Wilma (Cotner) Kohls
Marriages
Raymond "Russ" Kohls - March 18, 1938
Burial Details
Obituaries
Grand Junction Daily Sentinel page 3 C Obit - December 5, 2010
Our mother, grandmother, great
grandmother, great great grandmother
and Aunt Billie left our
presence peacefully on the
evening of Wednesday, December
1, 2010 in Fruita, Colorado.
Mom was born April 1, 1919 in
Benedict, Nebraska to Ira Everett
Cotner and Adina Ester Sands.
She was the fifth of seven children.
Her parents were hard working
farmers who moved several times
following better farming opportunities.
Leaving Nebraska and the
dry land farm they moved to Otis
in Eastern Colorado when mom
was about ten years old with the
hope of better dry land farming
prospects. However this was the
beginning of the great depression.
When this venture did not succeed
due to the drought and depression
at that time, Grandpa Cotner moved to Fruitvale, CO because
of the opportunity of irrigation water and a better life for his
family. This move was during her freshman year of high school,
going from a small school of 40 students in grades 1-12 to a high
school of several hundred in the ninth grade alone. She did not return
to school after that year in favor of getting a job and helping the
family in those lean years. They only stayed in Fruitvale a short time
before they moved to a farm at 20 Road and J.5 Road near Fruita
where she lived until she married the love of her life, Raymond
(Russ) Kohls in Grand Junction, CO on March 18th, 1938. They
moved to Price, UT following the wedding and stayed there for six
years where their three children were born.
The family moved to San Diego California where it was booming
because of the war economy in 1944 and after the war ended they
returned to Fruita in the spring of 1946 living on an 80 acre farm.
Mom was an excellent gardener and canned and preserved most everything
she grew. She could sew and knit with the best of them.
During her early married years she did a lot of seasonal work to help
supplement the family income. Some of her ventures in the work
place included working at the Kuners cannery in Appleton, canning
a lot of the produce grown in the valley. In the fall she worked at the
honey building on Aspen Ave. in Fruita, bringing home some of the
comb honey produced by the valley bees to the delight of her family.
While in Heber City she worked at a sewing factory making coats
and sports clothing. She was an excellent cook and was the pie
maker for family get-togethers until she decided to quit when she
was in her 8o's.
With the Uranium boom starting in 1955, Russ moved to Moab to
work in the Uranium mines, while Mom stayed in Fruita to allow
their children to finish school. Then in 1958 she moved to Moab.
They moved to Heber City in Utah and finally to Casa Grande in
Arizona where Russ worked in several mines until he retired in 1975
from Heckla Mining Company. Back to the western slope they came
as Mom was somewhat dismayed as she had grown to like the warm
winters and hot Arizona climate. During their retirement years they
continued to be active; going with her sister from California and
brother from Oregon. They spent several months in the late winter
and early spring in the Lake Havasu area. Mom spent hundreds of
hours serving others working at the Fruita Thrift Store, Grey
Gourmet and other organizations in the last 35 years of her life.
Mom joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saint late in
her life and was a faithful member and grew to love her Heavenly
Father
She loved to be active and was the great communicator of the
family from a early age as her family grew and moved to the
different areas of the country. She kept track of uncles, aunts,
cousins, nephews, nieces on both sides of the family and always
kept in touch. She will be greatly missed by all those who knew her.
Mom is survived by her daughter, E. Kathyren (Gale) Fuller of
Grand Junction, CO; Raymond (Claudette) Kohls of Phoenix, AZ,
and LaVern (Joyce) Kohls of Fruita CO; 12 grandchildren; 35 great
grandchildren and five great great grandchildren. One grandchild
and two great grandchildren preceded her in death. Her three sisters,
Hazel Butcher, Estella Belle (child), and Goldie Williams; three
brothers, Ora, Denzil, Dewitt (Jack) also precede her in death. She is
also survived by many nieces and nephews who will remember her
as Aunt Billie.
Services are scheduled for 11:00 a.m. with an hour visitation
beginning at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, December 8, 2010 at The
Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, 343 E. Ottley Ave.
Graveside services are to directly follow at the Fruita Elmwood
Cemetery.
Memorial contributions can be made to the Lower Valley Thrift
Store, P.O. Box 272, Fruita, CO 81521.
Arrangements have been entrusted to Martin Mortuary. View service
details at martinmortuary.com.
Grand Junction Daily Sentinel page 5 A Notice - December 4, 2010
Wilma Kohls, 91, Fruita,
died Dec. 1, 2010, at Family
Health West.
Visitation will be from 10-11
a.m. Wednesday at the Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints. Services start at 11 a.m.
with burial to follow at Elmwood
Cemetery.
Mrs. Kohls was a homemaker.
Survivors include two sons,
LaVern and Raymond; one
daughter, Kathyren Fuller; 13
grandchildren; 37 great-grandchildren;
and fi ve great-greatgrandchildren
