- Date Of Birth: October 12, 1932
- Date Of Death: October 22, 2021
- State: Colorado
Our beautiful mother passed away peacefully on October 22, 2021. She had just celebrated her 89th birthday 10 days before surrounded by her loving family. Mom is survived by her daughters Adrian Tidball (Steve), Bonnie Moritzky (Bruce), Starla Wolfe (John), brother Hugh Pitzer (Erma), grandsons Anthony and Nick, granddaughters Jennifer, Heather and Shawna and seven great grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband Allen Walker.
Mom was born on October 12, 1932 in Englewood, Colorado, the 3rd born child of Hugh and Wilma Pitzer. As Mom told it, her nickname Lolly came from her favorite childhood song “The Good Ship Lollipop” which she sang constantly. It stuck, and she continued to be called Lolly or Aunt Lolly by some until her death. Mom’s childhood years were spent mostly in the Littleton area and the beautiful Rocky Mountains where her lifelong love of camping and the mountains was born.
Mom met Ray Rippen while in the Air Force, married, and over the next several years, had her three daughters. During this time, she lived in California and Florida, but ended up back in the Littleton area which became her lifelong home. After several years, Mom divorced and raised her daughters as a single mom while working for Star Bread Company as their corporate mascot for Hillbilly Bread, and Meadow Gold Dairy sampling products in grocery stores. It was during this time that she met and married the love of her life, Allen Walker. They remained devoted to each other until his death in 2015.
During their many years together, they settled in three homes, one of which was in Moms beloved mountains just outside of Turkey Creek Canyon where they had horses for their children and grandchildren to enjoy. During this time, Mom worked for King Soopers until she took early retirement in her 50’s.
Mom was always a vibrant, fun loving, creative person who never met a stranger, loved to make people smile and was much loved by her family and friends. Her passions in life were music, dancing, old movie musicals, singing, decorating, sewing and throwing parties. Some of these passions were reflected in her later years when she was able to sew and create costumes and open Calliopes Costume Shop located on Littleton Boulevard. She later ran the shop out of her basement, was a children’s party planner, and did marketing for various businesses around town in costume. Chances are if you saw a Clown, Bunny Rabbit, or Dairy Queen ice cream cone waving at you from the street corner in the 80’s and 90’s it was our goofy Mom. Never one to rest on her laurels, Mom continued being active well into her 70’s and 80’s. She joined the Red Hat Society and met some of her closest and dearest friends there. As a testament to Moms vivacious and loving personality, her 80h birthday party was attended by over 100 people…..quite the turnout!
To have known her, was to have loved her.
RIP dearest Mom. ”In life, we loved you dearly, in death we love you still. In our hearts you hold a place, no one else will ever fill”.
