Jeanie Oakley

Jeanie Oakley, age 86 (born Wilma Jean Downey) of Englewood, CO passed away November 30, 2024 in Littleton, CO after a long illness. She was born April 25, 1938 in Wray, CO to Jack & Sophie Downey as the youngest of 10 siblings, with 3 sisters and 6 brothers.

Jeanie grew up in Wray, and spent her teen years in the house that Jack built at the top of Hale Street. She excelled at school, and graduated with honors from Wray High School in 1956. During her school years, she developed a life-long love for writing and applied her skills as editor of the Wray-o-lite her senior year. Some older folks from Wray may remember her smiling face behind the soda fountain at Dean Henry’s Rexall Drug, or at sporting events where she was a cheerleader for three years and homecoming queen in 1954. 

She was offered a full scholarship to Colorado Women’s College in Denver but she declined the offer, having chosen to marry the love of her life, Wayne Oakley of nearby Benkelman, NE in 1956. They moved back and forth between Colorado and California twice, before settling down in 1961 to raise their three children in Englewood, CO.

In addition to being a hard working mother and homemaker, Jeanie was a Boy Scout Den Mother, room mother, and PTA volunteer. Jeanie and Wayne’s home was always open to their beloved children and grandchildren, extended family, and friends. This was especially true of the home they built together on Mariposa Drive in 1979. Jeanie was the heartbeat of the family and gatherings filled with great food, fun games, abundant laughter, and boundless love were the norm, not just on holidays but multiple times a month. 

She was also a talented seamstress, making amazing Halloween costumes, clothing, and even doll clothes. She also and learned how to restore the interiors of many classic 1955-1957 Chevrolet Nomad station wagons that Wayne rebuilt both as a hobby and to earn additional income for the family. When they helped to start the National Nomad Club in 1970, Jeanie became the club’s secretary for 18 years and was responsible for editing and typesetting the club newsletter, coordinating annual conventions, and tracking all records for several thousand members nationwide.

Jeanie loved making cozy second homes in the three motorhomes they owned over the years. In the 16 years after Wayne retired, they enjoyed taking road trips across the United States with many of the trips focused on family genealogy research, visiting lighthouses, and exploring historical locations. They are among the few who have visited every state in the Union. 

Jeanie was preceded in death by her parents, and nearly all of her siblings and in-laws. She is survived by her husband Wayne Oakley, her children Katherine (Jim) Johnson, Ron (Sherry) Oakley and Lisa (Matt) Meeks, her sister Bernice Muller, grandchildren Matt, Kara, Evan, Annie and Emmie, and many nieces and nephews across the country.

There will be a celebration of Jeanie’s life at the Benkelman Memorial Chapel at 205 Buffalo St. in Benkelman, NE on December 21, 2024 at 1:00 PM MST, followed by a brief inurnment ceremony at the Benkelman Cemetery.