Obituary of Ann Mallet

Vernetta Ann (Korbelik) Mallet was born to Adolph and Rose Korbelik on June 3, 1931. Vernetta, known to many as Ann, started her life in Kit Carson County, southeast of Burlington where her grandparents, six uncles and her mom and dad in very crowded conditions. She lived with her folks for a short time north of Kanorado, Kansas before they settled down back in Kit Carson County, where they lived for many years. She attended country school until she graduated from Green Valley School and attended high school in Burlington, Colorado. She was fortunate to catch a ride to and from country school with the Mangus kids in their horse drawn buggy of their horse drawn wagon sled when the snow was too deep. Vernetta was a beautiful girl and did well in some local and college contests at Colorado A & M (now CSU), where she attended college. She transferred to Barnes Business College and later studied at the Florence Kessler School of Dance and Fred Astaire Studios in Denver. She was a dance teacher for Fred Astaire Studios for some time, where she learned her love of dancing which was a passionate love that was still very much alive through her entire life. After finding her way to Lafayette, LA, she met and later married Eno Mallet in 1960. Before the marriage, she worked at the Lafayette Airport, where she earned her private pilots license. Vernetta and Eno became parents to Rick Anthony, Todd Joseph, Gary James and Christopher James; four wonderful sons that brought much joy and happiness into their lives. They also brought six grandkids into the family and three daughter-in-laws. Gary brought wife Shea and granddaughter Ashlee, Chris brought wife Julie, granddaughter Kayla and grandsons Nathan and twins Riley and Tyler, Todd brought wife Chrissy and grandson Sam, and Rick and his life partner Bobby round out Vernetta’s family. During their marriage, they first lived in Lafayette, LA, then in 1963, they moved to Arnold, MO where Eno was employed with the Defense Mapping Agency in St. Louis. Vernetta was active in civic, community and church affairs, including Parish Council officer, third grade religious education teacher, organizer and leader of only the second metropolitan 4-H Club in Jefferson County, which went on to become the second largest in the country. She also participated in other community projects, always with the goal of making the community better. In 1978, Vernetta moved back to the Green Valley community in Kit Carson County and raised her four sons, who all graduated from Burlington High School. She operated Western Engravers and Designers, ran a cow-calf operation. She also started Ann Mallet’s School of Dance, which flourished, and taught many in the area the art of dance. Vernetta purchased her childhood home and lived there until her untimely death due to an automobile accident near Peconic on December 16, 2009. She leaves to mourn her passing the family mentioned above, as well as her brother Harvey and wife Connie Korbelik, sister Patricia and husband Jim Allaman , brother-in-law Father Charles Mallet, aunt Bessie Korbelik, soon to celebrate her 100th birthday, and many nieces, nephews, grand nieces and nephews and a host of friends and relatives. Vernetta was preceded in death by her husband Eno, mother and father Rose and Adolph Korbelik, all of her uncles and aunts, except Bessie Korbelik.