Velma G Allred

Velma Grace Horner Allred, a remarkable woman, eternal companion to Charles McKay Allred, beloved mother and artist, passed away peacefully at her home in Broomfield, CO on Thursday February 27, 2014 from causes incident to age. Funeral services will be held March 8th at 11:00 a.m. at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Boulder Stake Center, 701 W. South Boulder Road, Louisville, CO. Velma was born November 29, 1927 in Sandpoint, ID to Leigh Aitchison Horner and Alice Mariette Robinson. She grew up in Sandpoint, ID, with her 3 brothers and sister, Donald, Robert, Eugene, and Shirley; all have predeceased Velma. She learned the virtues of hard work but also the value of having fun in the outdoors and learning to play the violin. She developed close friends while in school and had good academic habits.

In her 18th year she enrolled at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah where she earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1949. After graduating from BYU she married Charles McKay Allred on June 26th, 1950 in the Manti, Utah Temple. They enjoyed 62 years of marriage and raising 7 children. She gave birth to 2 sons, Daryl and Kevin (1951 -1952) in Arlington Virginia . They moved to Boulder, CO in 1954 as a part of McKay's employment with the National Bureau of Standards. And they began to build their own home east of Boulder.

In 1955 her third son, Brent was born. Living conditions were initially “primitive” while they were building their home. Their first girl, KayLyn, was born in 1958. Their 2nd daughter Jeanine was born in premature in 1960 and lived less than one day. In 1963 they adopted a boy, Layne and in 1964 they adopted a girl, Valene. Dee Baxter joined the family as a foster student where he spent 4 years with them during his high school years.

Velma naturally possessed the virtue of service. It was second nature for her to reach out and help others. She wanted no credit or recognition for the many kind and caring deeds that filled her life. Others responded to her genuine caring nature and were endeared to her for life.

Velma was active in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and willingly accepted assignments that regularly came her way and did those tasks with dedication and energy. She expected her children to respond to calls of service as she set the example. She was highly involved in genealogy work, including the name extraction program, both English and Spanish. She has cataloged tens of thousands of names over the last 40 years! She and McKay served a proselyting mission to Jackson, Mississippi from 1987-1989.

She renewed her love of painting in the 70’s and found time to devote to painting and studying further with local and nationally known artists. Her work was in rotation in galleries around Colorado. “Appreciation for the beautiful world we live in is the inspiration for my paintings, and I try to covey that love to others”. Her love of the Rocky Mountain West was the inspiration for her well-known mountain or pastoral landscapes. She also adapts her style of classic romantic realism in oils and pastels to other subjects, such as wildlife and still life. Velma has received many awards in competitions and has been honored in numerous one-person shows. Her work resides in private collections throughout the world.

She insisted that each of her children learn a musical instrument and expected each child to learn the piano well enough to play church hymns. She was a devoted wife and mother. Innumerable trips were made to athletic, dance, or music events. She volunteered for school service as a parent and simply lived a life focused on doing what needed to be done to raise her children. She was never as happy as when surrounded by her children, 27 grandchildren and 27 great grandchildren.

Velma is survived by the following children and spouses, Daryl (Sylvia); Kevin (Debbie); Brent (Terri); Dee & Shirley Baxter, KayLyn (John) Christensen; Layne (Kristen); and Valene (Darin) Durfey. She has 25 living grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband McKay Allred, daughter Jeanine, and grandson Parker Allred. Funeral services will be held March 8th at 11:00 a.m. at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Boulder Stake Center, 701 W. South Boulder Road, Louisville, CO. For more obituary information or posting of condolences, or memories, go to www.cristmortuary.com

Arrangements under the direction of Crist Mortuary, Boulder, CO.