Laura Dolores Antrobus

A viewing will be held Tuesday, July 16 from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. at Allnutt, 650 West Drake Road, Fort Collins, Colorado, 80524. A Memorial service will be held Wednesday, July 17 at 1:00 p.m., followed by the interment at Resthaven Cemetery, 8426 US-287, Fort Collins, returning to Allnutt for a reception.

Dolores was born December 13, 1925, in Port Arthur, Texas. She was one of three children. Her parents were Albert C. Leman Sr. and Vera M. (Boylard) Leman. Her brother, A.C. Leman Jr. of Port Arthur, Texas, and her sister, Francis C. Atchison of Chula Vista, California, preceded her in death.

As a little girl she helped her father in his Barber Shop and after her high school graduation, her best friend, Maureen, talked her into enlisting into the Navy, where she was a W.A.V.E. and one of the first women to work on a submarine. Her original rating or job was a Yeoman and she worked on a secret program during WW2 with an all-female submarine crew. However, she never did indulge what that “secret” was all about. During this time, she went on a blind date and met her soon to be husband, Lyle D. Antrobus. After 4 years of the Navy service, she was honorably discharged on March 7, 1954, and married Lyle on March 20, 1954.

After 18 months of dating, Lyle was on his way home and he stopped at Turner Falls, Oklahoma, where he decided to pop the question and Dolores said yes even though she couldn’t remember being kissed yet. They were married in Houston, Texas. In 1959, while stationed in Labrador, Canada, they adopted an 18-month-old baby boy and named him Michael Dewayne. Two years later they had a daughter and named her Linda Diane. After 21 years and 9 different Air Force Bases later, Lieutenant Colonel Lyle D. Antrobus retired and they moved to Fort Collins, Colorado in March of 1970.

In 1980, Dolores purchased a quilting and craft shop. She enjoyed running the shop for ten years downtown and then moved the shop to a mobile home trailer behind her house where she ran it for another ten years. At which time, Lyle retired again, this time from Colorado State University, and the two of them drove their motor home visiting all, but two states.

Dolores will be remembered for her very special unique personality, who loved to save everything that she touched. She gave unique gifts to family members of things she found along her paths. She loved her husband, children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren more than life itself, in her own very special way. Traveling was a great joy in her life; if the car was leaving, she was ready to go! She loved shopping and taking her children and grandchildren every chance she had to shop and eat ice cream.

Her son, Michael, preceded her in death 12 years ago. She is survived by her husband, Lyle D. Antrobus and daughter, Lynda D. (Antrobus) Derschon. Her son-in-law, Gary W. Derschon and their three children; Corinna L. Ter-Antonyan, her husband Vardan and their children, Colten, Chloe, Alexandra and Allie; Crystal D. Derschon and her daughter, Keira and son Connor (who preceded her in death 8 years ago); Kristen L. Clifton, her husband, Wes and their children Maci and Jaxon.

In lieu of flowers, the family is accepting donations to purchase flowers and trees for Dolores’ memory garden already in place for her son and great-grandson.

Donations may also be made for a cure of dementia to www.dementiasociety.org.