Obituary of Alberta Crouse Grimm

Alberta Joy Crouse was born on July 20, 1932 to Albert and Mae Crouse. She passed away on May 28, 2011 at the age of 79. Alberta grew up on a farm south of Kanorado, Kansas where rides in the wheat filled trucks, sharing a bicycle and a pony, making mud pies, playing “store” on wintry days, walking barefoot in powdery dirt, playing paper dolls and having adventures in sunflower forests with sister Patsy and brothers Scotty and Barney filled her childhood with love and created wonderful memories to later share. Alberta attended school in Kanorado until 1946, when the Crouse family moved to Burlington, Colorado. She graduated from Burlington High School in 1950, graduated from Colorado Women’s College in Denver in 1952, and attended the University of Colorado. After the death of her father Albert, she returned to Burlington and worked in the management of the Montezuma Hotel. In 1955, she returned to Denver and worked in the capacity of Office Manager for an insurance firm. In 1960, Alberta married Lee E. Grimm. They moved to Blackfoot, Idaho, where their daughter Cheri Lea was born and where Alberta worked as the personnel manager for Simplot Potato Company. Alberta and Lee remained in Blackfoot until 1967, when they moved to Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, where they owned and operated a highly patronized restaurant, The Happy Hour Supper Club. After residing in Coeur d’Alene for 24 years, Alberta and Lee moved to Elizabeth, Colorado to be near their daughter Cheri, who owns the Pet Palace on Parker Road in Aurora, and to be nearer the Crouse family. Alberta was an accomplished pianist. In high school, she played the piano with the organist, Minta Coleman at the Methodist Church. She also took lessons and learned to play the organ. She was an ardent reader and successful businesswoman. As much as she enjoyed company, one wouldn’t want to interrupt her watching the televised NFL football and NBA basketball games. She was an avid fan of both sports, and every season she tracked the players, the stats, and the scores through many and varied sports periodicals. Her greatest attribute though, was her genuine concern for the welfare and lives of other people. She often quoted her coined saying, “I know everything there is to know about myself, and I find it quite boring; so I would like to hear about yourself.” After her husband, Lee passed away in 2005; Alberta chose to remain in her home outside of Elizabeth that allowed a view from Pikes Peak to Denver, frequent visits of many deer that often grazed and slept in her enclosed yard, and hummingbirds feeding on the deck overlooking a beautiful pond filled with colorful fish that she lovingly tended. Alberta transitioned peacefully in her home with the love and constant care of her daughter and the support of friends and family. She was preceded in death by her husband Lee, parents Albert and Mae Crouse, and two sisters-in-law Doris and Gay Crouse. She is survived by her daughter Cheri Lea Grimm of Denver, sister and best friend Patsy (Don) Downen of Burlington; brothers Scotty and Barney Crouse of Bethune, numerous nieces and nephews, and a family of friends who loved her dearly.