Obituary of Ra'Kel Jo Engelkens

On Monday, January 6, 2020 Ra'Kel Jo Engelkens was taken to heaven to begin her teaching position among the angels. Ra'Kel was born April 21, 1985 to Kelly Engelkens in Princeton, Minnesota. At an early age, her family relocated to Colorado where Ra'Kel excelled in her education and graduated from Green Mountain High School in Lakewood, Colorado. She was residing in Simla, Colorado at the time of her death. Ra'Kel always dreamed of becoming a teacher and found the most joy when she was working with children. She taught her own children the importance of achieving goals when she returned to school and graduated with her teaching degree in 2018. Ra'Kel impacted the lives of many through her caring and loving approach in all her work, but especially at Florence Crittenton High School and Pikes Peak School of Expeditionary Learning.Ra'Kel's favorite children, however, were her own. Her three children, Aidan (15), Jackson (12) and Grace (10) were the real joy of her life. Walking through her kitchen you would find the refrigerator and blackboard wall filled with personal, funny notes and drawings like "I love you from my head tomatoes" with a picture of a tomato. It was just one way she was known for bringing joy to others and revealing the focus her children were in her life. Ra'Kel was preceded in death by her grandfather, Dennis Engelkens.Her extensive family and many friends will miss her beautiful smile, her quick wit, her loyalty, her driven attitude and her love for life. Grateful for having shared in her life, in addition to her children, are her mother, Kelly Engelkens Keane and step-father, James Keane; long-term companion and father of her children, Richard Hughes; half-sister, Lydia Swanson; grandparents, Gloria and Jim Thomsen, and Ray Heinen; five aunts, three uncles, a niece and many cousins and friends. Visitation, 2:00PM-3:00PM, Celebration of Life immediately following, 3:00PM, Sunday, January 12, 2020, The Springs Funeral Services-North, 6575 Oakwood Boulevard, Colorado Springs, Colorado 80923.Memorial contributions in Ra'Kel's memory may be made through one of the two Ra'Kel Engelkens GoFundMe pages set up online. Events Visitation Sunday, January 12, 2020 2:00PM - 3:00PM The Springs Funeral Services - North 6575 Oakwood Blvd. Colorado Springs, CO 80923 Phone: 719-207-8611 Celebration of Life Sunday, January 12, 2020 3:00PM The Springs Funeral Services - North 6575 Oakwood Blvd. Colorado Springs, CO 80923 Phone: 719-207-8611