On May 25, 2023, Edith Elaine Hartong (Elaine), almost 95, went peacefully home to be with the Lord in Heaven. She had been living at Alta Vita Assisted Living in Longmont, Colorado. She was preceded in death by her husband of 62 years, William Richard Hartong (Bill). Elaine was born on June 19,1928 in Laramie, Wyoming to Raymond Uel Cooper and Edith Clara Swanson. As a child, she and moved with her parents to Tulsa, Oklahoma. She later attended The University of Colorado in Boulder, CO, where she earned a degree in Journalism. Elaine served as a Residence Hall assistant, received honors, and was named “Miss Responsibility”, as one of the top senior women at CU Boulder. There she met Bill on Easter morning on the way to a Sunrise Service on Flagstaff Mountain in Boulder. Bill and Elaine were married in 1951. They moved to Prairie Village and later to Leawood, suburbs of Kansas City. Bill, who had received degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Business at CU Boulder, worked in management at the Kansas City Procter and Gamble Plant for 31 years. They had two children, Toby Joseph and Ellen Claire. Elaine was an incredible wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and friend as she raised her children. She had much joy and love and cared deeply for others. She loved the Lord and looked to Him for guidance and would live by His example. Elaine was a member of Village Presbyterian Church (Prairie Village, KS) and later Georgetown Presbyterian Church (Georgetown, CO), having served as a deacon at both churches. She was active in church activities and Sunday School as well as teaching children about God’s Love in an inner-city church in Kansas City, KS. Elaine was president of the Parent Teacher Association and was involved in leadership in Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts. She lovingly supported Toby and Ellen with swimming, piano, voice and tennis lessons, as well as school and church activities they were involved in. She was always there to cheer the family on and would volunteer to help others whenever she could. She even helped in the hospital when Toby was in Medical School and Ellen was in Nursing School. She would always lend a listening ear and give positive encouragement. God blessed Elaine with a “green thumb”. She loved gardening and designing beautiful backyard gardens. She was also a member of Leawood Garden Club. Elaine and Bill loved to travel and would take many trips with their family. Whether it was camping expeditions to beautiful places like the National Parks and Canada, or visiting amazing countries in the world, they always enjoyed learning about and seeing God’s creations. Some of their favorite destinations included Colorado, Yellowstone, Alaska, Hawaii, Germany, Ireland, Sweden and South Africa. Elaine always loved Georgetown, Colorado. Her grandparents, who emigrated from Sweden in the 1800’s, lived there. Her grandfather was a silver miner and her mother was raised there. Elaine spent many summers with her grandparents there as a child. When she lived in the Kansas City area, she and Bill made it possible for their children to enjoy Georgetown in the summers, who would come to love it as well. When Bill retired, Elaine and Bill moved to Georgetown, where they built a wonderful Victorian style home. Elaine was very involved with the community and town. She taught Sunday School in Georgetown Presbyterian Church as well as a “Friday School” where school children who might not attend Sunday School would come to the church after school to learn about God’s love and values. She helped develop the “Friends of the Library” sale of used books to the community. Bill helped build the Georgetown Library Children’s Wing and the patio is dedicated to Elaine’s mother. Elaine was involved in a book club and worked in a bookstore there for part of the time. She was also involved in the League of Women Voters. She loved to hike and would do so most days. She was always welcoming to anyone she would meet, starting conversations and offering words of encouragement. Elaine and Bill lovingly welcomed people into their home, usually with something to eat, a cup of tea and memorable conversations. They loved to drive and take picnics high into the mountains with their children, grandchildren and any guests who would visit. After living in Georgetown, Elaine moved to Alta Vita Assisted Living in Longmont, CO. She encouraged and blessed the staff and residents there. All were impressed with her continued style and sense of fashion. God blessed Elaine with the Alta Vita staff who helped provide her with loving care for three and a half years. We express our sincere thanks to them. We are also thankful to Bristol Hospice who helped care for Elaine during her last few days. Elaine is preceded in death by her parents and husband. She is survived by son Toby Joseph Hartong, daughter-in-law, Joni, daughter Ellen Claire (Hartong) Stokes and son-in-law Dennis. She was also blessed with grandchildren Holly (Hartong) Thill, (husband Steven), Heidi Hartong and Heather Hartong, Chris Stokes, (wife Heidi), Cheryl Stokes and Amy Stokes. She also had seven great-grandchildren (Tanner, Tucker, Trevor, Tensley, and Tyler Thill and Claire and Grace Bartles). A family memorial service will be held later this summer. We will miss her greatly and are so blessed to have been part of her beautiful life and legacy. As she loved to say, “God Bless Us, Every One.”