Theonita Chavis

Theonita Jackson Chavis

1957-2025

Theonita Jackson Chavis lived with one purpose, to glorify the Most High. She expressed that passion for her heavenly Father through her love for her family and friends (and total strangers), her heart for worship, her passion for extravagant stage productions, and her joy of working with children in the dance arts. She died in November 2025 from natural causes. She was 68.

Her childhood profession of faith came while attending Circle Drive Baptist Church. As a young adult, she was part of the House of Joy Miracle Deliverance Church in Denver, where she was married in 1981. In Boulder, she was part of Maranatha Campus Ministries, and she was an active member of City on the Hill Church for 30 years, singing on the worship team and participating in many outreach activities. In her later years, she fully expressed her Messianic Hebrew Israelite heritage and identity through home study and with friends.

Theonita was born in Chicago in 1957 to young Army soldier Nathanal Jackson and Delores Purnell Jackson, both of Memphis. She remembered their stations in Germany, Kansas and Texas, before they settled in Colorado Springs, Colorado in the 1960s.

Theonita’s birth came 364 days after her brother Mel’s, making them virtual twins. Theonita and Mel shared the same grade, and both competed in gymnastics at Mitchell High School and with the University of Colorado gymnastics club. She took second place in the Colorado High School state championships in 1975.

Theonita and Mel shared a creative bond as well. They both studied dance as undergrads at the University of Colorado – Boulder, where their duet performance to Phoebe Snow’s “San Francisco Bay Blues” won rave reviews. Mel and Theonita also received acclaim for their piece set to Kool & the Gang’s “Jungle Boogie.” Their first-place routines at Denver nightclub dance contests won them a trip to London, and a spot on Dick Clark’s American Bandstand TV show.

As a choreographer for 40 years, Theonita lent her creativity and worshipful heart to numerous church outreaches and public worship events. She spent several summers choreographing with Youth with a Mission’s Kings Kids on outreaches to California, the Midwest and Australia. She was a fitness instructor for the City of Boulder. She retired from professional dance as an instructor with Reverence Academy of Dance in Lafayette, Colo. She was a frequent volunteer at KUVO Jazz radio in Denver.

Theonita is survived by the loves of her life: her husband of 45 years, Steven, daughter Safinia, son Gabriel, daughter Chakel Palmer and son-in-law Otto with grandsons Jacob and Solomon, son Michael, brother Melvin, hosts of cousins, and many, many friends.

Theonita’s legacy of sincere worship to the Most High YAHUAH, creativity and kindness to others now rests with us. Let us love God and love our neighbor.

CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTIONS: In lieu of flowers, charitable contributions may be made in Theonita’s name to:

• TRU Community Care, Lafayette, Colo., https://www.trucare.org/

• Brother Jeff’s Cultural Center, 2836 Welton St. Denver, CO 80205, www.BrotherJeff.com (http://www.brotherjeff.com/)

• The Joshua Blueprint youth arts ministry in Kitale, Kenya, @TheJoshuaBlueprint on Instagram and Facebook

The family is deeply grateful for all the meals, donations, cards, notes, texts, posts, comments, invitations and manifold acts of kindness toward us after the passing of our beloved Theonita. We can never acknowledge or repay all of them, but, as Theonita would want us to do, we can pay it forward.