Obituary of Lorris Wickham

Lorris Wickham died peacefully and went to meet Jesus on December 19, 2010. She lived out her final years at the Lincoln Community Nursing Home in Hugo. Lorris was born to Samuel Wesley and Gertrude May (Kious) Sloan on July 13, 1915 at the homestead southeast of Flagler. She was the fourth of five children - her brother Orris and sisters Winona, Dorris, and Clarice. Lorris grew up on the farm and attended school in Flagler, graduating in 1933. Lorris enrolled in college at Colorado A & M (CSU) in the fall of 1933, attending that quarter before marrying William (Bill) McKinley Wickham on Christmas Day at her parents’ home. She and Bill began their married lives working for the Bledsoe Ranch in Cheyenne County and later the Lavington Ranch southeast of Flagler. A family tale reminisces that the young marrieds would locate prairie dog towns around the ranches on Sunday afternoons and shoot rattlesnakes. Yes, Lorris was a very good shot. In 1936, their first son, Orris Lee, was born. Then in the early 1940’s, Bill and Lorris bought and moved to the Renken farm east of Flagler. John Foster was born in 1942, joining the growing family. Samuel Paul, the fmal addition to the family, arrived in 1945. Bill and Lorris traded the farm for Brown Hardware in 1949, changing the business name to Wickham Hardware. Lorris worked in the store and became the assistant cook at the Flagler Hospital. She wrote local items for The Flagler News, and she also baked bread, rolls, cookies and cakes for customers around the community. Lorris took various cake decorating classes and created numerous wedding, birthday, anniversary, and other occasion cakes for family, friends, and clients throughout her life. Lorris graduated with her Registered Nursing Degree from Presbyterian Hospital in Denver in 1966. She then went to work for Dr. Straub at the clinic in Limon. She later worked at a hospital in Denver. Upon her retirement, Lorris thoroughly enjoyed her American Baptist Women mission work, making numerous trips to mission fields in China, India, Japan, Africa, the Philippines, and Central America as well as here in the United States. She brought back memorabilia and extensive photos for presentations to the ABW and other groups. Lorris was active in Rocky Mountain American Baptist Association, American Baptist Women’s Ministries, Aurora Genealogical Society, Rebekah Lodge, Curtis Park Community Center, and Former Flagler Group in Denver. She was also active with the nursing school at Presbyterian Hospital when she moved to Denver. Lorris was instrumental in helping organize the Flagler Alumni Association and their Homecoming activities in the early 1950’s. Bill and Lorris were preparing to celebrate their fifty-fourth anniversary when he passed away on December 14, 1987. Lorris was also preceded in death by her parents, Samuel and Gertrude Sloan; brother Orris Sloan; sisters Winona Adams and Dorris Jones; and daughter-in-law Karen (Sam) Wickham. Lorris is survived by her sister, Clarice Hoy of Aurora, Colorado; sons Orris (Alice) of Cheyenne, Wyoming; John (Sandi) of Woodland Park, Colorado; and Sam of Hugo, Colorado; grandchildren Clay, Brent, Ted, Jason, Greg, Robert, and Samantha; and great grandchildren Tanner, Taia, Malachai, Madeline, Carissa, Daniel, Ryan, and Landen. Lorris will be missed by all who knew and loved her.