Mary Jean Shah, 69, died Wednesday, March 5, in Durango, Colorado, after collapsing while skiing at Wolf Creek Ski Area.
Jean was born in San Antonio, Texas, to Florence and Roy Maulding on Sept. 11, 1944. She graduated from high school in 1962 and later earned a BA in art history and an MBA from the University of Houston. After growing up in Texas, she lived in New York City, Thailand, Japan and Singapore, before eventually returning to Texas. In 2002, she and her husband moved to Pagosa Springs. They spent their summers on Cape Cod in Wellfleet, Mass., and traveled extensively throughout the year, most recently to Eastern Europe and Central America.
Jean was a member of the Gray Wolves Ski Club and the San Juan Outdoor Club. She spent hours outside — hiking and gardening in the summer, and skiing and snowshoeing in the winter. She was a dedicated watercolorist and photographer. She was also an avid reader and was taking Spanish lessons.
Jean is survived by her husband of 22 years, Gautam N. Shah; her three daughters, Lisa, Katie, and Sara Story, and their husbands, Philip Kaplan, Chad Wold, and Ken Garschina; her two stepdaughters, Tanya Gray and Zarina Shah, and their husbands, Joel Gray and Jacques Oppinger. She is also survived by her 10 beloved grandchildren: Joel, Story, Emily, Duke, Miles, Ethan, Nicholas, Edward, Maxwell and Dagny.
Jean was a strong supporter of public television and radio. In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting that donations be made to local PBS or NPR stations.
