Mollie Almetta Eaton

MOLLIE ALMETTA EATON Funeral services for longtime Dove Creek resident Mollie Almetta Eaton will be held at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, October 25 at the Dove Creek First Baptist Church. Interment will follow at the Arriola Cemetery. Pastor Mike Farren will officiate. A visitation has been scheduled for Tuesday afternoon from 4 to 5 p.m. at the Dove Creek First Baptist Church. Mollie Almetta (named after her grandmother Almetta May Showers Dunn) was born on February 23, 1921 to Nathan Owen and Mahala Jane (Dunn) Amrine while they were living in Ignacio, Colo. The family moved to Vilas, Colo. where Clifford Owen and Florence Marie were born. After Clifford and Florence were born, the Amrines moved to Krum, Tex. where Geneva Belle was born. In 1928 they moved to Indahoma, Okla. where Clarence Eugene was born. The family returned to Vilas, Colo. where Rose Nell was born. The Amrine family then moved to Arriola where Warren Gilbert was born. While living in Arriola, Almetta was introduced to a tall, striking young man by the name of Robert Raymond Elder. After a short courtship, Robert and Almetta went to Monticello, Utah to get married on March 23, 1939. Robert “Bob” Elder wanted to make sure he would not get in trouble for taking a young woman across the state line so he made her get out and walk across the state line into Utah. After Bob and Almetta moved to Cortez, their son Clifford Raymond was born on November 11, 1939 followed by a stillborn baby boy in 1940. They then moved to Yellow Jacket where Bob worked for T. Guy on his farm. While they lived in Yellow Jacket, Ella “Ellen” Louise was born on March 10, 1942. Merl Gene was born August 29, 1943 in Cortez and Darrell Kay was born April 27, 1946. In October 1946, the family moved to Dove Creek where Bob started carrying the mail between Dove Creek and Cortez. They also began building their home where they lived the rest of their lives. Almetta, sometimes called Misty by many of her friends, began working at McCormick’s Hardware and Grocery which is now the Ace Hardware store. After the McCormicks moved to Moab, she worked as a waitress at Essie’s Café until it closed. She then worked at Young’s Grocery. She left Young’s Grocery to work for the Dove Creek Press where she was working when Bob passed away on June 26, 1972. She continued working at the Press a few more years and then went back to waitressing which she considered her true talent. After Bob’s death, Almetta took up painting and various other crafts which she enjoyed sharing with her children and grandchildren. She also enjoyed traveling to visit her children and grandchildren. One of these trips that was very memorable to her was a trip to Japan to visit her son Darrell and his family. While waitressing at the Blue Mountain Café, Almetta met Jack Eaton, whom she married July 19, 1980. After their marriage, Jack and Almetta spent several years remodeling their home using the proceeds from the sale of aluminum cans they collected and purchased. They increased the size of the house and brought it up to date through a lot of hard work and time so they could have family visit them in comfort. Always active, Almetta enjoyed fishing, hunting, and traveling with her husband Jack. When Almetta’s arthritis and other illnesses reached the point where she was unable to care for herself and Jack, Jack’s daughters Cheryl and Roxie came to live with them and became the primary caregivers for Almetta until she passed away. A memorial fund for Almetta Eaton has been set up at the Community Bank of the Rockies in Dove Creek.