Molly Kathleen (Solbach) Jimenez Obituary

Molly began life in a home her father, Pat Solbach built in Orangevale, California. She lived there with her mother, Jill Solbach; her teenage brother, Karl French; and her brother, Patrick T. Solbach who was just 14 months older than her. Karl was like a second father to Molly and Patrick, always caring for and entertaining them. He even took them to Hawaii to join their parents on vacation, where Molly learned to snorkel.
As a child, Molly was very creative. She loved to watch Bob Ross and paint like him. She even would speak and write in her own "Molly Language". She would put on tap shoes, dress up, sing, and dance in the driveway.
Molly participated in school plays, went skiing with her family, and grew up in a home where everyone supported one another in sports, entertainment, and family gatherings.
When Molly was 6 1/2 years old, the family moved to St. George, Utah. There, Molly and Patrick learned to ride horses. Molly was outgoing and made friends easily. She swam, played sports, and continued to entertain. She performed as one of the children in "The King and I," and at one point dreamed of becoming a country-western singer, writing songs of her own.
The family moved to Fruita, Colorado when Molly was 11. Her mother eventually allowed her to trade skis for a snowboard, and she spent many days riding at Powderhorn Ski Area. Molly and Patrick had secret, unmarked tree runs that Molly later proudly shared with her father.
Molly joined a children's theater group and played the Scarecrow in "The Wizard of Oz," but loved to deliver the famous line of the Wicked Witch "I'm melting!" quite authentically. The group performed at the Mesa County Fair. After learning that the original script included a
jitterbug scene, Molly learned the dance from her father, taught it to the cast, and
choreographed it into the production herself. She later performed as one of the
orphans in "Annie" and could memorize and sing everyone's parts. As a young adult, she auditioned professionally for "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" and earned the role of Dorcas.
Molly also helped raise a buckskin Appaloosa colt named Traveler and rode him in 4-H, Pony Club, trail rides, and horse shows. She became an accomplished horsewoman. During family gatherings, she confidently rode her mother's young thoroughbreds, including the stallion.
For a short time, Molly lived in Loma, Colorado, after helping complete construction of the family home. At age 16, she attended Western State University in Gunnison, Colorado. After a couple of years of college, she moved to Utah and began competing in motorcycle races. Following her marriage to Michael Harding, she competed in the Rhino Rally in 2011, where she also photographed and wrote about the event.
Earlier, during a 2009 trip to Ireland with her mother to visit relatives, Molly met a publisher from Cycle World magazine. He took her for a motorcycle ride and apparently recognized her talent for storytelling. In 2012, Molly Harding was published on CycleWorld.com in an article titled "The Unsinkable Molly Harding," in which she wrote: "Here's to you, Mom — who told me I could be anything I wanted
when I grew up." Molly truly wanted to be many things, and she became many things.
She rode the wild rapids of the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon. She taught
herself the Ukelele, loved to sing, bake, draw and paint, fly fish and ride mountain
and dirt bikes in the desert. Molly also ran a specialty coffee business. She used her welding skills to build her own steel shoe for her flat track racing and to repair her father's farm equipment. She could operate tractors and heavy construction
equipment, build stairs, cut in roofs, and complete intricate finish work.
Before she married, Molly supported herself independently, at times working as a carpenter. Her father often said she had the knowledge and ability to become a general contractor. She later used those same construction skills to complete a major interior remodel of her home in West Jordan — though some of it remains unfinished due to her illness taking its toll.
When her son Hank was 2 years old and she planned to travel alone with him through Europe, she decided to learn jiu-jitsu for safety. That decision led her to become a world champion at two levels in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and she had recently earned her
black belt. Through all of these accomplishments, she remained a devoted, loving, supportive wife and mother. Her father often said, "Molly accomplished more in 38 years than most people do in a lifetime."
Although Molly and Mike eventually went their separate ways, Mike always continued supporting Molly, Hank, and her new life with the love of her life, Juan Jimenez.
In December 2018, Molly met Juan in Mexico City through a mutual jiu-jitsu friend.
Molly and Juan were married on March 29, 2020. Together they built a close-knit, loving family centered around shared passions for jiu-jitsu, snowboarding, mountain biking, music, laughter, and family adventures. Juan not only gave Molly another beautiful child, Isaac, now 5 years old, but also a love that endured through sickness and health. He remained faithfully by her side throughout her breast cancer treatments.
Together, they continued dancing, singing, laughing, and loving until the very end.
Molly is survived by her husband, Juan Pablo Jimenez; her sons, Hank Harding and
Isaac Jimenez; her mother, Jill Solbach of Loma, Colorado; her brothers, Karl [Tai] French of Roseville, California, and Patrick T. [Julie] Solbach of Loma, Colorado; her sisters, Angela Allen of Centennial, Colorado, and Jennifer Solbach of Littleton,
Colorado; her nephews Patrick James "P.J." Solbach and Caden Solbach; her niece Eleanor "Ella" Solbach of Loma, Colorado; and her nephews Ivan French and Peter French and niece Anna French of Roseville, California.
Molly's father, Patrick D. Solbach, preceded her in death by three months.