jean attended Happy Hollow School, a rural two-room schoolhouse, through eighth grade. After a year in first grade, her teacher recognized she was extremely bright for her age, and recommended she move directly into third grade. Long before her children and grandchildren knew her, Jean was already making an impression in the classroom. She continued her education in Burlington and graduated from Burlington High School in 1953.

After graduation, Jean moved to Denver to attend business school. She went on to work at Rickenbaugh Cadillac. Moving to the city brought new surroundings, schooling, work, and, through her roommate, the man she would marry. Jean roomed with one of Jerry Davis's sisters. That connection brought Jean and Jerry together, and on November 5, 1955, they married. What began with a family introduction became a marriage that lasted nearly 70 years.

Their married life eventually brought them to Green Mountain, a neighborhood in Lakewood. In 1961, they bought the house that would remain their home for the rest of their lives. They raised their children, Cindy and Rick, there, and in time welcomed visits from their grandchildren. The house stayed a constant as the family grew older: first a home for a young family, then the place their grandchildren knew as Grandma Jean's and Grandpa Jerry's.

Jean stayed home with Cindy and Rick when they were young. As they grew older, she took a job as a teacher's aide at a local elementary school. The school schedule allowed her to work outside the home while still being home with her children. It was a practical choice that reflected her priorities during those years. Her children were growing up, and she wanted work that would fit around the time she could spend with them.

Once Cindy and Rick were on their own, Jean worked as a secretary in the payroll department of the National Park Service at the Federal Center. Her business education and early office work had been followed by years at home and in the school; now she returned to office work as her children established lives of their own.

Jean's grandchildren remember her generosity. They also remember being with her and Jerry, whether they were visiting or going out to dinner. Their memories of their grandmother are tied to being included, being treated, and having their grandparents' company. Her love for her family was something they experienced through that generosity and through the time she shared with them.

Jean and Jerry enjoyed regular outings to the casinos in Black Hawk. Whether they ever came out ahead is anyone's guess, but they probably ate enough complimentary dinners to at least break even and their grandson occasionally got his dinner comped thanks to them, too. The casino trips were something Jean and Jerry enjoyed together, a shared pleasure that became part of the family's memories of them as a couple.

Nearly 70 years of marriage carried Jean and Jerry through many stages of family life. They began as a young couple, became parents to Cindy and Rick, and later became grandparents. Throughout those years, they built a life around their family and the things they enjoyed together. For their grandchildren, memories of Jean so often include Jerry, too.

Jean was preceded in death by her husband, Jerry; her parents, George and Frances Brenner; and her brother, Jerry Brenner. She is survived by her daughter, Cindy; her son, Rick, and his wife, Kim; her grandchildren, Jonathan, Jindy (Jason), Chelsea, and Breanna; and her two great-grandchildren, Palmer and Callan.

Her family will remember Jean with love: the girl from the Burlington farm, the mother who made being home with her children a priority, and the grandmother whose generosity they knew firsthand. And there will always be room for the little girl walking off with her brother to fetch mail that might not be there. 

Graveside Service Monday, November 16, 2026, 1:00 pm, Fort Logan National Cemetery.