Kathryn Albert

Kathryn’s life began October 27, 1916, in Havelock, Nebraska. She was the third child born to Hattie Ellen Slocum Harriss and George Emmett Harriss. She had an older brother, Earl, and an older sister, Myrl, both of whom have predeceased her. She is survived by her younger sister, Lois, of Lincoln, NE. She also had a younger brother, Dale Keith, who died before he was 2 years old. She was a teen during the depression years and she remembers many days when they had only bread and milk for the evening meal. Her family moved around during those years wherever her dad could find work. Those years left a strong impression on her. She was always frugal and could stretch a dollar further than anyone we knew. She often stretched those dollars by doing without things for herself.

After high school, she went to what she called “normal” school to obtain her teaching credentials. It was not until her granddaughter Katie opened her own salon that Kathryn admitted that she really wanted to become a hair stylist and not a teacher. She taught in small towns in Nebraska and sometimes her assignment was a one room school where she taught grades kindergarten through eighth grade. She also prepared all of the schools programs and kept the school clean. She helped pay for her sister Myrl’s college education with part of her teaching salary.

It was during one of those teaching assignments that she met her future husband, Lloyd Albert. He started the coal stove in her one room school. She often reminded him that while she appreciated his effort, he often forgot to fill the coal bucket after he had started the stove. They were married on June 22, 1941. The following February, Lloyd was drafted into the Army to fight in World War II. He was in England for the next four years. They taught the meaning of commitment from their marriage as they had been married for 67 years when Lloyd died at age 92.

Kathryn and Lloyd started their life after the end of World War II on a small farm in Clatonia, Nebraska. While it was a wonderful place to be a child, Kathryn and Lloyd had to work very hard and making ends meet was a constant struggle. In 1963, they sold the farm and moved to Golden, Colorado, where Lloyd had the promise of employment with Coors. The Coors government contract for which he had been hired fell through and he had to work as a painter for a local contractor for several months before he was hired at Coors in the can plant. Kathryn was always able to save every extra dollar so Lloyd could retire at age 62.

After retirement, they became snow birds and spent every winter for 15 years in Mesa, Arizona. They had a wonderful time in AZ, learning to square dance and taking advantage of the many hobbies offered in the retirement community. In Colorado for the summers, they sought out a square dancing club and became members of a couple of camping and square dancing clubs. They traveled and camped in their truck with 5th wheel trailer and had many great adventures with the Campfire Squares here in Colorado. They also loved to travel. They cruised in the Caribbean, to Alaska, and through the Panama Canal.

Kathryn was always a homemaker, even when she was teaching and working as a teacher’s aide at Mitchell Elementary in Golden. They designed and built their home in Golden in 1969. They lived there for forty years. It was a very difficult decision for Kathryn, when they decided they could no longer keep up the maintenance inside and out for that home. They moved into the Fountains at Springwood in Arvada in 2005. That decision, as it turned out, was one of the best ones they made. They had many good friends at the Fountains and liked the facility so much that they recruited several of their friends to live there as well.

Kathryn loved crafting. She taught many craft classes at the Meridian retirement center in Arvada before they moved to the Fountains and helped with the craft classes at the Fountains. She crocheted all of her life and never sat down without picking up her crochet project. She made hundreds of crocheted afghans, hats and sweaters for her family and for various charities. She was still making beanies for babies on a loom as well as crocheted dish cloths in the last month of her life. Each of her grandchildren have an afghan that she crocheted especially for them and some of them have more than one.

She loved her grandchildren and they will attest that she was a wonderful grandmother. Her oldest grandchild, Jeff, lived with Grandma and Grandpa while he attended the Colorado School of Mines. It brought both of them great pleasure to have him around so much in those years. Katie and Scott were born on her birthday and she always made sure that everyone she met knew that fact. Brian and Amy were born just 6 months apart and were her special strawberry blond babies. When Jason was born almost 8 years later, he was just as precious—especially when as he grew up, he looked more like her beloved husband, Lloyd, than anyone else in the family.

She loved being a great-grandmother. When Katie told her that Taylor (her first great-grandchild) was on the way, she was delighted. Some of her friends in AZ already had great grandchildren and she didn’t want to be left out of that experience. Katie and Taylor visited her in AZ one Easter when Taylor was about one year old and Kathryn had a wonderful time introducing them and showing them off to all of her friends.

Kathryn was always a very loving and positive person. She had a strong faith in God and was a devoted member of the Methodist Church all of her life. She gave and gave and gave some more and will be remembered and loved and continue to live on in the hearts of the many people whose lives she touched.

Kathryn moved to her final home in Heaven on December 31, 2014. In addition to her sister, Lois, she is survived by her three daughters, Dixie (Alan) Morganfield, Dorothy (Dale) Wydman, and Yvonne Albert, six grandchildren, Jeff (Traci) Morganfield, Brian (Cory) Morganfield, Jason (Jill) Morganfield, Katie (Tom) Serr, Scott Wydman, and Amy (Tom) King, eleven great-grandchildren, Taylor, Brittney, Michael, TJ, Dana, Matthew, Madison, Gaaron, Aidan, Connor, and Ashlyn, and one great-great granddaughter, Myla.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests contributions be made to the Golden First United Methodist Church, 1500 Ford Street, Golden, CO 80401 in Kathryn’s memory.