Elnor Eileen Everett

ELNOR EILEEN EVERETT Elnor Eileen Grave Everett was born in Nunn, Colorado on January 25, 1918. She was born to Glenn Richard Grace, Sr., and Lillian Estella Orton Grace. Her parents first came to Montezuma County in 1911 where they homesteaded in the Yellow Jacket Community. Eileen and her younger brother Wendell grew up in the Yellow Jacket Community where they remember playing in the fields and helping their parents on the homestead. Eileen said, 'I remember playing in the corn fields. It was like a forest to us kids at that time.' She was always looking out for her younger brother Wendell. She always joked about him getting lost from her. The family then moved to the Lewis Community where Eileen and Wendell went to school through the eighth grade. Eileen attended Garrett Ridge High School in Lewis. In 1935, Lillian Orton Grace, Wendell, and Eileen moved to Oregon, where they stayed for about a year before moving to Jerome, Idaho. After graduating she went to Albion State Normal, where she was studying to be a primary teacher. There she played for the Albion College girls’ basketball team, which she enjoyed very much. In 1939, she met and married the love of her life, Leroy Glenister Everett, her husband for almost 53 years. They celebrated their fiftieth wedding anniversary on September 11, 1990. They began their married life in a three-room house about a half-mile from where he was born. Her first child, Judith was born on December 3, 1946 and her son, Lloyd was born on September 3, 1952. They milked cows and sold eggs cream for grocery money. In 1948 they wired the house with electricity and bought an electric milk separator. Leroy Everett died at his home on June 22, 1993. Eileen was a very strong lady from the time she was born. She would say that she took many spills from horses in her lifetime, but she would get right back on. She had many stories to tell of the mishaps that she had. One story was about when she got too close to Wendell's pony, Dime, and got kicked in the head between the eyes. After the sixteen-mile drive into Cortez, Dr. Johnson put five stitches in her head. She missed school for a couple of days because her eyes swelled shut and turned black. Another story took place in early spring when the roads were muddy and bad. Her dad wanted her to smooth the roads down, so he cut a big Pinon tree down, that had a fork on the small end. He put a chain on both ends and hooked the double tree to the chain. He hitched up the horses, Buck and Charlie, and started around the home place to calm them down. He told her to take the team and smooth the roads down. Going up the hill, Charlie wanted to rest, so she let them stop and catch a breath. She got off the log and walked around. For some reason, she stepped into the circle of the chain and Buck took off, along with Charlie. She got caught in the log and was pulled under. She couldn't reach the reigns to stop them. She hung on to the chain and kept hollering whoa! Whoa! The horses finally decided to stop. She pulled herself up form under the tree, but said that she couldn't even lift one end of it later. It ripped all of her clothes off in the front, except for the sheep lined coat that she had on. She just fastened her coat up and turned the team around and road them home again. Then, she just unharnessed the team and turned them loose. Later in life, she met up with a mean ram. She knew that he was mean, and that he could attack at any time. But one snowy winter day, she went too far into the field where he was. He butted her and knocked her down. Every time she tried to get up, he would butt her again. She finally got a hold of his ears, and held on to him until her son got there to help. The ram broke a couple of her ribs, her leg and knocked her glasses off. The first thing she wanted in the hospital was her glasses. Everyone looked for those glasses, they raked the snow, Don used a metal detector, but no one could find them. The first thing she did when she got home from the hospital was walk out to the field and pick up her glasses. She wore them, until she got a new pair. Eileen loved to socialize with people. When she was younger, she and her friends would ride their horses to Hwy 184 and catch a ride to Dolores every Saturday night to go dancing. Many times the roads were so bad and muddy, that they would have to push the car up the hills to get to Dolores. As much as she loved to be around people, she had a very special place in her heart for all animals, especially her horses. She seemed to have a special bond with her animals. She made sure that they were all fed, even the 4-H projects, which her grandchildren were raising. The goal was to get them to the perfect weight. Grandma, however, didn't think they were getting enough food, so when everyone was gone, she would sneak out to the sheep pen and give them just a little extra. Eileen didn't like housework very much, she would rather be outside working in her garden, or punching cows or being in the fields. Although housework wasn't her favorite, her home was always well taken care of. She wasn't one to just sit and not do anything. She made the best biscuits and gravy and steak breakfasts. Whenever she went to a potluck or a dinner of any sort, everyone expected her to bring her homemade dinner rolls. They melted in your mouth and you couldn't eat just one! She loved to watch her grandchildren in everything that they were involved in while they were growing up. All of the 4-H projects, wrestling matches, soccer, football, volleyball, T-ball and you could always here her coaching from the stands when they were on the basketball court. Eileen was involved in many community and civic organizations. She worked at the Ohio match factory in Mancos off and on for 20 years. She enjoyed being a teacher and worked at the Mancos elementary school teaching the eighth grade. She was a charter member of the Southwestern Cowbells and the president from 1968-1969. She was a 50-year member of the Mt. Lookout Grange in Mancos. She was also a member of the Order of Eastern Star, Mesa Verde Chapter 76. She was elected Mancos Days Pioneer Queen in July of 1991. After the death of her husband in 1993, Eileen continued to live in her home on the family farm in Mancos. Here she worked and enjoyed being a grandmother and has been a part of many special memories with the entire family. Eileen was a cowgirl from the moment she entered this world until the moment she left it. She always talked about how much she loved the mountains, the trees, the flowers, and even the dandelions. Everything was beautiful. Elnor Eileen Everett will remain in our hearts as a strong, intelligent, beautiful women and will be missed by all that knew her. Eileen died at her home north of Mancos on June 2, 2004 at 2:30 p.m. at the age of 86, after a battle with a disease called Dermatomyosistis. She is survived by a brother, Wendell Grace; sister-in-law, Dorothy Grace of Modesto, Calif.; her daughter, Judith Eileen Morris; son-in-law, Don R. Morris of Cortez; son, Lloyd Ray Everett, and daughter-in-law, Lue Ann Everett of Mancos; three grandsons, Robert Lloyd Morris and wife, Shirley Morris of Farmington, Kevin LeRoy Everett and Shawn Tyrel Everett of Mancos; four granddaughters, Michelle Marie VanGrandt and husband, Jaceson of Craig, Colo., Kristy LaRae of Los Angeles, Calif., Joni Lynne and Tracy Elaine Everett of Mancos, and four step-great-granddaughters, Kendal Buse or Las Cruces, N.M., Jennifer Rose of Montrose, Colo., Haley Dannielle, and Sarah Cheyenne VanGrandt of Craig, Colo. She is also survived by her brother-in-law, Mark Everett of Provo, Utah, and sister-in-law, Lucile Everett of Mancos; her half brother, Glenn R. Grace, Jr. and wife, Veryl; nieces, Edith Sherwood, Esther Cook, Louise Bland, Ruth Ann Jepersen, Nancy Kay Hugo, Alice Covey, Linda Snodgrass, and Sandra Jones. Her Nephews, Wayne Wolf, David Everett, Larry Everett, Leslie Wolf, Lyman Everett, Randy Everett and Kenny Grace survive Eileen. Preceding her in death was her husband, Leroy G. Everett; her parents, Lillian and Glenn R. Grace, Sr.; Stepmother, June Grace; her stepfather, Frank Bullock; and her half brother, James S. Grace. Her brother-in-laws, Matt Wolf, Louis Wolf, Walter Everett, and Clarence Everett; as well as her sister-in-laws, Edna Wolf, Doris Wolf, Serena Everett, Esther Everett and one nephew, Aaron Wolf also preceded Eileen in death. The Ertel Funeral Home handled the services.