Garden of Memories

Marie Allen 1925-2013

Marie was born in Coke County, Texas, near the small town of Robert Lee. She attended the Robert Lee schools, except for a few months when the family unsuccessfully tried farming near Portales, New Mexico. Marie’s dad, Calvin Wallace, often worked at two jobs to make ends meet during those Depression years, and the family lived in several rent houses, all small and plain. Marie, the oldest of five children, learned to perform many household tasks and picked up a few tips on how to handle young children. But her mother, Leona, was not hard on her and she found enough time to do school work and to play, often enjoying such games as hopscotch and jacks.

She kept her report cards covering the first several years of school; they show that she was a good student and one who stayed out of trouble. She later mentioned that during her school years she had several friends near her age, most of whom were her cousins who also lived in Robert Lee. Her father was a diligent Christian who saw to it that the family went to church services on Sunday and on Wednesday night, so Marie could hardly remember when she didn’t know about God and Jesus and how to live.

She and her husband, Travis Allen, were married in 1948, almost 65 years ago, and first lived in Andrews, Texas, where he worked for an oil company. As the years went by, Travis’s job took them to Tulsa, Fort Worth and Denver, but she never complained about having to move. She told Travis at the beginning of their marriage that if he would make the living she would be glad to move wherever he had to be to accomplish that, and she was happy in every home they had.

With much poverty around her, Marie learned early the value of sharing, and she was a giver all her life. As their three daughters — Gloria, Margaret and Myra — grew and required less of her time, she began working as a volunteer at a hospital in Arlington, Texas. By the time they moved to Denver, in 1971, she had put in 2,000 hours at that hospital, and it wasn’t long after they arrived in Denver that she began volunteering one day a week at Swedish Hospital, where she wracked up 10,000 or 12,000 hours. In her “spare time,” she took on the added job of spending every Wednesday as a volunteer shopper for Camillia Care Center in Aurora. She did that for 22 years, then was forced by age and health to retire from both places. This did not prevent her from providing gifts and other help for people in need, but she was careful to keep such deeds private, saying the Lord knew and that was enough.

Marie is survived, loved and praised by her husband, her brother Royce, and her daughters and their families:

Gloria Srikijkarn, her husband Rick, their daughters and husbands: Lamai and Jay Hartman and their son; Vanee and Andre Houssney and their three sons.

Margaret Rossow, her husband Bob, their daughters and husbands: Laura and Tim Libby; Sarah and David Watson and their son and daughter.

Myra Sprague, her husband David, their sons Steven, Aaron and Allen, and daughter Juliana Smith, her husband Kyle and daughter.

Bob Johnson 1936-2012

We are sad to report the sudden passing of Robert (Bob) Johnson, who has been a member of this congregation since July 9, 2006. Bob was born in Arkansas on June 12, 1936, and passed away this past Sunday, January 1, 2012.

His family moved to Superior, Wyoming, when Bob was nine years old. He was raised with one younger brother, Isaac. His father was a coal miner.

Bob was an excellent athlete in high school and college, playing basketball, baseball and football, running track and bowling. He played basketball in college on scholarships at Logan, Utah, for two years, then at Northwest State teachers’ College in South Dakota.

Bob worked in the coal mine for a few months after graduating from high school, but then entered college. After college he served as a radio technician in the U.S. Army, stationed in Germany. Following his military service, Bob worked in sales for a short time. Then he became a driver for Greyhound Bus Lines. He lived in Cheyenne. He eventually retired from Mountain Bell/Qwest in Denver.

After retiring from Greyhound, Bob moved to Denver, where he attended the Bear Valley School of Preaching. Bob was a member at the East Alameda Church of Christ before coming to South Fulton Street. He has been a very active member of the congregation for the last five and a half years. He was a serious student of the Bible and had a deep appreciation for this church.

Bob was a man of many interests. He loved gardening, cooking, photography, bowling, and flying – never quite completing his pilot’s license. He was also a perpetual student, most recently learning Greek, Hebrew and Spanish. And he was always studying Scripture.

Bob is survived by his son Leland and wife Donna, grand daughter Kaelei, stepdaughter Sandra, and brother Isaac and wife Louise.

He will be greatly missed. May God comfort all mourn his passing.

Wayne Lapp 1917-2011

Wayne passed away July 29 in a Castle Rock nursing facility, and the memorial service was last Wednesday, August 3.

He was born near Moorefield, Nebraska, March 1, 1917. The family moved to a sod house some time later, and Wayne always remembered the day his dad and uncle knocked out the sod walls and made it into a wooden, frame house. The family lived in several Nebraska communities during Wayne’s childhood.

After graduating from high school, Wayne attended a business school in Grand Island, Nebraska, for a year. When he left college that spring, in May 1937, he decided to hitchhike to Colorado to visit a cousin. He walked as far as Tie Siding, Wyoming, before getting a ride. The ride happened to be with two Army recruiters who, by the time they got to Colorado, had talked him into enlisting. His first assignment was to the hospital at Fort Logan.

