My Dad was born May 22, 1910 and went with the Lord on January 27, 1987. My Mom was born June 27, 1917 and went with the Lord and to be with my Dad on December 01, 2000. Together at last.

My Dad originally came from Illinois before settling in Colorado. He had two brothers, Robert (deceased) wife Opal(deceased) who had an adopted daughter Bobby and his brother Bill (Lee) who have an adopted daughter Linda. My Mom also came from Illinois after being born in Wisconsin, and she had four sisters, Sylvia (deceased) husband Sig (deceased) and daughters Marlene and Gloria and sons Harold (deceased) and Gordon, Verna (deceased) husband Chuck (deceased) and one daughter Judy and two sons, Bruce and Wayne, an adopted sister Dorthy (Ralph) and a daughter Karen and twins Willy (deceased) and Wayne.

My Mom and Dad are the inspiration for my making this website. They were strong, Christians in every way, who followed the Word, studied the Bible and attended church regularly. They lived a good, clean life.

My dad was a professional photographer and my mom was a very accomplished professional artist. Let me briefly tell you a little about them.

They were the BEST parents in the world!! I was adopted from Denver, CO., when I was only 2 weeks old. My dad worked at a local wholesale hardware store (Biggs Kurtz) and my mom stayed at home. On weekends we always went to visit my grandma and grandpa (Vernon and Ida (Sampe) Brott in a nearby town, Delta, CO. My grandma was such a youngster at heart, loving to joke around. I remember going to coffee shops and restaurants and she would slide the straw wrapper down the straw a little ways and then blow thru the straw sending the wrapper flying across the room. When I tried it, I got a dirty look from my Mom and Dad but my grandma let me do it and laughed when I did!! She instigated it so it made it kinda ok!! LOL

On the weekends when we weren't going to visit my grandparents, we took drives over the nearby Grand Mesa and Colorado National Monument. My dad always had his camera and mom had her sketchbook.

I didn't have brothers or sisters so I often just entertained myself playing in the dirt, climbing trees, making tiny log cabins out of collected sticks, skipping rocks on lakes, playing hopscotch in the dirt or just stacking rocks in piles. I was never bored or lonely. I grew up being my own best friend for life. Of course, there is a few draw backs to being an only child. Number one is that there is nobody else to blame or get blamed if you break something or misbehave!!! Also, there is nobody else to steal your stuff!! If you put your stuff in a certain place, it will stay there until the next time you want to use it or play with it. As I became an adult, I notice that not having brothers and sisters meant that when my parents passed away, it ends the family that I have known. Yes, I can start and have my own family filled with love and the same things I enjoyed growing up but, there will never be the kinship of having a brother to call when you need him or a sister to call when you want to go shopping. I guess that's what having my own children and starting my family is suppose to be all about.

Over time, my dad built a darkroom out of an unused closet and began developing his own pictures. One of his greatest joys was when people came to him with snapshots of various members of their family and he combined them all so that it appeared they had all gathered together for a family portrait. Sometimes they were from many generations. Of course, he was always taking pictures of me doing all kinds of things as I grew up. My mom was a fantastic artist. She taught art to people from their church as well as friends who just wanted to know how to draw. After my mom's death, I have learned that many people have her paintings in their homes. She often gave paintings away as gifts for weddings, anniversaries or just because someone liked one she had made. One of her drawings is on constant display at the church where they were members. Her favorite media was oils. She did charcoal, pencil, chalk, watercolor and ink drawings, too, but her favorite was oil painting. My parents were members of the Order of Eastern Star locally and in Fruita, CO. My dad was a 32nd Degree Mason, as was my Grandpa. One of my uncles was a Shriner. My mom had been Queen of Job's Daughters in Illinois and both of my parents were on the 'board' when I was in Job's Daughters bethel #30 locally. It was always the hope and dream of my parents and grandparents, as well as myself, that if I had a daughter and granddaughters, they would follow in our footsteps and be a member of Job's. We hoped that if I had sons and grandsons, they would be in DeMolay and one day be Masons, too! It never happened.

