Margaret "Maggie" Elizabeth Atkinson was born on June 1st, 1948, to Leonard and Peggy Washburn. Maggie passed peacefully in her home on October 25, 2025, surrounded by love.

Maggie didn't want a formal service. She asked that everyone does something kind for someone else. So, in lieu of flowers or donations, please perform an act of kindness in her honor.

Leonard was a practical man who didn't like to spend much money. One evening, he attended a dance in Weldona and met not one, but two pretty ladies. With only a little gas in his tank, he decided to find out which one lived closer, and that's how he met Peggy. The rest, as they say, is history, and that's how our mom came to be.

Maggie was a true tomboy growing up.  She loved to help daddy with the outdoor chores, ride horseback and help her grandfather on branding day.

Maggie loved and respected her grandmother, Grandma Messenger, whom she was named after. Grandma Messenger would take the grandchildren on trips every summer throughout the United States and it's where her sense of adventure was birthed.

Her sister Rosie was just 17 months younger. Maggie decided they needed to feed some baby kittens by milking one of the cows. After Maggie finished the milking, she released the cow from the stall unaware that the cow was not pleased she was being milked. While Rosie was opening the barn door the cow decided to take revenge and butted Rosie up against the barn wall. Walking back to the house with little sister crying she encouraged her not to tell momma and daddy and she would fix it with a band aid. A visit to the doctor's office quickly revealed a band aid would not work. The arm was broken and a cast appeared, not a band aid.

Maggie married Charles (Charly) Atkinson November 15, 1974, in a small ceremony in Fleming, Colorado. They lived on the 20 Bar Ranch for nearly 50 years. Charly and Maggie had two children, Sara and Ryan Atkinson.

Sara, remembers her mom's wild spirit. Maggie was a poet, a storyteller, and had a way of making even the ordinary seem extraordinary. But it was watching her mom become "Amee" to six grandchildren that made Sara the happiest. Sara once told her oldest daughter she couldn't visit Amee until her room was clean. Minutes later, Amee marched into the house and "kidnapped" Sage for ice cream. That was a battle Sara knew she would never win.

Ryan said, Mom was a blessing to this world. You will never find another like her, and you couldn't find an actress with the capability to portray her. There was never a moment in her life that she didn't put out 110% effort, for better or worse. I miss her more every second.

Tammy, Mom's youngest sister, remembers the adventures they took with her daughter Megan. One year, they took an open-top Jeep trip to Yellowstone, Wyoming. If you were lucky enough to ride with Maggie, you knew she loved the backroads. Tammy said they were in the middle of nowhere when she realized that Maggie was starting to look worried. Still, Maggie assured her they were fine. With no GPS or Google Maps back then, Tammy trusted her sister's faith in the open prairie. At dusk, they saw a line of oil field trucks heading in for the day. Maggie looked relieved and followed the trucks back to civilization—almost out of gas! That might have been the last Jeep trip they took together, but not their last adventure together.

Her Grandchildren
Sage, the oldest grandchild, said that watching Amee love her daughter, Suede, the same way she was loved was one of her most cherished memories. Seeing Suede learn to crawl, walk, and run brought Amee so much joy in her final years.
Kasen always felt Amee's support, she rarely missed one of his basketball games. She was his biggest fan. Games, camps, and Nuggets outings together are memories Kasen holds close. She was proud of him after every game.
Cash said Amee always had a story to share. They lived vicariously through his adventures, and Amee loved when Cash called from college to tell her his own adventures, from meeting Jay Leno to driving the Swedish ambassador in a Saab. The two shared a deep love of history.
Vandyn, her "rock," will never forget their many trips and adventures. He remembers vividly one night at the Great Sand Dunes. It was dark, and Mom kept waiting for the boys. She worried when she saw a "Caution: Bears" sign, until she spotted a flashlight in the distance. It was Vandyn, saying he was the thirstiest he'd ever been. He still has a shadow box from that adventure.
Willow, the youngest, went on the last epic adventure with Amee: a trip to Alaska with her cousins. Amee and Willow shared a love of dessert, but not of sharing it, which often caused some tension between them! Amee was so proud of Willow's hard work showing cattle.

The grandkids often tell the story of one of their trips to the Grand Canyon. Kasen and Vandyn thought they'd hike to the bottom, so Amee, Sage, and Cash waited in the car. Ten minutes turned into thirty, then into an hour, with no cell service and no way to get help. Amee finally said, "A watched pot never boils," and drove off! Sage and Cash watched out of the back window in shock. It felt like hours, but when they returned to the canyon rim, Kasen and Vandyn were waiting, dusty and grinning.

Maggie was a great cook, like her mom and grandma. She loved gardening, decorating, and most of all, she loved life. With her red hair and height, she stood out wherever she went. Maggie was truly one of a kind. There is no one like her, and she will be deeply missed by everyone who knew and loved her.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Charles Atkinson; her parents, Leonard and Peggy Washburn, her siblings, Donna Lasko and Michael Washburn; her niece, Megan Nelson; and her loyal dog, D'Jango.

Maggie is survived by her children: Sara Martinez and husband Eric, and Ryan Atkinson; six grandchildren: Matt and his wife Chelsie Stanley, Sage and her husband Tayler Lopez, Cash Nab, Willow Martinez, Kasen Atkinson, Vandyn Atkinson and girlfriend Liz; two two great-grandchildren: Suede Lopez and Grayson Stanley, along with many beloved nieces and nephews.

Maggie is also survived by her sisters: Rosie, and her husband Glen Stephens, of Little Rock, Arkansas, and Tammy Nelson and her fiancé David Uffelman of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Candra Scott of San Francisco, California.

Our mom was loved by many special friends, Brandon, Joan, Jill, Tara, Gary, Cynthia, and Sara