Leona Rickstrew married Carl H. "Bud" Alber on January 6, 1949.
He was the love of her life and she never found another to replace him in the 23 years he was lost to her.
She is survived by four of her five children; ten grandchildren; six of seven great-grandchildren, and one great-great-grandchild.
Married for 40 years, Leona and Bud first met after the close of WWII when Lieutenant Alber returned from the Pacific Theatre. She married him, she said, because he could ride a horse. They ranched at Parachute, CO until 1956 bringing three of their five children into the world there. After leaving ranching, Bud joined the Soil Conservation Service. He and Leona lived in Flagler, Burlington, Bethune, Cortez, Alamosa, and Cedaredge, CO respectively before returning to the Grand Valley in 1984.
Born in Debeque, CO, Leona married a man from the sports rival area, Parachute, CO and for Leona, the teasing began. You just can't marry a sports rival guy and come away unscathed! Leona's husband was a tease, he called her his "Bell of the Bluestone" for the Bluestone Valley where she grew up. He introduced her as his roommate at the CSU Alumni meetings, and told her that anything within a mile of the home place was woman's work. Leona loved to walk the high desert Pinion, Juniper country and spent innumerable hours at that pursuit. Anyone visiting Leona was invited to stay and eat. She could really make a great Cherry pie.
Services will be held at Martin Mortuary on June 1st at 2:00 p.m. with a pot luck following at Sherwood Park's south pavilion. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in Leona's memory to Hospice & Palliative Care of Western Colorado, 3090B North 12th Street, Grand Junction, CO 81506.
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