Obituary of Winnie Isabelle Pottorff

Winnie was born to Charles Edward Cook and Eliza Cora (Smith) Cook on March 16, 1921 in Elkador, Kansas. She was the youngest in a family of 10, seven brothers, Floyd, Lyle, Glenn, Wayne & Wade (twins), Guy, and Myrl who died in infancy and two sisters, Daisy and Buena. The girls all had middle names of a flower and of an aunt. She grew up during the Depression and life was hard. Her family lived on a farm near Scott City, Kansas, where they raised cattle, hogs, chickens and turkeys and had a big garden. Her brothers also hunted and fished to provide food for the family. Everyone worked hard. Winnie carried that virtue with her for all of her life and passed it on to her daughters and grandchildren. Her favorite childhood pastime was playing with paper dolls that she and her sister Buena cut from the Montgomery Ward catalog. The family entertained themselves playing cards and other games and doing puzzles. She met the love of her life, William Thomas Pottorff, better known as Bill at a dance in Healy, Kansas. She went to the dance with a date but Bill took her home. On November 4, 1939 they “elopedâ€? to Goodland, Kansas. They didn’t have any money to set up housekeeping so they kept the marriage a secret for awhile and lived at their families homes until someone got a hold of the Goodland newspaper listing marriage licenses and then the secret was a secret no more. Their wedding supper was pork chops and fried potatoes and it was a ritual to have the same supper every year on their anniversary. They moved to a homestead in the middle of the Nebraska sand hills, near the small town of Purdem. They raised cattle and hogs and farmed hay and corn. They both milked cows by hand and Winnie raised about 1000 chickens. They lived on the income from selling the milk and eggs. Her fondest memory was of their neighbors. Once a month the ladies had “clubâ€? and because of the distance the husbands would also come. While the ladies had club the men would help the husband of the host with whatever work they were doing at the time, such as branding cattle or putting up hay. Two daughters were born to Bill and Winnie while they were living in Nebraska, Phyllis and Sandra. They had to go to the neighboring town of Mullen, where Dr. Walker had his practice. There was no hospital so Winnie recuperated at Mrs. Kemp’s Maternity Home. Bill had to milk Dr. Walker’s cow so that Dr. Walker could go to his office and perform the delivery. Phyllis decided to be born during one of the worse blizzards in Nebraska history. The story was that Bill had to pull the car to a main road with the tractor so they could get to town. After Phyllis was born , Bill went home to care for the livestock and couldn’t get back to town for a week because of being “snowed inâ€? by the blizzard. From Nebraska, Bill and Winnie moved to Stratton, Colorado, where they lived for the rest of their lives. They first lived on a farm owned by Bill’s dad, C. D. Pottorff, and eventually bought their present home at 342 Iowa. In the early years as Bill was building his farm, the couple rented their basement rooms to high school girls. In those days there was no school buses so the students that lived far out in the country had to “boardâ€? in town. Bill and Winnie were both active in their church, first known as the United Brethern Church and now called the Methodist Church. Winnie taught Sunday School and Vacation Bible School and for a number of years was in charge of the “Easter Breakfastâ€? that was served after the Easter Sunrise Service. They were also active Democrats and while Bill served as County Chair or Vice-Chair or Co-Chair for well over twenty years, Winnie supported him in that role and served as Precinct Chairwoman and as Election Judge. Winnie would have been willing to debate politics with you for as long as she was alive. She was a loyal and activist Democrat and that was never in doubt. They were also active with the Colorado Wheat Growers and other community functions. Winnie’s pride and joy were her flowers. She especially loved her peonies and iris and loved working in her flower beds, where no weed dared to grow. She raised a big garden at the farm for years and when she no longer could do that she was content to raise tomatoes in big pots. She loved working and being out of doors. Winnie worked hard all her life and didn’t need frills to be happy. She loved her husband, Bill, and they were constant companions. After the children were raised she usually went to the field with him and rode the tractor and ran errands. She said he would get as far away from pickup as he could and then send her to walk back to get it and move it closer to where they were farming. She loved her family, her children, grandchildren and great-grand children and showered them with kindness and generosity, She instilled in them the virtue of hard work, honesty and to do a job that you were proud of. Grandma Winnie, we will miss you greatly in our lives, but we know you will be happy in heaven when you are reunited with Grandpa Bill. She was preceeded in death by her husband, parents, and all of her siblings. Surviving her are two daughters, Phyllis Albrecht of Broomfield, Colorado and Sandra Berry of Stratton, Colorado. Six grandchildren and thirteen great- grandchildren who are: Kendra and husband Bruce Hatler, Kailynn and Brandon of Littleton, Colorado; Karine and Johnnie Gleason, Tyler and Madison of Larned, Kansas; Kerstin and Mark Hornung, Josephine and Theresa of Stratton, Colorado; Kristopher and Angela Berry, Ellie and Olivia of Burlington, Colorado; Charles and Cynthia Albrecht; Ansylee and Saige of Sacramento, California; David and Claudia Albrecht, Andrea, Juilianna and David of Manauga, Nicarauga. Funeral services for Winnie were held on Saturday, June 6, 2009 at 2:00 p.m. at the Stratton United Methodist Church with Pastor Laura Whitmore officiating. Burial followed at the Claremont Cemetery in Stratton. Visitation was held one hour prior to the service. Memorials may be made in Winnie’s name to the Stratton Ambulance Services and may be left at the Colorado East Bank and Trust, Stratton, Colorado.