Hilda Ziegler – 2003
The Burlington Records
Thursday, December 25, 2003

Final services for Hilda, age, 90, were held Saturday, Dec. 20 2003, at Trinity Lutheran Church in Burlington with Pastor Bill Viergutz officiating. Her nephew, Father Greg Adolf of Tuscson, Ariz., read the obituary. Pallbearers were all of Hilda’s eight grandchildren. Urn bearers were two of her grandsons, Todd Hendricks and Brian Ziegler.

Special music by Arnold, Alvin, Roland, Art and Leland Strobel, Delmar Ziegler, Loren Lambert, Milbert Beringer. Songs selected were “ Just a Closer Walk With Thee” and “Precious Memories,” accompanied by LuAnn Nitsch. Congregational hymns were led by organist, Kathy van Maarth. Ushers were Delmar Ziegler and Wayne Adolf.

Hilda was the oldest of eight children born to A.W. and Mary Adolf on Sept. 26, 1913, at the farm home south of Bethune. She was baptized, confirmed and married at Immanuel Lutheran Church in the German settlement where she was a member for many years. She also attended German instruction school there for two summers. She belonged to Ladies Aide in later years and taught Sunday school there.

Hilda was her father’s “son” since there were no boys born until after three more girls. She did all of the fieldwork with a team of four special horses each having a name and she trained them well. She farmed 80 acres two times over each year. Her “PaPa” would start her in the field and then leave her for the day. She was about 10 years old at the time. For her per, PaPa would take her into Denver and let her pick out something special for herself. Recalling a black satin dress with a large red rose at the waist and another time, a 12-piece setting of china. Another special treat was attending Elitch Garden Amusement Park in Denver. She told of the many happy childhood days with her sisters, Madie, Leona, and Gladys. And then brother Art Della, Eva and Allan summed up the count.

Hilda attended her first school years at an adobe school in the settlement and then was sent to Bethune where she was a member of the first graduating class in 1931. She was also a member of the first girls basketball team, playing for our years.

On Sept. 30 1932, she married Otto Ziegler whose family lived on a neighboring homestead to the west. She and Otto played in the Immanuel’s 16-member uniformed band. Hilda’s instrument was the saxophone. They play at various functions around Bethune and Burlington. She enjoyed playing her organ in later years.

Their first son, Ernest Lee was born in 1933, delivered by the settlement’s midwife, Margaret Adolf.

Then the “dust bowl” days forced them to leave their home and land and they moved to Washington state in 1934. In 1934 Otto was offered work by a farmer in the Wapato Valley and also took a course in electrical wiring of houses. Hilda worked hard as a homemaker and moth. She raised a large garden and also worked picking various fruit crops in the valley.

Darlene was born in Yakima, Wash. On June 23, 1936. When things began to improve back in Eastern Colorado, they returned to their farm and began again in 1938. Work was very hard but paid off with a few decent crops and Hilda and Otto built a new house on the farm. Donald J. was born in 1940. Hilda was also a Busy Bee 4-H leader, teaching several girls to sew and cook. She was also a “mother” to many of Darlene’s nursing school classmates, whom she sewed for and kept supplied with a steady flow of baked goods to Colorado Springs.

Otto and Hilda retired from farming in 1965, turning it over to Don and his wife Rita. They moved to Loveland, where Darlene was living. Hilda worked in the dietary department of Loveland Memorial Hospital for 6 years, moved back to Burlington in 1971 and worked at Kit Carson County Memorial Hospital for 12 years before retiring in 1983.

She and Otto were members of the Wagon Wheelers square dance club of which two of her two nieces, Donna Kay and Esther also belonged. Hilda was a volunteer at the Colorado Welcome Center at Burlington. A member of the Retired Seniors Volunteer Program at McArthur Senior Center. She spent many hours there, doing hand quilting, visiting with her many lady friends and enjoying potluck lunches with them several times a week.

When Hilda’s health began to decline, she and Darlene sold their home and moved to Heath Gardens in Aurora in 2001 where she could continue care with specialists. She fought a hard battle being diagnosed with Myelodysplasia which is a very aggressive form of Leukemia. On Nov. 12 she suffered a fall in her home shattering her left shoulder/arm and cracked pelvis. This added to her already grave situation. She spent five days in the hospital and two weeks in a nursing home after the fall. Then she went home to be cared for by Darlene and Tryn with the help of Metro of Denver Hospice. She died in the early morning of Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2003.

Hilda is survived by her daughter Darlene of Aurora at Heather Gardens, son Donald and wife Rita of Colorado Springs. Hilda was preceded in death by her husband and her oldest son Ernest Lee, her parents, one brother, Art Adolf of Phoenix and one sister, Gladys Patterson of Littleton. Surviving brothers and sisters are Amanda Richards of Burlington, Leona Hefner or Kalamazoo, Mich., Della Pugh of Aurora, Eva Wood of Yuma, and Allan of Bethune.

Hilda has eight grandchildren, Tryn Hendricks of Littleton, Todd Hendricks of Littleton, Jeff Ziegler of Gilbert Ariz.., Brian Ziegler of Aurora, Darin Ziegler of Colorado Springs, Lilli Curtis and Cathy Edwards both of Las Vegas, Nev., and Marlene Kelly of Elma, Kan. Nine great-grandchildren, four great-granddaughters – many nieces, nephews, cousins by the dozens scattered over many states. She will be greatly missed by all her family and friends including “newly” made friends from Building 231 at Heather Gardens, Aurora. Memorial gifts may be sent to Community First National Bank in Burlington and branches in Englewood and Aurora.