Doris Lessenden

“People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” I Samuel 16:7

There have been delightful days in Kiowa County this week, but Saturday night many of us have had some really sad hours or days because there have been so many deaths of people who are dear to us… but as I wrote last week, “There is always hope.” Please do remember that, dear Reader Friends.

Our happiest hour or two this week was when Charlene Gifford brought her third grade students to meet us for the first time. Then we discovered who our new adopted third grader was. Mine was my great niece, Sloan Sagner, the daughter of Maurice and Dally Jo Lessenden Sagner. Mrs. Gifford had us color wooden rainbow suncatchers and attach four little chimes. We also did an activity together with questions like, “What is your favorite food?” or “What is your favorite color?” and eight other questions.

One evening Kim Crow Richards brought her classmate from 1975, Melody Laird Lloyd, to the dining room to greet us. Now that was a pleasure for me because I was flooded with memories of Melody, Kim, and Kent Frazee painting huge pep signs for Eads High School. I loved their enthusiasm. Good memories. Melody is Terry Laird’s sister and Lois Sibcy’s granddaughter. Mrs. Sibcy was one of my favorite teachers.

Bill Barlow was one of my former students who died recently. Many of his Chivington relatives and friends gathered for his large graveside burial and the benefit supper for him and his wife, Phyllis.

Gary Shotton was one of my former students also. I think of him as one of my former “star Science Fair students.” I was blessed to stay in Gary and Cindy’s home in Broken Bow, Oklahoma, when I went to sing in a wedding there. If you have read Gary’s obituary you are probably marveling at all he accomplished in his life, especially as a businessman, missionary, and “servant for the Lord” around the world. Gary’s funeral was Saturday also.

Another funeral Saturday, also in Eads, was that of my former neighbor on 13th Street, Rich O’Brian. Rich was an anointed man who filled many pulpits here in southeast Colorado to assist pastors and churches. Much of his life was filled with serving as a broadcaster around the country and on national TV. He also traveled to Israel. In fact, that is where he met Diane, which led to love and seven children who came to his funeral from two provinces in Canada and several states. This big family all worked together Friday afternoon when we saw them carrying in food for their evening meal at Prairie Pines Assisted Living Community as we left the Elvis Presley presentation at the Pines. Wonderful family.

Most all of the Weisbrod residents and residents of Prairie Pines, plus several townspeople, gathered at the Pines dining room to hear Tim Webster from Brush last Friday. As Tim sang Elvis Presley hit songs one after another, he related the history of Elvis’s 31 movies or why Elvis wrote the song. We were thrilled and had such a good outing! And that is thanks to Marla Darnell, who met him when he dined in her café in Kit Carson and then told our Brenda Leon, who made the arrangements.

Saturday afternoon was the funeral of Pamela E. Johnston of Arlington, where she lived with her husband, Kent. Pamela and Kent met when he went to visit agriculture professors at a Michigan University where Pam was a professor. They discovered that both their parents “wintered” at the same town in Arizona, which was Pam’s home state. After they married, they moved to Colorado. At Weisbrod we loved her very much. She had such a sweet loving spirit. She left us much too soon, but how wonderful that she had time to plan her funeral, scriptures, and hymns, which were sung by her husband and Kemma Eikenberg on August 29.

Kit Carson Day is this Saturday, September 5. If you go early, you can watch a ranch rodeo to the left of the overpass on entering the Kit Carson city limits. There will be vendors along Main Street, a barbecue followed by a parade at 2:00 p.m., and games and timed events, tour the museum and go to one of the melodramas and then the dance.

September 6–12 is the Kiowa County Fair in Eads. There will be livestock shows Wednesday and Thursday with a 4-H and FFA livestock sale beginning at 9:00 a.m. Friday. Friday and Saturday are the barbecues before the rodeos. Do check out the exhibits and livestock buildings. Laser tag amusement space. Saturday at 10:00 a.m. is the parade, street sales, and you could go to a barbecue before the rodeo and horse races and a dance Saturday night, and there is a concert Friday by Joseph Henry following the ranch rodeo.

I have heard our Eads volleyball, boys and girls golf teams, football, and softball teams are doing very well.

Saturday night, many people in America were listening to the Grand Ole Opry for the musical tribute and testimonies by friends of Dolly Parton, who died recently. Although she was 80 years old, she looked young and beautiful and is such a beloved singer to Americans and others in the world.

See you at the fairs.