Violet Dellene Waschke

Violet Dellene (Flowers) Waschke departed this journey of life and went home to her Savior on July 6, 2021. She was born on August 23, 1933, in Utleyville, Colorado to James Blakemore and Patty Mary (Hall) Flowers. She was the twelfth of thirteen children.

Growing up on the family homestead in Kim, Colorado, she helped her parents farm and milk and raise cows. She spoke of those times with great fondness and shared many of her childhood memories, such as the time the gas pedal got stuck on her brother’s pickup. She drove it through a barbed wire fence with her brother’s dog in the passenger seat. They almost wound up in an arroyo with the front wheels hanging over the edge. After that, anytime the dog saw her behind the wheel, he jumped out of the pickup, even if it was moving. Another time was when her old horse, Blaze, sensed something was wrong and took her on a speedy ride. There were dark clouds forming and he was nervous. She gave him free reign and he took off running as fast as he could go with her hanging on. They came up to an old shed and Blaze turned full speed into it, stopping just in time to keep from knocking her off on the low hanging roof. After she dismounted and got inside with Blaze, a hailstorm hit with hail large enough to cause significant physical harm. Many of her memories included her siblings, but especially her younger sister, Neva who was three years younger than her. They shared many adventures on the family homestead during their childhood and remained close all their lives.

In 1957, she married William Stewart Waschke of Dove Creek, Colorado. They met as his sister, Ann, had married Violet’s older brother. They were married for 57 years when Willie passed away in 2014. Three children were born to them; James William (Bill), Mary Elizabeth (Becky), and Neva Ann. They lived on the Waschke Family homestead in Dove Creek where they farmed and raised cows. Willie and Violet also had a mail route contract with the US Postal Service for over 20 years. Violet loved driving the mail route, especially in the springtime when many baby animals were born.

Violet always grew a big garden and canned it for the family’s food supply. She was a great cook. Her fried chicken on Sundays were a favorite just like her cream pies on the holidays. Many that knew her well loved Christmas time as they knew she would be sending them some of her delicious jams, canned goodies, and hot sauce. She would fix breakfast and then work out in the fields, come in and fix lunch, return to the fields, work till dark, then come in and fix supper. She patched jeans, hoed beans, hauled in bean hauls, raised the garden, raised chickens, hauled water for the cows and created many great memories for her family. She taught her children, grandchildren, and her great-grandchild, Abby, the value of hard work and to trust God to take care of you.

Her greatest joy was when her grandchildren started arriving with Elizabeth first and then Brittany and Michael. Later it was the great-grandchildren with Abby first, then Olivia, Luke, and Liam. She loved playing with them and just being able to have them around.

Violet was preceded in death by her husband, Willie, her daughter, Mary (Becky), her parents, and all of her siblings. She is survived by her son, James (Bill) Waschke and his wife Rhonda; her daughter, Neva McCleary and her husband, Mike; three grandchildren, Elizabeth McCleary and her daughter, Abby; Brittany Waschke, her husband, Xiaoguang Wang and their son Luke, and Michael McCleary, his wife, Shaylie and their children, Olivia and Liam. She is also survived by numerous nieces and nephews.

Memorial contributions can be made in Violet’s memory to Hospice of Montezuma, PO Box 740, Cortez, CO 81321.