Mary Ellen Cope was born on November 14, 1929, in Seibert, Kit Carson County, Colorado to Guy Jonathan and Julia Barbara [Vasecka] Cope. She joined a family of two older sisters and one older brother. Two years later a baby sister completed the family. In all the family pictures you can always pick out which one is Mary, she’s the smiley one! A trait that she held on to, through the ups and downs, through her entire life.
Mary grew up on the Cope Ranch south of the town of Cope, a town and ranch founded by her Great Grandfather Jonathan Calvin Cope in 1889. Mary attended school in Cope graduating with the Class of 1947. She was active in school plays, cheerleading, woman’s basketball, baseball, and was Salutatorian of her graduating class of 8. Mary chose love over the offer of a full ride scholarship and married a handsome local man Jimmy Edgar Williams on January 22, 1948, in Sterling, Colorado. This union was blessed with 2 daughters, Beverly Diann in 1950 and Janice Gay in 1954. Mary and Jim operated the local café and pool hall after their marriage, and Jim farmed. Mary and Jim enjoyed hunting for arrowheads, playing poker with the relatives and marathon jigsaw puzzle sessions. The family moved to Meeker, Colorado in 1957 and Mary worked as a waitress and occasional bartender. Jim and Mary divorced in 1962, and Mary and the girls moved to Yuma, Colorado.
Mary was the manager of the Yuma American Legion Club from 1961 to 1965 and then started work at Ceres Feedlot at Schramm starting in 1966 as a bookkeeper.
On June 6th, 1965, Mary married Howard Scott Zech. This union was blessed with a daughter Terezia [Tracy] Marie in 1966. Mary and Howard moved to Denver in 1971. While in Denver Mary started taking night classes in accounting, bookkeeping, theology, and art. For those of you who knew Mary well, you won’t be surprised to hear that she also took classes in reflexology, belly dancing and clown. She was a life-long scholar always looking to learn something new. Mary worked for CableCom, one of the first fiber optics companies, doing payroll and personnel for 375 employees in 11 states and then for Beatrice Foods/Meadow Gold as their payroll manage. Mary and Howard were divorced in 1979.
Mary and Tracy moved back to Cope in 1979 to Up the Creek Ranch and Mary became the manager of the Kirk-Joes grocery stores. Mary started working at the High Plains Telephone Company in 1987. Mary loved her job at Plains because her coworkers made the job a delight. She remained there until she retired in December of 1994.
In retirement, Mary became a winter Texan, spending the colder months in South Texas. While there, she met Sammie Lane Robertson. Mary married her “best ever husband” [Mary’s words!] on July 19, 1996. Mary and Sam continued to spend their summers at the ranch in Cope and their winters in Texas. Their friends in Texas were like a second family to them. When Sam passed away in 2013, Mary started spending her winters in Yuma, Arizona with daughter Beverly & son-in-law Dan and the summers in Greeley, Colorado near daughters Janice, Tracy and son-in-law Alan.
Mary left this earth on October 7, 2021 at Brookdale Assisted Living in Greeley, Colorado.
Mary is survived by her children Beverly [Dan] Williams Long, Yuma, Arizona, Janice Williams of Greeley, Tracy [Alan] Zech Axton of Kersey; grandson Andrew [Stephanie] Long of Kearney, Nebraska great-grandson Logan Long of Houston; nieces Barbara [Martin] Bates Lalick of Muskegon, Michigan , and Donna [Jim] Madison Roberts of Haigler; her cousin Shirley Cope Harris of Colorado Springs; great nieces & nephews Johnathan Cope, Paul Smith, Jessica Smith Weigand, and Julia White Baux; and her great-great nephews Preston and Riley Baux.
Mary was proceeded in death by her husband Sam Robertson, parents Guy and Julia Cope, her siblings William [Pat] Cope, Evelyn [Bill] Bates, Hilma [Walt] Madison, Betty [Virgil] Smith, nephews Charles Guy Bates and Warren Guy Cope, and niece Edith Ann Cope Smith.
A graveside service was held at the Cope Community Cemetery in Cope, Colorado on Friday, Nov 5, 2021 with a luncheon, provided by the Cope community following at the Cope Community Recreation Hall. Pastor Terry Covert presided.
Memorials can be sent to The Wild Animal Sanctuary, 2999 Co Rd 53, Keenesburg, Colorado 80643. This sanctuary was a very special to Mary.
2021-11-11