Jean Lambert

Jean Marie (Frates) Lambert, 86 a long-time resident of Conifer, Colorado passed away December 22, 2022, after a happy and loving life.

Jean was born on September 19, 1936, in Julesburg, Colorado to Mason Joseph Frates and Lavon Frans Frates. She lived in Brule, Nebraska until she was 10 when the family moved to Yakima, Washington where her father took a job building houses. After 2 years, they moved back to Brule where her father was the town barber and her mother taught K-12 in a one room country schoolhouse. Jean attended Brule Schools through high school and graduated in 1954 in a class of 13!

After high school, she worked for a year in the county superintendent's office and saved up $1,000 which paid for her first year of school at Kearney State College. Jean graduated in 1957 with her Nebraska Teaching Certificate and took her first job teaching first grade in Cozad, Nebraska (a job she truly loved!)

While at Kearney, Jean met her future husband, William "Bill" Lambert who played on the college football team and was an Industrial Arts teaching major.  Bill proposed to Jean during homecoming 1957 and she accepted.  They were married in Brule, Nebraska on August 3, 1958.

That fall, Bill took a job in Brady, NE teaching high school shop and coaching all sports. Jean took a job teaching first grade in Brady too! They really enjoyed teaching in the same school together. When Jean's first child Alan was born, she resigned from teaching to become a full-time mother.

In 1962, Bill accepted a position in Jefferson County, Colorado as an industrial arts teacher and coach and was assigned to West Jefferson Jr. High in Conifer, CO. Bill and Jean rented a two-bedroom cabin on Kitty Drive that is now part of the Conifer Dental Office.  Jean loved to joke how she could get her teeth cleaned in her old kitchen!  Second son Jonathon was born and here they joined the congregation of Conifer Community Church.

February of 1966 found the young family moving into a newly built home on Fallen Rock Road that Jean helped to design and Bill helped to build.  It was the home where Jean and Bill raised their family and spent the rest of their lives.  Their first and only daughter Jennifer was born making the family complete.

Jean was a stay at home mom until all her children had entered Conifer schools where she began working as an aide at West Jefferson Elementary School.  Later she became the computer lab assistant at West Jeff Junior High where she configured hard drives and began a life long love affair with all-things computer. Bill and Jean retired together from teaching in the spring of 1992.

Jean had many interests including genealogy, painting, sewing, quilting, cooking, writing poetry, house plants, woodworking, and later in life spending time with her two cats, Sam and Gizmo.  Her favorite pastime was spending time with family and friends, socializing, and keeping in touch with her yearly Christmas epistle.  She never missed an occasion to send someone a note or card.

For many years the Lambert family was active in the Conifer Hobby Fair. They also hosted their own craft show "Holiday House" out of their home with 19 crafters creating lasting special memories and friendships. Jean and Bill took pride in their children becoming involved in the family woodworking and crafting and carrying the arts into their own adult lives.

Jean and Bill hosted an annual Easter Egg Hunt on their property for their granddaughters, their friends and neighborhood children for several years.  One year they filled over 1,000 plastic Easter eggs with candy for the kids to find.

Jean prioritized and cherished watching and participating in her children's and granddaughters' activities.  She was often seen hanging out with Alan at one of his art show booths helping him sell his turned aspen wood lamps and vases. Jean also enjoyed visiting Alan and his wife Patty on their small farm in Rifle.

Jean enjoyed helping son Jon count and keep safe the money collected after ringing the Salvation Army Bell in front of the Conifer Safeway for many years. Jean took this roll to heart and for many years she played Mrs. Clause in the annual Conifer Christmas Parade, proudly riding atop the Elk Creek Fire Engine along side Santa bringing smiles to all the children along the route.

Jean was proud that daughter Jennifer followed in her footsteps becoming an elementary school teacher.

Jean especially loved being a grandmother to her two granddaughters Gracie and Ellie.  Nurturing and watching them grow into beautiful young ladies made her so proud and full of joy. Jean was stunning when she attended Ellie and Joel's wedding in August 2022.

Jean had many friends among the teachers and their spouses from her and Bill's years at West Jeff Junior High and cherished the outings and time she spent with them.  She had a warm heart and smile for everyone she met. The word "stranger" was not in Jean's vocabulary!

Jean led a loving and happy life however she did have some rough mountains to climb that she survived with her usual determination and positive outlook.  These included a battle with breast cancer and Guillain Barre Syndrome.

Jean was active in the Mountain Genealogists Society in which she was a charter member, the Salvation Army, the Conifer Historical Society and Little White School House and the preservation of the Yellow Barn and Myer's Ranch.

When not preserving the history of her mountain community, Jean was dedicated to researching the history of the Lambert and Frates families and wrote two books on family genealogy to hand down to her siblings, children and granddaughters so they would always know those who traveled before them.

Jean passed away on December 22, 2022, nine years to the day after her beloved husband of 55 years, Bill, had passed. Survivors include sons Alan (Patty) of Rifle and Jon of Conifer, daughter Jennifer (Michael) Blackwell of Littleton, granddaughters Gracie and Ellie (Joel) Smith, and brothers Jim Frates (Marlene) and John Frates.  Survivors include many other relatives and friends who she treasured and kept in touch with throughout the years. Jean was proceeded in death by her parents, husband Bill and most recently by her sister-in-law Deb (brother John's wife).

Jean's philosophy of life:

"Every day is a good day.
Some days are even better!"