When his enlistment was up, Wayne joined the inactive reserves and returned to Nebraska. But in February 1941 he was called back to active dury. He served in New Guinea and the Philippines, was discharged in 1944, and came home to his wife, Jean, whom he had married shortly before being called back, and their little daughter. But their long separation had created a strain in the marriage, and he and Jean got a divorce. In 1949 he married Virgie Willingham. They bought their house on Dayton Street in Aurora in 1950, and Wayne lived there until he became hospitalized a few years ago. Virgie died in 1989, and Wayne and Jean eventually began dating and were remarried in 1991. Jean died in 2005.

After working at several jobs, Wayne was hired by the Postal Service as a substitute postman in 1955 and later became a full-time employee. He retired in 1976.

Wayne and Virgie first visited our congregation in August 1980, and soon began meeting with us regularly, so his association with us lasted over 30 years. He was a good man and a good friend. May the Lord comfort his bereaved family, including his daughter, Betty Jean Larrow, and her husband Al; stepson Jaye’s widow, Barbara Willingham; granddaughters Roxanne and Tina; granddaughter Joanne Bean and her husband Doug; grandson Bill Willingham, eight great-grandchildren and a great-great-granddaughter.

Juanita Harris 1940-2012

Juanita Harris was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on June 26, 1940, the fourth of five children in the family, and passed away July 17. She was the mother of Catherine, Darrell, Samira and James, and she had seven grandchildren. Juanita was baptized at this congregation in the early 1970s by Terry Bouchelle, when the church met in a building on Iola Street in Aurora, and she was a member here for almost four decades. Her husband, Brian, has served the congregation as a deacon for several years.

Juanita worked at Ridge Home for mentally disabled children over 20 years. After that, she and Brian were foster parents for Jefferson County since 1992. They housed over 100 children while doing this good work, and many of those children have attended our church services. Juanita was immensely gifted at caring for children She had the ability to remain calm and positive, even in difficult circumstances. She could give of herself without complaining.

Juanita loved gospel music. When she was younger, she was an excellent bowler who competed in tournaments in several cities and won numerous trophies. She also loved to sew and enjoyed playing card games, especially with her family.

We are thankful to God for all that Juanita meant to this church. May God bring comfort and strength to those who mourn her passing.

Yolanda Cox 1949-2010

Yolanda, who died April 16, was born in Hooks, Texas, near Texarkana, on May 27, 1949. Her father was a sharecropper and Yolanda hoed cotton at a young age. She was a star athlete in high school but contracted tuberculosis at age 17. The disease cost her one lung and two and a half years in the hospital.

In her early 20s, Yolanda was baptized in a Church of Christ. She was married to Emmett Cox from 1974 to 1982. She moved to Colorado in the early 70s and became a member of this congregation in 1990.

She married Thomas Young in 2001. Although muscular dystrophy eventually put her in a wheelchair, she continued to attend church services when she could.

In addition to her husband, Yolanda’s survivors include sons Roderick, Keith and Torry, daughters Fredrecka, Paul and Nicole, four sisters, a brother and 25 grandchildren.

We will long remember and miss Yolanda.

Darlene Whitlatch 1931-2011

Darlene passed away last Wednesday evening, October 12, at home in Aurora. She had been under hospice care for several days. A memorial service is scheduled for tomorrow (October 17) at Olinger’s Chapel on Hampden Avenue just west of the Hampden-Yosemite intersection, beginning at 1 o’clock.

Darlene May Shade was born August 17, 1931, in Lovington, Nebraska. She was a premature baby, and her mother was only 15 years old when she was born. She had two younger brothers, Melvin and Ron. There was a 12-year gap between Darlene and the older of her two brothers.

The family later moved to Wild Horse, Colorado, where Darlene’s father built a gas station, store and restaurant. She helped the family by working at the restaurant.

On October 16, 1947, when she was 16 years old, Darlene married Al Whitlatch, in Raton, New Mexico. That was 64 years ago today. At various times they lived in Limon, Denver, Commerce City, Montbello and Aurora.

They had four children — Linda Peterson and Dennis, Mark and David Whitlatch — and several grandchildren. Al passed away in January 2006 and Dennis died in July 2010.

Darlene spent her adult life as a homemaker. She liked to sew, knit and crochet. She also enjoyed playing card games such as pitch and cribbage. For many years Al and Darlene went camping several times each summer. Al would do the fishing and Darlene would cook the fish. She loved eating fish. They continued to go camping even after Al was stricken with paralysis in 1972.

Darlene and Al were baptized on the same day in Commerce City, May 10, 1964. They became part of this congregation in 1989. We will surely miss her. May God comfort her bereaved family.

Delores Bryant 1961-2009

Adele Delores Bryant was born October 16, 1941, in Mansfield, Ohio, and died in January 2009. From ages three to ten she lived with her adopted mother, Charlette Horn, but she was raised by her grandmother, Adele Carter, and her grandfather, Willie Moton.

Born with disabilities, she received training at Richland Newhope Industries, graduating in 1987. From her grandmother, who did child care, Delores learned to be a caregiver. When her neighbor Pat Watermon got sick, Delores came over to care for her. They became friends and Delores began attending our services with Pat. Delores was baptized about 2004 at Park East Church of Christ. We will remember her most for always being cheerful.