Born the twenty-second of February 1933 to Jack and Violet (Behil) Garrett of Mosca Colorado, she was the second of four children. Her early life consisted mainly of helping with the family farm where she could, and watching over her brothers. She often talked about helping with lessons for the younger children in the one-room schoolhouse, and later helping the entire student body. She attended Cotopaxi schools, even becoming a cheerleader for Cotopaxi High School before the family moved to Missouri.
While the family didn't move around much, aside from Coaldale and Delta Colorado, moving to West Plains Missouri in the late 40s meant change, but also the survival of the family's farming and cattle operation. It was here she met her husband of sixty-nine years, Gaylon Dean Curley.
The young couple waited until she turned eighteen, then eloped. Telling no one at school, they returned to finish their senior year of high school, before embarking on their own life-long adventure. This adventure truly began in 1951 with the arrival of their first daughter Sherry. By then, the couple had returned to Colorado. At one time they lived in a small cabin in Ferncliff, where Gaylon maintained the barn for a local rancher, and Norma Jean kept the house and family running.
With the arrival of their second daughter Susan in 1957, they found themselves in Longmont, settling into a unique home on Birch St. Here Gaylon's business interests would expand and grow, while Jeannie kept the whole shooting-match running smoothly behind the scenes.
Their son Michael was born in 1960, and with him came a need to expand. Moving to Ken Mar Court in Longmont, the family began to establish themselves as the business people and landlords we know them as today. The family's drywall company Midwest Drywall was known and hired-out in five states. The first ventures into rental property began in the late 60s, and all this time, there was Jeannie, holding down the fort, making sure they would keep going. She called herself a homemaker, but the truth is far from it.
Yes, she was indeed a stay-at-home mom, but that meant more to her than one could imagine. She raised her children, kept the books of the businesses and house straight, made Halloween costumes, baked for school events, kept Gaylon in-line when he needed to be, ran herd on the tenants of the apartments, and later taught her grandchildren what it meant to be human (and the list continues to grow daily).
Family reunions in Cotopaxi were also a testament to her love and commitment to family. From a young age, her children and grandchildren got to know the "Cousin Kids" at these events, and all the while, there was Jeannie, talking and laughing with her brothers and her mother as they all did what they could to make sure we all enjoyed ourselves. Often hosting these reunions on a large family property in which the kids had space to run.
Her life was one surrounded by people. If it wasn't her family, it was the "Jolly Neighbors Social Club" that her and some of her closest friends founded. She was also an avid bowler, belonging to and competing for Longmont Lanes Bowling League with Midwest Drywall as sponsor.
We are devastated at the loss of our "Blue-eyed Whirlwind", a nickname lovingly given by her husband Gaylon, but also know we could not keep her here. Grandma Jeanie lead a life of happiness, laughter, joy, and love that would make anyone proud to have been a part of it. Though she is no longer with us, we see her in everything around us. Don't forget her hummingbirds, they used to bypass the neighbor’s feeders to come see her on Mother's Day each year. We will be hanging a hummingbird feeder on Mother's Day in her memory.
Wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, teacher, cheerleader, financial advisor, bookkeeper, landlady, friend, and confidant; these are some of the things that made her such an amazing lady.
Norma Jean is survived by one brother Dale Garrett of Gunnison, her three children, Sherry Simmons, Susan Curley, and Michael Curley; three grandchildren Kelly Knox, Chris Sutton, Mitch Curley, and one step grandchild Jennifer Le; and five great-grandchildren.
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