Friends remember longtime Broomfield resident and former Boulder Valley school board member Jean Paxton as a fixture in Broomfield’s schools who had a kind heart, strong principles and a willingness to listen to all sides.
Paxton died Monday from cancer. She was 80.
“She was a tireless advocate for public schools and the community,” said friend and former school board member Jennie Belval. “She had such a generosity of spirit. She was a really good school board member, but a really great person. She was a good mentor to me, and I think I was a better person for having known her.”
The current school board plans to honor Paxton at its Tuesday meeting, which starts at 6 p.m. at the Education Center in Boulder, 6500 Arapahoe Road. The meeting will be streamed live at tinyurl.com/mb2w43mf.
“She was definitely someone who helped make the district what it is today,” school board President Kathy Gebhardt said. “When I had a question or needed help, she always made time, even as busy as she was. If she didn’t think you were doing the right thing, she would tell you in such a kind way.”
Paxton worked as a paraprofessional school nurse at Broomfield Heights Middle School and as a substitute teacher, and also volunteered in her children’s schools. She went on to serve two terms on the Boulder Valley School Board, from 2001 to 2008.
Those who knew her said she took her promise to represent Broomfield’s schools seriously, often bringing a Broomfield perspective to school board discussions.
“She really was a trailblazer in advocating for equity in the school district,” friend Wendy Fiedler said. “Broomfield at the time really didn’t receive the same funding as Boulder. She got things done. She was always wiling to listen to people and to hear all sides of any situation. She mentored all of us. We stand on her shoulders.”
Ginger Ramsey said Paxton was one of the first people she met when she started as Broomfield High’s principal 23 years ago, introducing herself as “the busybody of Broomfield.”
Paxton’s efforts included campaigning in Broomfield for a capital construction bond issue that included air conditioning and renovations for Broomfield High and other area schools. She also hugged every graduate as she handed out diplomas at graduation while on the school board.
“Jean just loved Broomfield and just put her arms around Broomfield High,” Ramsey said. “She took care of the students and staff here. She was the voice of Broomfield, she really was. She left a hole that can’t be filled. We are so, so sad.”
Paxton was recognized for her advocacy with the “Heart of Broomfield” education award in 2002, as well as receiving the “McGuffey Award” from the Colorado Association of School Boards in 2009. She also served as the president of the Broomfield County Republican Women’s Club and on the Broomfield Early Childhood Council’s executive committee.
Her top priority was her family, including her 10 children, 44 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren. She was married to her husband, Thornton Shirrel Paxton, for 61 years, and they traveled often to visit their grown children and grandchildren.
“She first and foremost really loved her family,” Fiedler said. “She had such a big heart, she could expand her family to include all the rest of us.”
An avid gardener and seamstress, she regularly volunteered with her church, including serving as the president of the women’s organization in her local congregation. Other volunteer roles included serving as a Sunday school teacher and, for three years, as a seminary teacher for high school students.
Services will be held at 10 a.m. Sept. 15 at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, 1250 Main St., Broomfield. A viewing will be held just prior to services at 9 a.m. at the church. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to a public school or impactoneducation.org, crayonstocalculators.org or broomfieldfoundation.org.
