Obituary: Emma Lee Grauberger

Emma Lee (Stargrant) Grauberger, 81, of Red Feather Lakes, passed away on Nov. 24, 2014, at Lemay Avenue Health and Rehabilitation Center in Fort Collins.
 
Emma was born in a farm house east of Pierce on Jan. 10, 1933, to Frederick Napolean and Ruby Eva (Caldwell) Stargrant. She attended elementary schools in Pierce and Nunn, then attended Meeker Junior High and Greeley High in Greeley. 

She married Arthur Junior “Tiny” Grauberger on April 14, 1951.  During her high school and early married years she waitressed at the Cozy Café in Greeley, and later became a stay-at-home mom to raise their three children, Lowell, Sheri and Tammy.  She also supported her husband with Grauberger Brothers Plastering and Drywall, a Greeley business he owned and operated. 

After Art developed physical problems from his years in this business, they purchased a small store in Red Feather Lakes in 1969 called the Chalet Gift Shop. They built this business together from a small gift shop to a gift shop, grocery store and gas station serving local residents and numerous tourists to the area.  In 1971 they also purchased additional property called the Alpine Lodge. After selling the Chalet, they expanded the Alpine Lodge to include cabin rentals and trailer/RV parking. 

After Art passed away in 1984, Emma continued working this business, with the help of countless friends and close family until the very end. She came to love the mountains and never wanted to leave, even when her illness got the better of her.  As her many friends and business acquaintances know, she was a “stubborn Swede” who never gave up! She was set in her ways, and believed that the old ways were better than the new, especially when it came to using computers and many modern electronic conveniences. 

She was proud of having taught all of her grandchildren how to count back change in her gift shop at the Alpine, and they all appreciate it to this day. She was a wise woman that taught her children and grandchildren right from wrong with a loving heart, and always made sure everyone knew how to play Yahtzee so she could “whip their butts!”  She also enjoyed her many trips to Central City/Blackhawk, even though she generally came home much poorer than when she got there. 

She leaves behind friends too numerous to count, and her children and their families who are all the wiser for having her as our mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. Mere words will never be able to describe the woman that she was and the legacy she left.
 
Emma will be forever loved and missed by her son, Lowell of Elbert;, daughters Sheri (Michael) Williams of Vale, Ore., and Tammy (Paul) Lutkin of Severance; grandchildren, Brenna (Orville) Davis, Liesel (Dustin) Flansburg, Denali Williams, Ian (Carissa) Williams, Katalyn Lutkin, and Leandra Lutkin; and five great grandchildren, Jordan, Luke, Olivia, Gabrial and Jevon Davis; sister, Betty Prather. She was preceded in death by her parents; husband; three brothers; and a sister.
 
Services were Nov. 28 and 29 at Adamson Funeral Home. Interment was in Sunset Memorial Gardens in Greeley. 
 
Memorial Contributions may be made to the “Red Feather Lakes Community Library” in care of Adamson Funeral Home, 2000 47th Ave., Greeley, CO 80634.  Condolences may be sent to her family at adamsonchapels.com.