Agnes Emma Harlan

Agnes Emma Harlan, age 98, of Englewood, Colorado passed away on Thursday October 4, 2018. Agnes was born March 25, 1920 at the family homestead near Briggsdale, in Weld County, Colorado. She moved with her family to a 10 acre farm near Littleton, CO when she was three and lived in the Littleton and Englewood communities until her death at the age of 98 except for the time her husband (George Harlan) was in the Navy and stationed at various ports.

Agnes attended Cherry Hills elementary school and Englewood High School. While in high school she was a member of the National Honor Society and graduated in 1938. After high school graduation she worked as a maid for the Temple Buell family. In 1943 she moved to the Remington Arms Ordinance Plant at what is today the Denver Federal Center. While working at the ordinance plant she began a correspondence with George Harlan (also an Englewood High School Graduate, though a few years earlier), a class mate of a friend from work who had made a career in the Navy.

She continued to work at the Ordinance Plant until late 1944 when she contracted Polio, one of the first adults in Denver to be stricken. She spent an extended period in Denver General Hospital, but continued to write George. Their relationship blossomed and when he was able to obtain leave he came home and they met for the first time in the hospital in 1945. He came to see her every time he got leave and proposed with a date set as soon as she was well enough to travel to Washington, D.C. where he was stationed at the time. She slowly improved and, as she put it, learned to walk for the second time again. Her family held a huge celebration the day she was able to come home near Christmas of 1945.

By March of 1946, she had recovered enough to travel to Washington by air as a train ride would be too long and tiring for her. She used the money she had saved that had not been used for the hospital to bring electricity out to her parents’ farm and to pay for her trip, with a bit still saved for a rainy day. She and George were married by the Senate Chaplain on March 2, 1946.

Agnes and George were stationed at a number of posts over the next few years including Washington, D.C., Norfolk, VA and two years at Guantanamo Bay Cuba (1952-1953), where she made each residence a welcoming home. In 1954 George retired from the Navy after 20 years of service, and returned to Colorado. George began his second career (20 years) with the U.S. Geological Survey and for a few years they lived in a south Denver and enjoyed spending time with family and friends. In 1957, Agnes’ mother died and they moved back to the farm to live and take care of her father, Pop. When Pop passed in 1970 they moved to their house in Englewood, where Agnes lived until December 2016 when she moved to Porter Place Assisted Living.

Agnes was an active member of her community. She raised funds for March of Dimes and belonged to their post-polio network. She was also an active member of The Fleet Reserve Women’s Auxiliary and the Society of Military Widows. She also was an active member of the Columbine Genealogical Society and frequently participated in activities at the Malley Center. Beyond her interest in her family’s genealogy and a love of ceramics, her hobbies were numerous and often pursued to the benefit of others. With her sewing groups she made aprons for the police department, each with a coloring book and crayons, a stuffed animal, and extra pockets for paperwork. Police officers gave the aprons to children who were victims of crimes so they could keep it with them as they went from the police to social services to foster care. She also made baby blankets and caps for children’s hospital. With her military organizations, she made thousands of party favors for residents of veterans’ hospitals and homes throughout Denver to enjoy at every holiday.

Agnes was a well known figure in her neighborhood, making sure to greet all she saw and complement the neighbor’s gardens on the walks she took twice a day, every day. Her smile and constant good humor will be missed.

She is preceded in death by her husband, George (1983) and her two brothers, Thomas (1983) and Dean (2009). She is survived by her older sister, Margaret Orendorff (Wyoming, OH); nephews, Gary Orendorff (Bea), Carroll Reichen (Tammy), Neil Harlan (Sarah), Michael Harlan (Tammy), Forest Reichen, Norman Reichen (Darleen); nieces, Diana Elsass (Don), Lynda Kyle (Richard); and numerous great nephews and nieces.

A visitation for Agnes will be held Friday, October 19, 2018 from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm at Olinger Chapel Hill Mortuary & Cemetery, 6601 S Colorado Blvd, Centennial, CO 80121. A committal service will begin at 2:15 pm at Fort Logan National Cemetery - Staging Area C, 4400 W Kenyon Ave, Denver, CO 80236.

Memorial contributions may be made in Agnes' name to March of Dimes - Colorado Chapter, 1325 S Colorado Blvd #B-508, Denver, CO 80222, www.MarchofDimes.org. Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.OlingerChapelHill.com for the Harlan family.