Helen Frances Mleynek

Helen Frances (Saunders) Mleynek passed away, at the age of 85, on Saturday, September 21, 2024, from complications as a result of ovarian cancer. During her last week with us, she was in her own home surrounded by her loved ones. 

Helen was born September 9, 1939 in Adelaide, South Australia, to Laura (Taylor) Saunders and Geoffrey Saunders. Helen adored her older brother, John, and younger sister, Chris. From a young age, she was drawn to animals. She loved the horses that lived in the paddocks across the street from her childhood home and was on a mission to own a horse of her own. This would be the beginning of her lifelong adventures with horses. 

As a young woman, she traveled to England seeking new experiences. She eventually landed a job with the United Nations in Geneva. After learning that her father was terminally ill, she returned to Adelaide to help care for him. While she was back in Adelaide, she enjoyed competition car racing and connecting with her siblings. She continued to travel and enjoyed taking passenger liners from Adelaide to England. On one of her ocean voyages, she met American Marine pilot, Jack Mleynek. They later married in Adelaide, and then moved to a farm in Erie, Colorado. They were married from 1966 until 1979 and had two talented children, Lance “Cory” and Natasha. Helen loved working the land and raising all sorts of farm animals. 

She continued to dream of being able to own a horse breeding and boarding facility, and in 1976, the family moved to Evergreen where they built a home and a horse breeding barn. Helen was in horse heaven, and Elk Ridge Ranch remained her home for the next 48 years. During that time, she bred and raised Arabians, and later Icelandics. The two horses she held closest to her heart were Centaur, and Viti (who was able to visit Helen at her bedside in her final days). Helen had a profound impact on the horse community in the Evergreen area and beyond.

Helen never sat still for long. While she raised horses, she also had other business ventures across the years. In the 80’s, she was instrumental in introducing Australian saddles to people across western America and Canada, and she also sold glamorous Australian outback wear. After her semi-retirement, she started a framing business and art gallery, and then later made all sorts of jams. Until this summer, Helen was still out at the barn two or three times a day, feeding and caring for the horses. Everyone who encountered Helen loved her great sense of style, adventure, and knowledge about horses. She was such a treasure. 

Helen is survived by her son, Lance “Cory” Mleynek (Jennifer Sullivan) of Arvada, daughter Natasha Mleynek (Andy Boucher) of Evergreen, beloved grandson, Sam Mleynek, brother John (Tania) Saunders of Woodside, AU, sister, Chris Kirkpatrick of Evergreen, step-sister, Jill Quirk of Berwick, AU, Saunders nieces, Jenny and Gail, and their families, and Mleynek nieces and nephews, Clark, Chris, Nannette, Bryce, and Monica, and their families.

She was preceded in death by her parents, step-sister Judy, and niece, Belinda.

A celebration of her life will be held in Evergreen on December 7, 2024. If you would like more details, please reach out to Jennifer at jsully21@gmail.com or 720-261-1028.

Helen was so grateful for all of the people and horses who were part of her wonderful life, and she wanted everyone to remember to spend as much time with your loved ones as you can, and to always make time for adventures! 

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to one of the following organizations that meant so much to Helen: 

• Discover the Horse: Helen was passionate about supporting her friend Alyssa in her quest to complete the equine education project to ride and teach people about every breed of horse. Donations in Helen’s name can be made at https://www.discoverthehorse.com/donate
• Evergreen Animal Protective League (EAPL) helps aid lost, abandoned, and suffering animals through rescue, shelter, and education. Helen shopped and donated treasures for resale at their Evergreen thrift store. Donations in Helen’s name can be made at https://eapl.com/donations/