Lela White Green

Lela White Green died on March 28, 2017 at Atria Park Assisted Living in Lakewood, Colorado. Lela was born on November 15, 1919 to Paul Revere and Anna Lee White, the second of four children and the only daughter.

She rode horseback to attend grade school in Belcher Hill School at the foot of Mt. Tom, a one-room schoolhouse two miles from her home. The teacher lived with the Whites during the school year and Lela rode double with the teacher while in 1st grade.

She attended Golden High School and one year of college at Colorado State University. When her freshman year was up, a neighbor by the name of Kenneth L. Green drove his truck to Fort Collins to take her home for the summer. And never brought her back.

Kenneth was a veterinarian and a rancher, and his rugged mountain country life suited Lela just fine. After all, he had grown up on an adjoining cattle ranch and the families had been friends all her life.

She accompanied Kenneth when she could on his calls. In addition to her housework, gardening and keeping the books, she helped repair fences, work cattle, and put up hay.

She managed to maintain an active community life with her staunch support for a variety of groups: grange, 4H, cattlemen’s association, soil conservation, columbine extension club and the Colorado Republican Party.

Lela loved the land. The more houses dotted the landscape the greater her concern for the disappearing pastures and what that meant for water and for wildlife. Her importance to her community was capped with her remarkable shepherding of two large lands grants, one to Jefferson County Open Space (White Ranch) and the other to the State of Colorado (Green Holdings, Golden Gate Canyon Gate Park).

The girl who grew up on the White Ranch and grew old on the Green Ranch gave back in full measure that what she had been given. Every day somewhere people are walking with their children on trails Lela rode.

Lela is preceded in death by her parents; her brothers, Melvin, Paul, Jr., and George; her husband Kenneth; their son K. Alan and daughter-in-law Judi. She is survived by three grandsons Joel and his wife Martha of Evergreen, CO, Michael and his wife Montana of Warwick, RI and Jeremy and his wife Yvonne of Watertown, MA. She took great joy in her six great-grandchildren, Kenneth Alan II, Noah, Nathan, Ari, Logan and Silas.

Funeral service will be at 11:00 Monday, April 3 at Olinger Woods Chapel, 1100 Washington Avenue, Golden, CO.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Alan Green Foundation, US Bank, attn: Denise Yurcisin, 950 17th St, 5th floor, Denver, CO 80202

Arrangements under the direction of Olinger Woods Chapel, Golden, CO.