Elvira "Bobbie" Savage

Bobbie grew up as an only child near the beautiful Lake Balaton in Hungary. Her father had a highly respected government position running the power plant. He taught her to swim at a very young age and she soon began to train for the Olympics in swimming and table tennis. She would have competed in the 1944 games if it hadn’t been for the interruption of World War II.

Communism become a real threat, especially for people involved in government positions. As the threat heightened, Bobbie’s family and several friends fled the country. They made it to the border where they were put on a train and after an arduous trip of several days, hiding out and evading bombings along the way, they arrived in Lindau, Germany. There, Bobbie and her father found employment with the French government, eventually being in charge of border patrol papers for other immigrants. Bobbie was just a teenager, but her fluency in English, French and German made her a valuable asset.

The plan had always been to return to Hungary, but after five years it remained in communist control. World Church Services offered them a path to come to America. With the help of a sponsor, they sailed to New Orleans and arrived by train in Denver in 1950. There, they lived with their sponsor family where Bobbie’s mother worked as a servant and seamstress for them, and Bobbie’s father was given a job as a maintenance man in a large downtown building.

Bobbie was given a job as a waitress at the Denver Country Club. She often heard a beautiful male voice singing, which rose from the vents in the kitchen of the club. She asked a friend who it was that belonged to that voice, which is when she was introduced to a handsome young busboy named Jim. It was clearly love at first sight for both, and after only six months, they were married on July 30, 1951.

The honeymoon quickly ended when only two months later, Jim received a letter from Uncle Sam. By this time, Bobbie’s parents had repaid their debt to their sponsors and were renting an apartment. Jim and Bobbie were expecting their first child when Bobbie moved in with her parents as Jim headed to Korea. While Jim was away, daughter Barbara was born. Although she heard Hungarian spoken every day for the first two years of her life, Bobbie made sure Barbara also heard plenty of English. Her first words were “Da-da”, whenever she saw a picture of her father, Jim in his army uniform.

After Jim finished his required time with the military, he returned home, and the little family found employment and a home as managers for the Wolcott Arms Apartments at 14th and Marion in Denver. Here they lived until 1955 when the GI Bill made buying a house a possibility. Bobbie and Jim found their dream home in a new development near Thornton. Over the years, new friendships were forged here, many of which lasted a lifetime. Bobbie and Jim worked hard, planting trees and grass. Bobbie created a floral oasis in every corner of the backyard, and Jim took his love of vegetable gardening to a new levels.

A couple years later, daughter Teri arrived, and a few years after that, they added another daughter, Julianna. The trio of girls grew up under a roof of love and opportunities. Jim was an avid singer, and Bobbie’s musical Hungarian roots were the seedbed for non-stop music in their household. Piano playing, singing, and dancing were as natural as breathing, and Bobbie was the constant encourager and cheerleader – always.

When Juli was in high school, Bobbie was given the opportunity to work at the same company as Jim. By schooling herself, she became an Industrial Engineer for them and was highly respected in her field. When she retired, after receiving many commendations and awards, she began to volunteer at North Suburban Medical Center. For eighteen years, she delighted patients and coworkers with her friendly smile and sympathetic manner. She was awarded “Volunteer of the Year” numerous times.

Faith and church were of vital importance to Bobbie and Jim. They and their three girls attended the Thornton United Presbyterian Church regularly and served in dozens of capacities. Bobbie was a Deacon for many terms over their years there and was ordained as the first woman Elder in the Rocky Mountain Presbytery.

Once both Bobbie and Jim were retired, they were able to foster their love of travel, which took them on countless trips, cruises, and world-wide excursions – some on their own, and many with their longtime dearest friends.

When Jim became ill in the mid-2000’s, Bobbie was his constant companion, nurse and cheerleader. His passing in 2006 was just two days following their 55th wedding anniversary. It was difficult and heartbreaking, but for 17 more years, she never lost her enthusiasm for life, her love for her family, or her steadfast ability to muster courage in any difficult situation (hers or others) with the gentle phrase, “This Too Shall Pass”.

Although she never competed in the Olympics, she remained committed to being physically fit all her life. Besides lifting weights and doing exercises, she walked almost every day – sometimes up to 8 miles. It was tough for her when she began to lose her health and the ability to walk. Eventually, it was time for her to leave her beloved home of 62 years. She moved into Brookdale Senior Living near one of her daughters. There she met many wonderful residents and caregivers and her health improved. She delighted everyone with her genuinely loving greetings and frequent hugs. After about a year, her health began to decline and although she had only lived there for two years, Bobbie made dear friendships and a powerful impression on both residents and caregivers. She was a beautiful, generous, fun, loving person, and will be fondly remembered and greatly missed by all who knew her.

Bobbie is survived by daughters Barbara Wollan and husband John, Teri Jones and husband Steven, and Julianna Ibarra and husband Wayne; grandchildren Jamie Halladay, Andy Halladay and wife Rachel, Andrew Jones and partner Brandy Cronberg, Christopher Jones and wife Lynzee, Christina Wegscheider and husband Brent, and Lucas Ibarra and wife Alexandra; great grandchildren Jacob Halladay, Charlie Halladay, Ty Wegscheider, Izaiah Ibarra, Izabella Ibarra, Oliver Ibarra , Grady Ibarra, and baby Jones.