Obituary of Grace Ann Kanani

Well done, Mom! We are sharing the news that our beloved Grace Ann Kanani, 78, has graduated to heaven after recently completing her assignment here on earth with high marks. Her life remains a shining example for the hundreds of people she directly impacted during many decades spent as a big sister, teacher, colleague, community volunteer, wife, mother and grandmother.

Grace Ann was born in 1944 in the small town of Edmond, Kansas, where she spent her early years on the farm before the family moved to Colorado in 1952. As the eldest of Rowland and Mary Boddy’s eleven children, she spent much time helping to care for little ones. In addition to her Christian faith, her love for children was a driving force in her life.

After graduating from Colorado State College in Greeley, Grace spent 40 years as an elementary school teacher. Four of those years were in East Africa in the early 1970s, where she taught at a private Christian primary school in Arusha, Tanzania. During that time, she married Rodgers Kanani from Ngara, Tanzania, and they began their family in Arusha in 1973 with the birth of their eldest child Maryhelen Niyonziza. 

Grace and Rodgers moved to Fort Morgan in 1976. After a few years, they moved to Greeley while their family continued to grow with the birth of four more children: Baz’imana, Halinganji, Rugaba and Sabirumva. In 1982, the family moved to Wiggins where Grace taught at the public elementary school until her retirement in 2006. While working and raising a family, she also served in numerous volunteer roles, including many years as an adult leader in the Sunshine 4-H Club. After she retired from teaching, she continued serving as a Sunday School teacher while also caring for her grandchildren.

Grace was an avid reader who also enjoyed sewing, quilting and experimenting with new recipes. She was still working on new creative projects when we learned that she had been called Home. On January 26, 2023, Grace passed away peacefully in her sleep. She is survived by her husband, five children, and six grandchildren.

ARRANGEMENTS

A celebration of Grace’s life will be held on Wednesday, February 22, at 11 a.m. at the New Creation Church, 737 Bross Street, in Longmont, CO. A reception will follow the remembrance service.