Elizabeth A. Price

Elizabeth was born at her parent’s home in Reamsville, Smith County, Kansas on October 3, 1927 to Ernest and Elsie Wehe. This was the same house that her father was born in 1904, on the land that settled by Elizabeth’s grandfather before 1900. She was the oldest of three children, her siblings were Ernest Elwyn Wehe and Moyne Wyllean (Wehe) Browne. Growing up, her family survived many of the struggles of the 1930s and 1940s including dust storms, grasshopper plague, recessions and droughts. There was always food on the table with homegrown meat and vegetables. She was expected to milk twice a day, before and after school. The family attended church regularly at a United Brethren country church with their many young children. Elizabeth took piano lessons which meant a trip to town some 20 miles away, usually on Saturdays. She continued with piano through her high school years. She attended one-room schoolhouses as a youngster and walked two miles over rolling hills, to attend one of the schools. One of the one room schoolhouses was where their mother taught in 1925 and met her father. She attended these schools until her graduation from 8th grade in 1941. Her mother had graduated from Smith Center High school so it was decided that the three children would attend there also. Elizabeth boarded in Smith Center until her parents moved there. Elizabeth played in the school band, was active in 4H and in the church. Those four years were the years of World War II. She graduated from Smith Center High school in 1945, then attended Central Business College in Denver. She went on to Colorado Women's College, graduated with an AA degree in 1948, and finished her formal studies at University of Colorado with a BA degree, graduating in 1950.

Elizabeth Ann Wehe was married to Garnet Zane Price (1925-2003), also of Smith County, Kansas on May 6th, 1951. They started married life by building their house together on Meade Street in Westminster, which Elizabeth continued to live in until her death. Through the years, a bi-level addition was added, along with a garage and a workshop. During the next years, they raised their 5 children (Terry, Judy, Gary, Larry and Lisa) in this house. Garnet and Elizabeth shared 52 years of marriage together before his death in 2003. Throughout their marriage they built a great relationship with family and community.

Elizabeth’s first teaching contract was with District 50 (now Westminster Public Schools) in 1951. She taught two years at Westminster High School before children, and then substituted at Hodgkins Junior High School. Eventually she moved to Ranum High School teaching part days, which led to full days. She was invited to teach journalism, which gave her the opportunity to learn to use computers. She particularly enjoyed her years as faculty advisor for the school newspaper “The Ranum Roundup”. She continued until her retirement from Ranum High school in 1992. Elizabeth continued relationships with many of her past students, especially those from her early days at Westminster High School. Many students and colleagues in this area still have memories of her teaching.

As their children grew, she was active in all of their activities including church groups, scouting, and Sing-out Colorado. Throughout the years, the family took many trips, with the 5 children in the back of the truck camper, traveling from coast to coast and even into Canada and Mexico. Later she and her husband traveled overseas to England, Belgium, France, Germany. They also visited their daughter, Judy and family in Norway, and their other daughter, Lisa and family in Australia. When she was 83, she traveled with Judy back to Australia to visit Lisa and her family.

A large part of Elizabeth's, and her family's life was the Westminster Presbyterian Church. She had many memories of the "old building" that she was always willing to share. Garnet and Elizabeth joined the church in 1954, and over the years became very active in the church, along with all of their children, including being elders and serving on numerous committees. Elizabeth researched and published history of the church for the church’s 125th Anniversary from 1892-2007. The church was the beginning of her involvement in the community. Elizabeth continued participating in the church as long as she could and would talk about her pew buddies.

Elizabeth has been actively involved in many community organizations. She served on the Board of the Westminster Retired School Employees Association (WRSEA) as publicity and publishing the organization’s newsletter for some 20 years; she served on the Friends of Westminster Public Library Board for over 25 years serving as its publicity and its newsletter; and she served as an Honorary member of Zeta Chapter of Delta Kappa Gamma and researched and published the history of Zeta Chapter from 1938-2018. Elizabeth has been acknowledged multiple times from various organizations including the “Light of Christ” award from Denver Presbytery and “Citizen of the Year” awarded by the Westminster Legacy Foundation.

After Elizabeth retired from teaching, she started working on and researching the family histories of her and Garnet’s families. She became the family historian and has put together multiple books (Price, Wehe, Rehwoldt, Myers, Barratt, Gardner, Hardacre, Mollison) with the family lineages, stories and documents, that has involved corresponding with people all over the world. Working on the family history has been Elizabeth’s joy and she could always bring up a story or a connection with a family member. These books and memories will be forever treasured by her family and the extended families.

Elizabeth and Garnet’s children, grandchildren and great grandchildren have always been very important and cherished by both of them. The family celebrated Garnet and Elizabeth’s 50th wedding anniversary I 2001, Elizabeth’s 90th birthday in 2017 and her 95th birthday in 2022. Elizabeth will be dearly missed by her family and the connections she made with each of them.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Garnet Price (2003), her sister, Moyne Browne (2014), and her brother Elwyn Wehe (2017).

Elizabeth is survived by her family of 36 members: Terry Price, his wife Robbie and their children Justin Price (wife Rachel, children Bridger and Reagan) and Aimee Guildner (husband Luke, children Piper, Addie and Cody); Judy Maxwell, her husband Don, and her children Karen Bencke and Susan Bencke (wife Susan); Gary Price, his wife Valerie and their children Michelle Fleming (husband Christopher, son Aragon), and Matthew Price (wife Elena, children Leon, Charlie and Emma); Larry Price , his wife Dana, and his children Kameron Price and Kaitlyn Wagner (husband Cavin); and Lisa Preston, her husband Christopher and their children Daniel Preston and James Preston. She also leaves behind a special cousin, Wendell Gardner and his wife Pauline and their families.

Memorials can be sent to Westminster Presbyterian Church, Westminster Public School Foundation to fund college/vocational training or the Friends of Westminster Public Library.

She will be buried next to her husband, Garnet in the Highland Cemetery, Thornton Colorado.

A Celebration of Life for Elizabeth (Wehe) Price will be at Westminster Presbyterian Church on June 18th at 2pm. Everyone is welcome to share stories of Elizabeth.