Celebration of Life January 20, 2024 at The Post Boulder
On October 30th, 2023, approximately 7x10²³ atomic particles ended their experiment in collectively being the person known as Jane Marie Walgreen Parks, in order to pursue other interests.
Jane was born September 11th, 1944 in Quincy, Massachusetts. Her formative years were spent in Hingham, MA, attending Hingham public schools, where she met Steven F. Clifford, who lived down the street in their neighborhood. After years of dating as teens, Jane and Steve married on June 25, 1966. She graduated from Framingham State University as Class Vice President in 1966 with a B.S. degree in Elementary Education.
The Cliffords then relocated to Hanover, NH while Steve completed a PhD at Dartmouth College. Their first child, Cheryl Ann was born in January 1967. Michelle Lynn followed in March 1968. The young family moved to Boulder in July 1969, with David Arthur born months later in November. Colorado remained Jane’s home for the rest of her life.
Jane was very creative, but particularly with puns and turns of phrase. She had a clever sense of humor, and was exceptionally social. Jane had many friends of all walks of life. She excelled at applying her charisma and social skills as a realtor. Once her three children were old enough to get themselves off to school in the morning, she returned to work, earning a license in real estate in 1980.
Jane had recognized the potential for real estate growth in the Colorado Front Range very early on. Having considerable success as a realtor at Century 21, she earned a Broker’s license and started her very own independent realty company in the mid-1980s, Boulder Homes. The venture was innovative, in that Boulder Homes’ office was located inside Crossroads Mall, a popular shopping center at the time. Furthermore, Jane pioneered the use of video to sell homes. Boulder Homes’ office featured a massive 80s-era rear projection TV displaying a slideshow of current listings — in an era when most real estate listings were relegated to a weekly printed book.
She and Steve divorced in 1991. Jane married William M. Parks on September 5th, 1995 with whom she spent her third act, often traveling the highways throughout America as his companion, and living in Thornton until her twilight years. Jane and Bill enjoyed going on cruises to socialize with other people on a boat and heading south in the winter in their truck to follow the sun with their dogs.
She is survived by her husband Bill and her children Cheryl Clifford Rapoza (Jim), Michelle Clifford and Zac T and Alyssa L Held, and David Clifford and his significant other Christina and Max A. And many others that loved her, and she loved.
Jane was preceded in death by her parents, Arthur Francis Walgreen (d.1967) and Marguerite Elizabeth Monahan (d.1987), her two brothers Peter Francis (d.2013) and Robert Arthur Walgreen (d.2020) , and her first husband, Steven F Clifford (d.2007).
There will be a Celebration of Life for Jane on January 20, 2024 at The Post (2027 13th St.) in Boulder, CO, from 3:00 - 6:00 PM.
In lieu of flowers please donate to an ethical charity on www.charitynavigator.org or https://alzfdn.org
