Meredith Bollman

Meredith (Mernie) Bollman was a devoted and loving wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother, sister and friend. She left this world battling multiple ailments on July 23, 2021 at the age of 87.

Meredith was preceded in death by her daughter, Candice, her sisters, Nancy and Mary and her brother, Harold, and her husband, Harry.

Beloved mother to her son, Thomas, her daughter, Catherine, her stepson, Chris and her stepdaughter, Mary Ann.

Cherished, and affectionately referred to as “grammy” “granny bear” and “nani ji,” by her grandchildren, Melissa, Cynthia, Jessica, and Meredith and her great grandchildren, Aradhana, Arianna, Emily, Jack, Willow, Rayne, River, Anna, Shyla, Declan and Baby Daly.

If you ask her family and friends of their fondest memories of Meredith, four words are repeated time and again: Christmas, gardening, weddings and India.

Christmas started in July for grammy and her cohorts, when they would get together and compose their latest and greatest ornament to be crafted for that year. There was no simplicity to their creations and the list of recipients was exhaustive. When Thanksgiving was over, it was time to start baking a multitude of cookies for Christmas that protruded out of every nook and cranny of the house and had to be perfect to make the cut! Several family members will tell you that if you were in a kitchen with her, you had better be ready to follow instructions and get it right!

She loved her garden and her plants! She would go to the nursery whenever possible and would wander the mountains for the perfect rocks for her rock garden. She had a gentle way with her plants, talking to them and carrying on about how she was proud of them and how much she loved to see them grow. The plants, in turn, seemed to flourish to make her proud. She had the same demeanor with people, she was a beautiful woman who treated everyone like a person that mattered and she made everyone around her feel like a part of the family. She listened and cared, she was always smiling and her eyes always seemed to sparkle when she spoke. In turn, everyone around her blossomed. Underneath all that she was a hard woman and endured a great deal in her life, but she never let it show or affect how she engaged with people and that was just how she was.

Nearly every one of her family or friends remember an always obliging Meredith. She baked more wedding cakes, made more dresses, put together more amazing family meals than one can count. Every bit of her love went into everything she did for those in her corner. She truly made every event special, even if it was just fried chicken, mashed potatoes and jello on a Saturday afternoon J

Nani Ji loved India. She loved her Indian family, Arfa, Sanjay, Zarin and Akash and she loved her Indian dogs, Suraksha and Shubhi. She thrived in India and made many friends through volunteer work. She had more Indian clothes than western and was besotted with the food. India will always hold a special place in her heart.

Meredith had a seraphic smile and an ethereal nature that made anyone in her presence feel at ease.  She had a great zest for life that led to many great adventures and her loyalty to family and friends was resolute. Her love of life will not come to an end with her death; it still shines on through anyone lucky enough to have crossed her path or, even luckier, those who walked alongside her through her journey.

Her celebration of life will be held at 4pm onward, Saturday, August 7th at 936 Ouray Ave, Grand Junction, CO 81501.