Mary Lazetta Swope

Mary was born October 3, 1919, in Briggsdale, CO, the daughter of Jacob Louis Engel and Zelma Annetta (Atto) Engel. She was 3 months premature with a birth weight of only 2 ½ lbs. Unable to digest milk of any type, she was fed mashed potatoes mixed with apple juice and a little pureed beef. Although she did not thrive (she weighed only 1 lb 14 oz at one year), she was a survivor! She had a strong will to live and enormous determination; and, against all odds, she went on to live a full life that lasted 92 years.

Her family moved to Arvada in 1923 where she grew up and graduated from Arvada High School. In 1944, just after the end of World War II, she joined the Women’s Army Air Corps and was stationed at Fort Storey in Virginia Beach, Virginia, where she met Warren Swope. They were married on December 4, 1945, and made their home in Arvada. Warren died on April 8, 1996.

In addition to being a homemaker, wife, and mother, she enjoyed sewing, various crafts and needlework including Bunka embroidery, hiking in the mountains (until she had to give that up at age 89), and listening to bluegrass music. She loved to travel and had lived in Arizona, Utah, Alabama, California, Alaska, and Texas before Warren retired from the Air Force and they moved home to Arvada.

Mary was congenial and compassionate to all she met. She was very accepting of personal and cultural differences, and was always willing to indulge other people’s interests and opinions even if she did not personally share them. Her generosity of spirit extended to financial generosity as well, and for many years she provided significant financial support to the Saint Joseph’s Indian School in South Dakota.

Unfortunately, she suffered a bad fall on July 8th, 2011, and her will to live and her tremendous determination were ultimately not enough to overcome the many complications and challenges resulting from that fall. She died October 10th, 2011, while saying, "Good Bye", to her oldest daughter.

She is survived by three daughters: Barbara (Joseph) Priest of Berrien Springs, MI; Shirley Swope of Arvada; two sons: Edward Swope and Robert Swope of Arvada; three grandsons: Jonathan (Beatrice) Priest of Brooklyn, NY; Michael Priest and Jeremy Priest of Berrien Springs, MI; and 1 great grandchild who has not quite yet arrived.

In addition to her parents and husband, she was preceded in death by three sisters: Millicent Engel, Lois Engel, and Lorna (Gus) Kroeger; and two brothers: David Engel and Richard Engel.