Laura Mildred Knapp

Memorial services for Cortez resident Laura Mildred Knapp will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday, November 7, 2020 at Trinity Lutheran Church, Cortez, CO.
Laura Mildred Block was born July 25, 1920 to William and Ellen Lage Block. She was one of seven children (five boys and two girls) raised on a farm near Ulysses, Nebraska. She attended country school and graduated from Ulysses High School in 1937.
Her family moved to the farming community of Amherst, Colorado. Laura worked for room and board and 50¢ per day. Laura's willing work ethic soon found her a position as a housekeeper for $5 a week and room and board in the city of Denver. At the outbreak of World War II, Laura returned to Amherst to help her family on the farm. The three older brothers were serving in the military. She met her future husband, George Clifton Cooper, while working in Holyoke, Colorado. They married in 1943 in Riverside, California where Cliff was stationed. Laura moved back to her family's farm in Amherst while he was deployed in the South Pacific in the Corps of Engineers.
Following the War, Laura and Cliff purchased a dry land farm near Holyoke, Colorado. Two daughters, Lynelle and Janice, were born to the couple. Laura and her family were active members of Zion Lutheran Church in Holyoke. Laura was a busy farm wife, active 4-H leader, and a good neighbor to all. She was known and appreciated for her baking prowess!
After the death of her husband in 1972, Laura moved to Greeley, Colorado near her grandchildren and younger daughter. Always full of energy and adventure, she became an avid cross-country skier. (She continued skiing until the age of 85!) While in Greeley, she met and married her polka partner, Bernard Knapp. He died less than a year after their marriage. In 2000, Laura moved to Cortez and her home on Trinity Avenue. Quilting and gardening continued to be her great interests. Neighbors and friends always enjoyed visiting and goodies from Laura's kitchen. The kitchen and sewing room at Trinity Lutheran Church knew Laura and her tireless and selfless work.
Laura was honored this July 25, 2020 by many family and friends as she celebrated her 100th birthday.
Laura was preceded in death by her brothers, Walter, Leonard, Emmett, William, and Harold; and sister, Jessie. In 2010, Laura lost her beloved granddaughter, Lora Ellen Dersham. She is survived by her daughters, Lynelle Brumley (Cortez) and Janice Dersham (Missoula, MT); grandson, Justin Dersham; great grandson, Jordan Dersham; many nieces and nephews; and many good friends and neighbors.
Memorial contributions may be made in Laura’s name to Trinity Fellowship Fund or Trinity Preschool, PO Box 989, Cortez, CO 81321.