Obituary of Lorna Knowlton

Lorna M. Knowlton, 89, of Boulder, formerly of Estes Park, died on Saturday, March 2, 2013 at Frasier Meadows Manor in Boulder. A memorial service for Lorna will be held on Saturday, April 6, from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. in the 5th floor Sky Lounge, at Frasier Meadows, 350 Ponca Pl., Boulder. Lorna Hoagland Knowlton was born on March 19, 1923, to Frank and Cora (Carley) Hoagland in Osborne, Kansas. Lorna grew up in Osborne, where her father operated Hoagland Livestock Sales and Osborne Sale Barn. She graduated from Osborne High School in 1941, and went on to attend Fort Hays State University. She worked for the Boeing Corp. during World War II. On January 2, 1944, Lorna married Dr. Thomas Riley Knowlton, who had a medical practice in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, where she managed the office for many years. Tom and Lorna had two sons, Franklin (Thelma), and Daniel (Jennifer), and an adopted son John Parfrey (Mary Ann), who survive her. Lorna and Tom raised their sons in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, and retired to Allenspark in 1981. In 1985, they moved to Estes Park for Tom's health, and then to Boulder, where they lived at Frasier Meadows. Thanks to her father the cattle man, Lorna told that she "spent more time on a horse as a child than I did walking or in a car. I learned to cut and drive cattle efficiently before I was ten, and spent most sunset hours sitting on the corral fence." Her love for the outdoors, especially the Colorado Rocky Mountains, was a constant throughout her life. She worked for environmental issues, peace, equal rights, and her own spiritual growth. She was a member of the PEO and many other organizations. Lorna exercised her "writer's eye" through countless letters to friends and loved ones, she wrote for the Wisconsin State Journal, the Beaver Dam Daily Citizen, and the Allenspark Wind. Her magnum opus was her definitive history of Allenspark, "Weaving Mountain Memories," published in 1989. She is also survived by four grandchildren, six great-grandchildren, and four great-great-grandchildren. Also surviving are her brother-in-Law, Thomas Small, many nieces and nephews, and friends all over the country. She was preceded in death by her husband, her parents, and her sisters Audra Charbonneau and Regena Small. Contributions: In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Hospice of Boulder County, 5563 Arapahoe Ave, Boulder, CO 80303, or PEO, 3700 Grand Ave, Des Moines, IA 50312.