Thekla Phares

Thekla was born on December 30, 1927 in Neuharting, a tiny town in the Bavarian state in Germany. Thekla’s early life in Germany was not easy, as it was touched by the events of World War II. Thekla survived the war and subsequent occupation by British and American Forces. But as awful as the War was, the events of that time led her to meet a handsome American soldier from West Virginia. How Thekla and Clifford exactly met, we don’t for sure know, as Thekla had a bit of a mischievous streak and enjoyed telling different stories. The one thing we know for sure is that they had found their forever love and got married.

The following years Thekla moved around the world, following Clifford from base to base. Their trips took them all over the place, even Tripoli, Libya! Thekla spoke little to no English during this time, but being ever determined, she set out to teach herself the language. It was also during these years that she and Clifford had two daughters, Emily and Juanita.

Eventually Thekla and Clifford moved to Colorado and decided to make it their forever home. Thekla became a U.S. citizen. She also wanted to get a job, so she bought a typewriter and steadfastly learned how to type until she was proficient enough to be employed. Eventually, she and Clifford were able to afford some land in Franktown to build a house. Thekla lived in this house up until about two weeks before her passing.

Thekla loved her home, and she especially loved it when her family would come and visit her. Over the years, she corresponded with her two sisters, Brigitte and Irmgard, first through letters and then over the phone. She even enjoyed a visit from Irmgard! She really loved it when Juanita and Bill, as well as her granddaughters, Kate and Erin, would come and visit. She really enjoyed teasing Bill, as well as watching The Beverly Hillbillies with him and laughing. When her granddaughters were children, she enjoyed saving their drawings and watching them slide down the little slope in front of her house. She also hosted a couple of knock down drag out croquet games for both the kids and adults. She loved playing Mensch Ärgere Dich Nicht with her granddaughters and making them laugh and giggle by cheating and feigning ignorance. Thekla, or “Grandma” as she was so affectionately called, was the hostess with the mostest and loved to make sure her guests had plenty of sandwiches, cake, and sweets when they came to visit. She even made sure the dogs in the family had plenty of carrots and got a lot of love and attention. Later, she also enjoyed the company of Stephen and Ingmar, who joined the family by marriage. She welcomed both of them with open arms and enjoyed telling them stories and taking them to get pie at the Village Inn.

Those who knew Thekla know that she was spunky and feisty, and there was no stopping her whenever she set her mind to something. Heaven will definitely have its hands full! Those who knew Thekla would also know that she was a very private person who did not share a lot about her past or her family history. While we’ve learned more since her passing, we hope that those of you who visit her page won’t be as secretive as she was and will share your fondest memories and photos of her below. Through you, Thekla’s memory will live on, forever in our hearts.