Obituary of Marita Hildreth

A Tribute to Marita S. Hildreth “My Doll, Our Mother, Grandmother, and Great-Grandmother” Marita was born on February 9, 1932 in a small country town in Sweden called Orebro. As a child, she learned to bake Swedish pastries, cookies, and breads. She used snow skis to travel several miles to her school house during the cold winter months. During the summer months, Marita spent time with her cousins in Finland, taking sauna then jumping into the cold Finnish lakes to cool off. Marita played the Mandolin in her church and sang in the choir. Marita’s family had the opportunity to come to the United States for the chance to have a better life, and more freedom. In 1950 at the age of 19, Marita and her family immigrated to the United States on the ship “Gresholm”. With the Statue of Liberty welcoming them, they arrived in New York City, through Staten Island. This was the last ship to come from Sweden carrying immigrants to the U.S. Her family traveled by bus to California because of promising job opportunities. In 1955, the family moved to Denver, where Marita and Bob met at Central Assembly of God. They were married in 1957at Calvary Temple in Denver, Colorado. Two children were born to this union, a daughter Lynette, and a son Karl. Marita was very active in Calvary Temple’s Women’s ministries, 6th grade Sunday school teacher, and led numerous bible studies. Her life was centered around loving and raising her two children, and sharing the gospel with others. Marita and Bob spent their summers building the family cabin near Grand Lake. She loved the mountains, and called them the “hills”. She taught her children and grandchildren well in identifying edible mushrooms and wildlife, and taking long walks in the forest looking for strawberries. The chipmunks and hummingbirds will surely miss our Mother! Christmas was Marita’s favorite time of the year, with all the traditional Swedish festivities and smorgasbords. Santa Claus delivered her to heaven to celebrate her Savior’s birth on Christmas morning. Marita is survived by her husband Bob, daughter Lynette and husband Gary Penny, son Karl and wife Holly Hildreth. Two brothers Rolf and Roland Orle, seven grandchildren Kyle, Kameron, Kollin and Kirsten Gateley, Brittany Bodley, Brielle Counts and Brianna Hildreth, and three great grandchildren Ella, Caleb and Lyla Bodley. She was preceded in death by her parents Sally and Herman Orle, and a sister Anita Berry.