Obituary of Minnie Coonts

Minnie, 94, passed away on 24 May 2011 in the Comfort Care Unit at Orchard Park Nursing Facility in Denver. She was preceded in death by her husband, Delbia K. Coonts. She was born 11 September 1916 to Henry J. and Goldie Smith on a farm west of Agate, Colorado. Siblings, brother (Hank) and sister (June) were born after Minnie. When Minnie was five, the family moved to a ranch east of Kiowa, Colorado. She went to school at a country school near Kiowa and to high school in Kiowa. She was a member of the United Methodist Church of Limon, Colorado. Minnie was married to Delbia K. Coonts from Agate on 13 September 1934. They were married for 51 years. Delbia passed away in 1985. She is survived by two sons, Bob (Sallie) Coonts of Fort Collins, Colorado and Ed (Judi) Coonts of Lakewood, Colorado. Here sister June of Wilmington, Delaware, four grandchildren, two step-grandchildren and thirteen great grand children, two nieces and seven nephews as well as many other family members and numerous friends. Her parents and her brother Hank preceded her in death. After their marriage they farmed near Agate, Colorado before moving to Idaho for a year during the “Dust Bowl Days”. They returned to the Agate area in 1935/36 and farmed until 1950. After losing a bumper wheat crop to hail, the family moved to Limon, Colorado making their home there until their deaths. During the early years in Limon, Delbia worked as a carpenter, plumber and sheet metal worker, later buying and operating Limon Sheet Metal. Minnie worked at a variety of jobs, cleaning rooms in hotels and motels, painting houses, interior and exterior, cooking in the Limon Schools Lunch Program, Cantwell’s Five and Dime store and then working for Limon Super Foods. She worked there until her late 70’s and early 80’s. She was also the Custodian for the Methodist Church for many years.