Cleo Marie Fryrear

Cleo Marie Brown Fryrear was born at the family farm in Fowler, CO to James C Brown and Celia Marie Rogers Brown on December 4, 1922.  She joined a family of three brothers, J.D., Harold  and Bud.  Later, three more brothers, Pat, Jack, and Tom arrived.  She attended country schools until high school when she was a boarding student in Holyoke.  One of the people she boarded with was Sylvia Warren.  In 1942, she enrolled at Colorado Teacher’s College in Greeley, Colorado.  For awhile she lived in Belford Hall where her daughter lived in her freshman year. She also boarded in private homes and worked her way through college.

Having earned a teacher’s degree, she was asked to take over a school year at the Wages School in 1944.  She finished out that year and the next year taught at the Highland Center School.  The following year she and Francis Kirschner Kuntz went to Hastings, Nebraska where she taught at a country school.

Bud (Charles) returned from the war to be with his soon-to-be-bride.  They were married on June 2, 1946.  They moved into the farm house where Bud was born.  Called Valley View Farm, Bud and Cleo forged a marriage and family.  Born to them were Ann Marie, Ronald Charles and Retta Kay.  Bud and Cleo were active participants in their community.  They joined the Wages Methodist Church where Cleo taught Sunday School and was a member of the Ladies Society.  She organized and was a leader of 4-H club and was involved in the CSU Extension activities.  During the Cold War, she was an observer of aircraft flying over and would identify the plane and call it in to the Civil Defense. 

Cleo was Bud’s farm hand and was often in the field or helping with livestock.  They were interested in having a rich, satisfying life and participated in many social events including frequent card parties, square dances and making social calls.  Cleo was a wonderful housekeeper and nearly every Sunday would prepare a meal for guests in case they invited someone from church.

In 1969, because of consecutive years of hailed-out crops and Bud’s problematic health, they sold the farm and moved to Tucson, Arizona.  There they bought a house and Cleo worked at the Methodist Church day care center.  It was at the church that they were nurtured by an adult Sunday School class.  Those members became life-long friends.  After Cleo suffered a debilitating back injury, she changed jobs and became a secretary at a public school junior high.

Years went by and they enjoyed life in their ranch-style home.  Sadly, Bud died in 1984 from cancer.  A year later, Cleo moved into a condominium which had fewer square feet.  Many holidays were enjoyed by family there.  In 1999, Cleo made a major decision and moved back to Colorado.  She purchased her daughter Ann’s house in Haxtun and moved there in the summer of 1999.  She reacquainted herself with old friends and made new ones as she was known to do.  She became an active member of the Ladies Society at the Methodist Church, continued as a PEO member, played cards with friends and lived an active life.

In 2011, she announced to her family that she was tired of cooking and was not going to spend another winter in her house.  She chose Devonshire Acres, in Sterling, CO in which to finish her days.  She was very happy there moving into independent living for four years.  She decided herself that she was needing additional services and moved into assisted living for her final four years.  It was true in that setting that other residents and the staff came to know her as a kind, spunky, classy lady.

Cleo was preceded in death by her parents, her brothers and her husband, Bud.  She is survived by her children, Ann (Phil) Stover, Ron (Teri) Fryrear and Kay (Ken) Schriner; and seven grandchildren, Sephra Lechleidner, Sam Yost, Sara Mavis, Audilee Agnew, Daniel Yost, Deserea Stover and Stephanie Simmons.  Also, surviving are twelve great-grandchildren.

A funeral service was held on March 5, 2018 at 10:00 a.m. at the Haxtun United Methodist Church in Haxtun, Colorado.  Interment followed the service in the Holyoke Cemetery in Holyoke, Colorado.  The service was officiated by Pastor Jeri Soens and Baucke Funeral Home of Holyoke, Colorado was in charge of the arrangements. 

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