Mary Louise Roland

Services will be at a later date through Callahan-Edfast Mortuary.

Survivors include two sons, James of Fruita, William of Aztec, N.M.; one daughter, Carol Palmer of Grand Junction; and four grandchildren.

Memorial contributions can be made to Western Colorado Botanical Gardens, 641 Struthers Ave., Grand Junction 81501.

Mary Louise Roland

December 28, 1919 - January 15, 2014

Mary Louise Roland, of Grand Junction, passed away peacefully the morning of January 15, 2014, after an evening of pie and celebration with family and friends.

Mary was born December 28, 1919, in Knapp, Wisconsin to parents, Heinrich and Maria (Wellstein) Kronenberger and was the sixth of seven children. On August 17, 1940 she married William ""Bill"" Roland in Menomonie, Wisconsin and shortly thereafter moved west to Denver, Colorado and Steamboat Springs, Colorado.

Mary became a homemaker, enjoying fishing and hunting with Bill while starting a new family out west. With Bill away frequently in his role as a government trapper and eventually a state game warden, Mary began a life-long devotion to volunteering while caring for the first of three children, hunting dogs and horses. Being married to a game warden at that time was a full-time unpaid job helping with reports, giving hunting and fishing conditions over the phone, training guides and outfitters in first aid.

Mary, Bill and family moved to Craig, Colorado where they built a three-room log cabin not far from the Yampa River. They remained in that cabin, adding a room each time a new child was born, eventually moving away in 1992, to Grand Junction due to a stroke suffered by Bill.

Mary was a dedicated volunteer in Moffat County for 50 years. Her service ranged from school lunch programs in Craig and Steamboat, Craig Hospital, the Altar and Rosary Society, 4-H, Cub Scouts and Extension Homemakers. In addition, she gave civil defense, first aid and home nursing courses through her long affiliation with the Red Cross. She helped start the Horizons for Handicapped Children in Craig.

She was proud of her nearly 70 years with the Extension Homemakers Club maintaining the clubs history, working at the county fair, the health fair and Christmas Fair and serving as a State Conservation Chairman and a District Director for eight years. Her reach extended beyond the borders of Colorado supporting charities throughout the world with a special focus on the Sioux and Navajo Indian Tribes.

Mary was a voracious newspaper reader, keeping her own filing system to reference to when writing decision makers about matters of conservation in her adopted state. She wrote well and was credited with influencing policy makers with the background information she provided.

She continued to learn, going back to college in her 70's graduating as one of the oldest students from Colorado Northwest Community College.

Mary is survived by three children, son, Riley (Sandy) Roland of Aztec, New Mexico; daughter, Carol Lyn (Jon) Palmer of Grand Junction, and son, Jim (JoAnne) Roland of Fruita; and grandchildren, Wayne and Jeremy Roland, Will Roland and Tyler Palmer. She is preceded in death by her parents, siblings and her husband, Bill.

Funeral services will be held Friday, February 7th at 10:00 a.m. at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Chapel located at 799 26 ½ Road Grand Junction, CO.

Please make memorial contributions to HopeWest, 3090B N 12th, Grand Junction, CO or the Colorado Botanical Gardens, Grand Junction, CO.

Published in The Daily Sentinel on Jan. 29, 2014