Mary Ehrlich

March 12, 1929 – July 12, 2017

Loveland Co.

Mary Ehrlich, a mother, sister, grandma, great grandma, and friend passed away Wednesday July 12th, 2017.

Mary was born in a farm house in rural Boulder County to two Belgian immigrants Adolph and Bertha Lefever on March 12th, 1929. That morning when she was brought into this world it was made possible by her father hitching up the wagon to two of their Clydesdale horses and braving the three feet of snow on the ground all to bring a pair of lanterns and to flag down the doctor at the end of the snow drifted lane and bring him to the house. Mary was raised with three brothers one older, George and two younger, Maurice and Henry. Her family moved to a farm in Longmont where Mary would work in the fields working on the crops and learning the skill of farming. She was not one who was afraid to get a little dirt under the nails and some sun on the back. Mary and her brothers would have to work in the silo and stomp the grain down to pack it in. The farm was located, at what is now the corner of highway 119 and hover road, and now a restaurant/brewery Oscar Blues with remembrance of that silo still standing.

The man in Mary’s life was Voltaire Ehrlich or as his family knew him Walter, he and Mary Lefever at the time of their courtship would attend dances, go for rides, get food together; she loved her hamburgers, share laughs, hold long conversations and mold a relationship that would span seven decades. While dating, Walter served in WWII, after returning home and reuniting with his Love Mary, they got married on May 4th, 1948 a marriage that would blossom into a beautiful family and a lifetime together. Mary and Walter brought into the world three handsome boys and two beautiful daughters. While living together they lived in many homes growing their family, one place particular was a wonderful home in Longmont known to the family as Rodgers Road. Mary and Walter would raise their family together, he would go to work and Mary would take care of the home and family while operating some small businesses out of the house. Eventually they would move to a house that Walter built for Mary’s mother and father on Gay Street in Longmont in the early 1950’s, where she would help her children raise children of their own, giving all of them wonderful memories. Together Mary and Walter would retire and travel the United States. They had purchased a prowler camper and traveled to all different parts of the US and up into Canada. After many years of travel and seeing so many wonderful places they would return to Loveland and become permanent residents.

Mary was a wonderful woman a loving mother and a very special grandmother. She spent many of her years tending to her family and garden. Learning these two very different but somehow so similar tasks came naturally for her. The amount of effort she put into each of them was indisputable and as such her vegetables; especially the onions, and her family, became enormous. You see as a gardener Mary learned the traits of patience, dedication, care, and love. So as expected these were the values she blessed her family with. Mary was even published in the Longmont newspaper for the size of her onions and her beautiful rose garden that she raised with dozens of species of roses from all over different regions of the world. She would carry this passion throughout her life and to every place she called home. Her final home in Johnstown was a well-constructed portrait of her life, it was full of beautiful flowers, knickknacks of all sizes, wind chimes playing a beautiful melody when hanging in the breeze and was always a place of gathering for all her friends and family.

Growing up she would come to enjoy many things gardening, traveling, gambling, shopping, polka and sports. One of her favorites was baseball as a young girl she enjoyed getting out and playing ball with the boys and as she got older still followed the sport by cheering on her Colorado Rockies. Mary enjoyed much more than that she enjoyed watching the Denver broncos play, and watching World Wrestling Entertainment her favorite wrestler being John Cana. Beyond the like of sports Mary loved God and was a lifelong devoted Catholic and would regularly attended Saint Johns in Loveland. There she would gain an even bigger family, her church family. She would enjoy the readings of the lord and Gospel and you could always find her praying her rosary.

Mary’s life was long lived with so many memories and stories gained. Her favorite part of life was her family. She loved getting to do so much with them especially her children. From so many Memories rather it was with her oldest son James and regularly attending and dancing on the dance floor to his polka music, her daughter Jeanette and seeing so many parts of the world and spinning the slots at so many casinos, Her son Daniel going to mass and having afternoon brunch, To her youngest Lawrence watching wrestling and cheering on the Broncos only to be followed by the sound of her car horn echoing through the park when they scored.

Mary’s life was beautiful and full of love though sadly in April of this year her husband of nearly seventy years passed away. She remained with her family long enough for Walter to help prepare a place for his beloved bride to again join his side and even though she has been called to heaven, she has given her family love and so many memories. Mary’s last days were spent surrounded by her family and friends telling tells of all their memories and love for each other. Mary passed at McKee hospital on July 12th, 2017. Mary is survived by her three brothers, her four children, 15 grandchildren, and 33 great grandchildren. Mary is preceded by her husband Voltaire, her Daughter Rosemary, her granddaughter Amanda and her great grandson Dillon.

Grandma was and always will be that one special person for so many, she had so much love to give and never strayed away from putting others first. If you looked up the definition of love up in the dictionary you should see a picture of her next to it. Mary but as so many others knew her as Wife, Mom, Sister, Grandma, Great Grandma, and friend.