Mary Ann W. Parrot, 74, of Parker, CO, beloved wife, mother, sister, aunt and Mimi to her four grandchildren, passed away on December 11, 2020 after a brave, 10-year battle with blood cancer.

Mary Ann was born in 1946 to Walden and Sally Megeath in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She studied mathematics at Indiana University and earned an MBA from Virginia Polytechnic Institute. Later, when she was in her 40s, she went back to school to earn a CPA.

Early in her career, she was a Systems Engineer with IBM, and later taught finance and economics at Minnesota State University and the University of Central Florida. She remained active teaching other professionals throughout her career. For over 25 years, she worked in municipal finance, serving as the Chief Financial Officer in Westminster, Colorado, in Santa Clara, California and in Reno, Nevada. She earned a national reputation for pioneering modern portfolio management in municipal settings. One of her proudest accomplishments was negotiating a deal with the San Francisco 49ers for the construction of a new stadium in Santa Clara. Mary Ann was known as a people person and an excellent manager.

After retiring to Parker, Colorado in 2010, Mary Ann pursued her lifelong love of the arts, becoming a proficient glass artist. In retirement, Mary Ann and Don, her husband of 50 years, loved to walk and hike together in Colorado and the Rocky Mountains with their much-loved dog Molly. They traveled extensively across the West in their camper trailer, and found great joy in the history of the land and the beauty of nature.

Mary Ann inspired her children and grandchildren to share her lifelong passions of bird watching and gardening. Her family and friends treasured her sunny disposition, her curiosity and enthusiasm, and her irreverent sense of humor. Her nature was to accept others fully and without judgment, and to appreciate the positive things in life. She gave freely of her time and energy. If anyone in her life needed help, she was there with words of love and encouragement and a can-do attitude.

As her four grandchildren will tell you, Mimi had a very playful spirit. She was full of fun and spunk, and she entertained them for hours with books, crafts, games, and made-up tales of Harry the Dragon featuring the grandkids as the heroes.

Mary Ann passed peacefully and comfortably at home with her family close by. Even in her last days, she never complained. She was a joy to be around, able to express her love and appreciation for her family. She spent hours chuckling to herself as she began her transition. She left this world with majesty.

Mary Ann is survived by her husband Don, to whom she was devoted, her daughter Kate Isaacs (husband Bill, their two children, David and Eli, and Bill’s son Sam), and her son James Parrot (wife Hester, and their two children, Mirabelle and Vaughn).

The family asks that in lieu of flowers, donations be sent to the [Parker Task Force/Food Bank,](http://www.parkertaskforce.org/) a charity that Mary Ann supported for many years.

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