Mary Gail Horan

Obituary of Mary Gail Horan

Mary Gail Horan, 83, of Aurora, Colorado, passed away peacefully in her sleep on January 31, 2023, after bravely battling ALS for a year and a half. Mary Gail was the eldest of five children born in Denver, Colorado to Robert and Mary Huston (Hidalgo) in 1939. She grew up in Denver and graduated from South High School in 1957. An aspiring actress, she moved to New York City after high school graduation and studied acting at the Academy of Dramatic Arts. Upon returning home to Denver, she met Thomas Horan, and the two were married in August of 1962. They had 3 daughters and raised them in the Denver Metro Area.

Mary Gail continued to pursue her dream of acting and singing while raising her three daughters.  She was heavily involved in local theaters including Bonfils Theatre and the Denver Center Theatre Company, and later active with church choirs and the Littleton Chorale.

Once her daughters were teenagers, Mary Gail attended Platte College and earned a business certificate in accounting. She went on to have a successful career in accounting and retired from a software firm, Evolving Systems.

Mary Gail loved gardening, international travel, and spending time with family and friends. She and Tom enjoyed regional travel in their mustang alongside their convertible classic car club friends. After the loss of her husband, Tom in 2020, and her ALS diagnosis in 2021, Mary Gail made many new friends at her new and final home in Saint Andrew’s Village retirement community in Aurora.

She was preceded in death by her husband Thomas A. Horan, and survived by her three daughters, Bridget (Paul), Krista (Leo), Jenna (Paul), six grandchildren, two sisters, Joan and Sally, and two brothers, Robert and Stanley.

Please join Mary Gail’s family in celebrating her life: Viewing and Recitation of the Rosary, Tuesday, Feb 7th at 4:00pm, Horan & McConaty Mortuary, 5303 E County Line Rd, Centennial, CO 80122, and Funeral Mass, Wednesday, Feb 8th at 11:00am at Saint Thomas More Catholic Church, 8035 S Quebec St, Englewood, CO 80112. Reception to follow.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Rocky Mountain ALS Association.