Shirley M. Kriske

Shirley was born September 26, 1940, to Edward and Susanna Wagner in Hudson, Co. She was the youngest of the 12 children. Preceded in death by her loving Husband, Raymond Kriske of 31 years. Siblings (preceded in death by all except John): Edward Wagner, Anna (Wagner) Bernhardt, Bernard Wagner, Walter Wagner, Esther (Wagner) Leach, Irma Wagner, Irma (Wagner) Kobobel, Arthur Wagner, Everett Wagner, Mary (Wagner) Hillsten and John Wagner.

Survived by many children and grandchildren, Shirley’s daughter, Susanne (Eddie) Nation their children Koby and Justin Nation. Stepchildren & Grandchildren, Karen Neil Wardle their children: David, Angie (great grandchildren Dylan, Jordan, and Ethan Wen) and Ryan Wardle (great grandchildren Olivia and Simon Wardle). Joel (Martha) Kriske, Martha’s Children: Mary and Katie (great grandson Mark) John (Jennifer) Kriske their child Emma. Cindy (Mark) Forbes their children: Jessica (Alex) (great grandchildren; Keely, Samuel, Elizabeth and Walter).

Shirley grew up farming with her family in the Hudson area and loved the farming life. As immigrants to the U.S. her family instilled a deep love for family and for this country. As much as she loved to farm, she wanted to branch out and be the best she could be. She worked hard and took pride in everything she did. She was faithful, forgiving, positive, fiscally prudent, and stubborn (In a good way). All these attributes made her a strongly independent and a loving person with a heart of gold. She attended Hudson Schools and graduated High School in 1958 “Go Cowboys - Fight, Fight, Fight and beat Keenseburg!”. She was a faithful member of the Assembly of God Church her entire life. She found her niche as Sunday School teacher for many years, cleaning, landscaping, maintenance, and special events (especially liked the Biker Breakfasts and Christmas Dinners at Cedaredge Assembly).

Shirley had a passion for cars and loved to take rides. I was told that one of her first cars sounded like a hotrod, you could hear her coming for miles. She would make a garden an oasis and turn a house into a home. She sewed many of her own clothes and had a plethora of teacup and fine china dish collections. She enjoyed entertaining and shopping, but not always buying. Traveling in their RV, ATV rides on the Grand Mesa, and boating were her and Ray’s favorite pastimes.

She started babysitting at a young age for family, friends & neighbors as well as a cleaner at a local hotel. She had a strong desire to make it in the big city by getting work at Samsonite, various small offices and hired on with “The Phone Company” a.k.a. Mountain Bell where she started out as a switchboard operator and moved her way into management in the White Page Directory as a Supervisor/Trainer. There, she earned several accreditations through coursework and traveled throughout the US for a period. After 20 years of service, Mountain Bell offered a retirement package she couldn’t refuse, enabling her to retire at the age of 50. She had an accomplished career, all while being an awesome Mom, Aunt and Grandma to so many.

How Ray & Shirley met: A man that working under Ray at Rocky Flats was married to a woman working under Mom at the phone company. This couple set them up on a blind date in 1985. They courted for a short while and married on December 3, 1986, in Lake Tahoe, Nevada. Ray, Shirley, and Suzy lived in Aurora for a little over a year. They then moved to Arvada until both Ray and Shirley retired and moved to Cedaredge on the Western Slope. Ray and Shirley thrived in Cedaredge making their church home, dear friends, serving in their church and going on many ATV, RV, and boating trips throughout the US. Their dream came true when they joined a Christian tour group to Israel. Ray and Shirley moved to Fort Lupton to be near family in 2014.

Favorite Bible Scripture:

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” – Isaiah 41:10

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