Erlene C. Hickey

Erlene Clara Nietenhoefer Hickey was born October 31, 1927, at Hondo, Medina County in the Hill Country of South Texas to Olga and Robert Nietenhoefer where she joined her two older siblings sister Irene and brother Milton. She grew to adulthood and graduated from Hondo High School in 1945.

She was introduced to my Father Bud Hickey by her cousin Elna Saathoff who at the time was dating my

Father's older brother Raymond. The brothers were completing their military service at the time in South Texas and ultimately the Hickey brothers married cousins Elna and Erlene. Mother and Dad were married in the spring of 1947 and I was born in the spring of 1948. In the early years of their marriage, they lived in various parts of Western Kansas and Southeastern Colorado before settling in the Flagler Colorado community.

She was not an empress, queen or captain of industry, but first, last, and always she will always be my Mother. A farmer's wife, in partnership with my Father she suffered through some hard times as lots of folks did during the post-depression and post World War Il years and then the dust bowl days of the 50's. She lost her husband almost 45 years ago leaving her a widow longer than she had been married. She did everything alongside my Father, helping wherever she could from driving tractor, helping with the cattle, feeding hired men and harvest crews to separating cream from milking cows and the bookkeeping.

In the spring when I was still in school before leaving for the field in the morning with Dad, she would fix breakfast for me to eat when I got up. This is what helped me learn to cook a little bit. The first time she fixed my breakfast, that evening when they came in from the field, she asked me how did I liked breakfast, and I said the eggs were a little hard, so next morning she didn't cook them quite as much and that evening asked me again how I liked breakfast so I told her the eggs were a little soft....well that was the wrong thing to say as she said that If I was that picky, I could learn to fix my own breakfast!

After school, we had a lot of Super Bowls, NBA tournaments and World Series in our backyard as whatever the season was, she always played ball with me. If there was some celestial event, she would drag me out of bed, set up the telescope and we would watch the stars.....lots of good memories. I know that I caused both my parents to tack on a few premature grey hairs with some of my antics....which we don't need to go into here....but she/they always supported me....after the proper amount of discipline!

One of her accomplishments that she really enjoyed was being the Church secretary at Zion for 20 years. She enjoyed the interaction with the Pastors and the Church community.

Mother was a loyal "Texican", a staunch German and Lutheran; not sure in which order. One thing I do know is that my Father took the girl/woman out of Texas, but never could take the Texas out of the girl...

She enjoyed family get togethers, trips and Holidays with us and her granddaughters and experiencing their accomplishments; she will be missed.

She leaves behind to mourn her passing son John, wife Kathleen of Stratton, CO; granddaughters Jennifer Hickey of Las Cruces, NM; Michelle (Toby) Crawford of Ft Collins, CO; Morgan Hickey of Flagler, CO and numerous nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents, husband Bud, sister Irene, brother Milton, nieces Kathryn and Dorothy.

In lieu of flowers, the family has requested memorial contributions be made to Zion Lutheran Church, P.O. Box 267,  Flagler, Colorado.