Colleen Low
Melva Colleen Low known by Colleen passed away May 12th 2012 peacefully in her Kirkland Washington home. She will be missed by everyone who knew her and until we meet again, we will carry on her traditions. She now is welcomed with open arms by our ancestors.
Colleen was the first child born to Merle Ione (nee: McCoy) (3-29-1915 to 1968) and John Thomas Delk (1913 to 1963 ?), on June 13th 1933 in Jones, Oklahoma. Colleen is survived by her Sister, Glenda, two Sons and a Daughter with 6 Grand and 5 Great-Grand Children. Colleen married Thomas Ray Low 5-5-1949 in Oklahoma City and had their first Son. Five years later moved to Seattle area and eventually settled in Kirkland, Washington with their 3 children. They shared a life together until Tom passed away in 1990.
Colleen grew up a number of years with her Grandparents in Jones, Oklahoma 80 acre homestead, learning the farm life. Her Grandparents, Charles Henry McCoy (2-8-1892 to 12-17-1947) and Mary McCoy (nee: Barnes) (9-3-1892 to 10-19-1976) enjoyed life together with their children, Merle Ione, Evelyn Mae, Esther Louise and Charles Vernon. The wonderful stories our Mother would share of the country life were heard by all throughout the years. She would mention catching Frogs in the pond, going barefoot in the heat of summer, catching chickens for dinner, helping her Grandmother with chores and even churning butter. Our mother would explain how they made molasses, canned their food, and cured the ham. She would talk about living with no electricity until later in her life and how her Grandparents were the first in the county to have an indoor bathroom, thought to be odd in those days. She described men bringing ice in trucks for the cellar, and always doing laundry on Monday, which called for a pot of beans cooking on the stove. She talked about how Grandma would get up before dawn and cook breakfast on a wood stove while her Grandpa would do farm chores before leaving to work as a County Road Supervisor. She shared about the hard times people had during that era, and how her family helped those in need with food, work around the farm and anything else they could spare. Colleen spoke about the simple days and what great times they all enjoyed, living the true country life. Her Mother, Merle, who became a single parent, divorcing Tom and later married Glen Munden and had her sister, Glenda. Merle taught our Mother the meaning of hard work and how to take care of a family.
Our Mother, Colleen always loved baking pies. Her baked pies were an event, and enjoyed by everyone. She could make the perfect picture perfect pie that if she had entered in the fair would win first prize. Of course we were partial to her Southern cooking, her great sense of humor and pranks. Colleen had a Southern flair with class and knew how to dress for every occasion. A slender woman, she would make some of her dresses that appeared to be dress shop quality. She loved being a housewife, taking care of her children and husband. Gardening was her passion and took pride with the vegetables grown each year. Zucchini’s the size of large pumpkins, tomatoes bigger than baseballs and green beans that would be so sweet. She lived in Kirkland from 1964 to her passing, being a great neighbor and enjoying her life surrounded by great neighbors and family. She had worked a number of years as in-home Nurse Aide, taking care of others, and did a wonderful job. She had a smile that would brighten up any room and always make you feel welcomed. Her talents were many, and hopefully never forgotten. She collected jokes, as she said could never remember them, but read them to us as we visited. Life wasn’t always easy for her, but she endured twice as a survivor of breast cancer, various ailments and combated, as we found out later, lung cancer. She even chuckled right at the end, bedridden, and danced her feet back and forth, when told he had pretty feet. We will miss her stories and Motherly opinions, along with her being such a beautiful person. Her memorial was attended by special friends, family and neighbors along with a wake at her home accompanied by BB King’s music, her favorite. She always said, have a party, and enjoy the life I lived.