Wilma A Kohls

Our mother, grandmother, great grandmother, great great grandmother and Aunt Billie left our presence peacefully on the evening of Wed Dec 1, 2010 in Fruita, Colorado. Mom was born April 1, 1919 in Benedict Nebraska to Ira Everett Cotner and Adina Ester Sands. She was the 5th of 7 children.

Her parents were hard working farmers who moved several times following better farming opportunities. Leaving Nebraska and the dry land farm they moved to Otis in Eastern Colorado when mom was about 10 years old with the hope of better dry land farming prospects. However this was the beginning of the great depression. When this venture did not succeed due to the drought and depression at that time, Grandpa Cotner moved to Fruitvale, CO because of the opportunity of irrigation water and a better life for his family. This move was during her freshman year of high school, going from a small school of 40 students in grades 1-12 to a high school of several hundred in the 9th grade alone. She did not return to school after that year in favor of getting a job and helping the family in those lean years. They only stayed in Fruitvale a short time before they moved to a farm at 20 rd and J.5 road near Fruita where she lived till she married the love of her life Raymond (Russ) Kohls in Grand Junction, CO on March 18th, 1938. They moved to Price, UT following the wedding and stayed there for 6 years where their three children were born.

The family moved to San Diego California where it was booming because of the war economy in 1944 and after the war ended they returned to Fruita in the spring of 1946 living on an 80 acre farm. Mom was an excellent gardener and canned and preserved most everything she grew. She could sew and knit with the best of them. During her early married years she did a lot of seasonal work to help supplement the family income. Some of her ventures in the work place included working at the Kuners cannery in Appleton canning a lot of the produce grown in the valley, also in the fall she worked at the honey building on Aspen Ave in Fruita ,bring home some of the comb honey produced by the valley bees to the delight of her family. And while in Heber City she worked at a sewing factory making coats and sports clothing. She was an excellent cook and was the pie maker for family get-togethers till she decided to quit when she was in her 8o’s.

With the Uranium boon starting in 1955, Russ moved to Moab to work in the Unanium mines, while Mom stayed in Fruita to allow their children to finish school. Then in 1958 she moved to Moab. They moved to Heber City in Utah and finally to Casa Grande in Arizona where Russ worked in several mines till he retired in 1975 from Heckla Mining Company. Back to the western slope they came as Mom was somewhat dismayed as she had grown to like the warm winters and hot Arizona climate. During their retirement years they continued to be active going with her sister from California and Brother from Oregon. They spent several months in the late winter and early spring in the Lake Havasu area. Mom spent hundreds of hours serving others working at the Fruita Thrift Store, Grey Gormet and other organizations in the last 35 years of her life. Mom joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saint late in her life and was a faithful member and grew to love her Heavenly Father.

She loved to be active and was the great communicator of the family from a early age as her family grew and moved to the different areas of the country. She kept track of uncles, aunts, cousins, nephews, nieces on both sides of the family and always kept in touch. She will be greatly missed by all those who knew her.

Mom is survived by her daughter E. Kathyren (Gale) Fuller of Grand Junction, CO, Raymond (Claudette) Kohls of Phoenix AZ, and Lavern (Joyce) Kohls of Fruita CO, 12 Grand Children, 35 Great Grandchildren and 5 Great-Great Grandchildren. One grand child and 2 great grand children preceded her in death. Her three sisters, Hazel Butcher, Estella Belle (child), and Goldie Williams, three brothers, Ora, Denzil, Dewitt (Jack) also precede her in death. She is also survived by many nieces and nephews who will remember her as Aunt Billie.

Services are scheduled for 11a.m. with an hour visitation beginning at 10a.m. on Wednesday, December 8, 2010 at The Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, 343 E. Ottley Ave. Graveside services are to directly follow at the Fruita Elmwood Cemetery.

Memorial Contributions can be made to the Lower Valley Thrift Store, P.O. Box 272, Fruita CO 81521.

Arrangements have been entrusted to Martin Mortuary. View Service details at martinmortuary.com