My dad had been a foster grandparent and my mom had served in the Steven's Ministry at their church in their senior years. In their younger years, they both taught Sunday School and actually, they met in Sunday School back in Illinois when they were in their early 20's!

I can really say I am very proud of my Mom and Dad and all of their accomplishments in life. Times were tough after the depression but in our family of three, there was love and we didn't worry about material things.

They taught me the meaning of life. I was taught to respect my elders, which included teachers, neighbors and people in all walks of life. I was taught not to lie or share things that weren't true. I could tell the childhood tall tales but I had to know the difference between telling stories and actual fibs. I was taught to share even though I didn't have to fight for that last piece of candy. I was taught to do chores such as helping with the laundry, sorting clothes, hanging them on the clothes line and folding them when they were dry. In Junior High School I had to iron my own gym uniform and put white shoe polish on my tenny-runners while they were wet. I was always told to do the best I could in school. They didn't expect "A's" but they didn't want to see a report card full of "F's"! Homework came first, as soon as I go home from school and I wasn't allowed to wait until Sunday night to do reports or finish up homework. Sunday night was for MYF, a youth group at church. I was taught respect. This covered all areas. I was taught that when the dogs, Chihuahua's, were in their bed, I wasn't to bother them. When they were eating, I wasn't to bother them. I had to show respect to my parents, above all else, and grandparents, neighbors, teachers at school, people at church, in stores and everywhere! I'm also from the best generation and last generation where you got soap in your mouth if you got sassy or said a swear word. I was often told if I didn't agree with how the Government was being run, who was elected President or who worked in the White House or even who was the Minister of our church or Principal at my school, I was to keep my mouth shut and look for the positive in life. I got grounded for coming home late from school, going to a friends house before my homework was done and for not doing my chores.

I will always remember Christmas's. Back in those days there wasn't a lot of money and there was NO digital crap like today. I woke up on Christmas morning and found two or three presents under the tree. An only child wasn't as spoiled as people said they were!! I always got a doll until I went into Junior High School. I went from the baby dolls to the barbie dolls. I had a total of 36 dolls!! There was only one rule. If I got a doll, that doll had to look good the next year around Christmas time or I didn't get another one. Oh, it could have the scars from being played with and it wasn't expected to just sit on the shelf. It meant no drawing on my dolls, no cutting or frizzing their hair, no putting nail polish on their nails, no poking their eyes out, no cutting on them or damaging them in any way. I took very good care of my dolls......with the exception of one!! She was a bigger doll and had a rubber like 'skin'. Somehow she got left out on the picnic table in the back yard and the next day her 'skin' had darkened from the sun. I worked hard trying to convince my Mom and Dad that she just had a sun burn!! I was forgiven by the next Christmas and I got another doll but let me tell you, I was sure worried that my days of getting dolls might be over!!

I miss them terribly. I miss the holiday and birthday cards my mom use to make. I miss my dad and all the pictures he captured of me and my family as well as relatives and friends.

They were true Christians in every sense. When they married, it was a life long commitment. A man didn't marry a woman just to gain a cook, a housekeeper, a person to wait on them hand and foot. A woman didn't marry a man because he was inadequate sexually and he was afraid of being alone and unwanted, or needing a man to keep her car running or to provide money to care for kids had by another relationship. They didn't use each other, abuse each other, lie to each other, swear or throw things. They didn't drink or smoke. They were 110% faithful only unto each other. My Dad didn't look around or flirt and neither did my Mom. They were everything to each other. Of course, there was no divorce during their time together. I didn't even know the meaning of the word until I was grown. You stuck together thru thick and thin, highs and lows, rich and poor times. They were together until death and even in the afterlife, they have joined each other at the right hand of God for all eternity. The main thing is they married out of love for each other.

I was raised in a very loving home by two of the most beautiful, loving, honest, sincere, giving and loyal parents a child could have. I know they touched many lives during their time on earth. I know they will be missed by many. I try to take each day as it comes but it is very difficult. I will always hold on to those things they taught me. They will always be with me in spirit. Mom, Dad, I love you and miss you both so very much.