Wilma Louise Lofgran

I’ll do my best to put together what I can on my Mom’s story through cryptic notes, bits of paper, internet searches, questions to brothers, sister, cousins, information my Aunt Ellie put together when she was researching her genealogy. How many times have I wished I could ask my Mom about her younger years – Alzheimer ’s disease really does rob you of the person you knew.

Wilma was the third daughter born on August 3, 1925 to Anna Pearl Sawyer and Shelby Clifford Allison in Chanute, Kansas. She joined sisters Geneva and Elinor. Little sister Joan completed the family in 1930. Wilma attended school in Chanute through middle school. Times were tough during the depression and Shelby’s salary kept being cut and they ended up losing their house. Around 1938/1939, Anna’s sister Violet had moved to Colorado and was in the restaurant business and she wanted the family to move to Colorado. Shelby went to work at the Ford Motor Co. in Granby as a mechanic. Anna and the girls worked at the Craig Café where they lived in a room in the back of the café. Apparently driving to school to Hot Sulphur Springs in the winter was quite the memory for the girls. Anna’s younger brother Jack Sawyer was also in Colorado and found work with Warner Construction working on the Green Mountain Dam project around 1938 or 1939. He and his friends Jim and Harvey Stegman would eat at the café and sparks would fly between Jim and Elinor – they married in 1943. Around 1941 the family moved to Golden, Colorado where Wilma graduated from High School in 1943. She worked as a contract secretary for the government where she met her first husband who was an Engineer.

Wilma was married to James Otis Fyffe December 6, 1945 in Gallup, New Mexico and in 1947 welcomed son James Fyffe, II and daughter JoAnn in 1948. They divorced soon after.

Wilma was hired as a Secretary in 1954 by the Dow Chemical, Rocky Flats Plant in Golden, Colorado and worked as a full time and contract employee off and on into the 1990’s. She attended CU’s extension Division to earn the title of Certified Professional Secretary in 1968.

She earned several appreciation awards and letters of exemplary service from her peers while she advanced in the company. While at Rocky Flats she met Norm Jacobs and they blended their families in December, 1959 in Boulder. Ed and Mary Anne Jacobs joined Jim and Jo Fyffe and son Lee Jacobs was born in 1961.

Wilma and her sisters remained close spending summer vacations together fishing and camping. Many trips were made to California to visit her sister Elinor and family - never a dull moment! These girls had such an enormous sense of humor the laughter usually created tears from laughing so hard. Wilma and Joan had winter homes in Mesa, Arizona a couple blocks from each other and Elinor would visit often. Joan was even her suite mate at The Peaks on Old Laramie Trail until she passed in 2021.

Wilma was a talented artist and you felt lucky if you received one of her paintings. She never took a lesson that I know of which is amazing. Going to art galleries was one of her favorite things to do. She always made sure she had a snacks or drinks for her guests and she loved Santa Fe and anything Southwestern. She always had a positive attitude and was a happy, pleasant person. She was a favorite of the staff during her stay in Memory care.

Wilma is survived by sons James Fyffe, Lee Jacobs and wife Jennifer, daughters JoAnn Barnum and husband Skip and Mary Anne Meyer. Eight grandchildren and numerous great-grandchildren.

Predeceased by her parents, sisters, husbands and daughter-in-law’s Sherry Lofgran York, Debbie Fyffe, Sandy Jacobs and son Ed Jacobs. She was lovingly welcomed into the Lofgran family when she married Blaine Lofgran in 1999 until his death in 2004 and is survived by his son Jeff and wife Pat and numerous grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Our family would like to thank the staff at The Peaks at Old Laramie Trail and the Nurses and Staff with Lumina Hospice Care – they are truly Angels!!

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.cristmortuary.com for the Lofgran family.