Obituary of Marjorie Monks

The daughter of a farmer, the wife of a farmer, the mother of a farmer, Marjorie Mae Monks was born on the family farm in Agate, Colorado on October 9"‘, 1934. The same farm where she raised her children, Rick and Laura, and where Rick and his family continue to farm and resided today. Margie lived on the family farm as a child until her father packed up his daughters and wife and moved them to Limon in order to afford his daughters an opportunity to expand their musical talents and have a broader education. Moving to a new school in 5th grade Margie met up with a young man in her class who would tease her, dip her hair in the ink wells, and later steal her heart. She continued her education in Limon graduating from Limon High School in 1952. Her school activities included choir, pep club, speech and being a member of the Rainbow Girls. She was an excellent student and quite well behaved, except for the last day of her senior year when she went to school with her name painted on the backside of her britches and was promptly sent home to change. After finishing high school she attended the University of Colorado in Boulder where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree, as well as being a Kappa Phi and CU Rainbow member. She then moved to California to work with disabled children as an occupational therapist. She came back to Colorado to marry that ornery boy in her class who had won her over. Margie married Harold Monks on December 13, 1958, Friday the 13th. Being the typical Limon graduate, Margie was a football fan and loved attending CU Buff football games while in college, continuing to follow them through her life. She became a devoted fan of the Bronco's and John Elway. She would often tease that she and "John" had a thing. Her grandkids often shared banter with her about the Bronco and CU games. She and Harold spent a few years traveling around the state of Colorado following Harold's work with construction helping to build the state's infrastructure. It was during this time that their son, Rick, was born. They moved back to the farm in 1961 to help with family farm, later taking over the operation and carrying on the family tradition. It was after they moved back to the farm that their daughter, Laura, was born. Margie spent her years on the farm helping where she could, keeping the books, feeding the crews, taking shifts to check the heifers, raising her kids and helping to support their activities and interests. She was an avid reader and filled her free time with many a great novel. After the loss of her husband Margie moved back to Limon where she found a career that allowed her to share her passion for the printed word. She was the librarian at the Limon Memorial Library for years where she found joy in helping others to find just the right book or sharing her love of reading with the little ones of the community. Margie retired from the library and went on to volunteer in her community at the Limon Child Development Center, Limon Heritage Society and the United Methodist Women. She loved her days at the museum where she had the chance to share her love of history. Her joy was her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She loved supporting them in their sports events, 4-H, and any other interest they may have had. She became keeper of the news articles and her refrigerator became a brag board covered with the news articles about her grandchildren that she clipped and kept for them. Margie was not a woman of large stature and it became a running family joke to keep track as each grandchild got near to outgrowing her in height as they measured back to back with her. As one passed her the next one would say I am almost taller than you grandma. She was always a source of the All American Meal at McDonalds, bowling, trips to the library and popsicles when her grandkids visited. Many a family Christmas gathering was topped off with a heated game of cribbage where Margie would giggle and join in, but only after the famous turkey roll dinner. During her later years she enjoyed a good game of bingo that she often shared with her great-granddaughter, Alyssa, who also spent time doing crossword puzzles with her. Margie was a member of the Limon United Methodist Church and her faith was a source of comfort and strength for her. She will be missed by her family and friends for being the gentle, kind soul that she showed throughout her life. She was preceded in death by her mother and father, her husband, and her sisters Mary Williams and Virginia Williams. Those left to mourn her loss are children, son, Richard Monks and his wife JoDee and daughter Laura Monks, grandchildren Tara (Ian) Christie, Kandi Monks, Ashley (Chris) Carnahan, Brice (Allison) Scherrer, Mathew Scherrer, and Andrew Scherrer, and her great-grandchildren Alyssa Metzger, Weston Jaques, Sage Carnahan, Brody Scherrer and Brooks Scherrer, her sister Ann (Robert) Morrison, bother-in-laws George (Pat) Monks and Frank Monks, sister-in-laws Dorothy Gillis, Thelma Ritz, and Huldah lgou, along with numerous nieces and nephews.