Conni Jo Sanchez

Conni Jo Sanchez, 78, of beautiful Denver, Colorado, passed away suddenly on April 26, 2022, in company of her family.

Conni was born on July 6, 1943 to Cornelius and Loie Elaine (Firkins) Collins in Glendale, California and immediately brought joy and laughter into the world. Here she grew up in the family home with her parents and her brother. After graduating from high school, she held various jobs until settling in the industry of aerospace at JPL as a data analyst where she worked on interplanetary programs including Viking I & II and Helios. She was very proud to have served as a woman in an industry where most of the engineers were men. Here she married and had her only son John Berry. One of her favorite memories of that time was spending time camping and riding dirt bikes with her son and their friends in the desert.

She continued working in the space industry, eventually moving to Martin Marietta. There she was promoted to Logistics Engineer and worked on the External Tank on the Space Shuttle. One of her greatest pleasures was getting to know many of the astronauts.

In 1979, Conni met Don Sanchez and the two were inseparable from that point on. Don and Conni were married for over 37 years and shared several activities together and traveled extensively. When Don was transferred to Denver, Conni retired and became devoted to taking care of him and their home. They enjoyed entertaining, and for several years were dedicated bowlers, and were members of several leagues. Additionally, they shared a love for the arts and in the last few years were season ticket holders to the Denver Center for Performing Arts where they went to many plays and musicals.

Conni was a fiercely dedicated mom to John as well as her step-daughter Andrea. Family and friends came first and were above all else to her. She was known for her bright smile, her infectious laughter and her desire to help anyone who needed it. The hole left by her absence will be impossible to fill.
Conni was predeceased by her mother and father. She is survived by her husband Don, her son John Berry and wife Saphyre, her step-daughter Andrea (Sanchez) Dunn and husband Paul, and three grandchildren: Eric and Matt Dunn and Mark Hasty.