MONTROSE — Elnetta Mae Veo passed away Sept. 3, 2009 at the home of her granddaughter, Stephanie (Bill)Abbath.
Mae was born in Montrose to Davis and Lucille (Shcildt) Boring on Oct. 26, 1924, and lived here most of her life.
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Stilman Schildt, her grandfather, lovingly known as “the first white rancher” in Cimarron.
When she was a teenager, her family moved to Phoenix, Arizona. There, Mae finished her education and proudly put her self through beauty school by age 16. She married N.D. (Doug) Holton and gave birth to a beautiful bouncing baby girl, Yvonne Anne, four years later in 1944.
As so many of us can understand, Colorado was calling her home. Mae opened a beauty shop in Ouray before settling in Montrose to open “Mae’s Curl Cottage” on Main Street, which was the setting for so many colorful stories. One of her best memories was of the cast and crew filming “How the West Was Won” using her shop for hair and makeup. She remarked at how down to earth Debbie Reynolds seemed as they drank tea together each morning.
Mae found once in a lifetime love with Edward A. Veo, of Montrose. They married and after just a few years the Lord called Ed home Nov. 15, 1967, leaving her a young widow way too soon.
Mae turned her energies to the ranch at Cimarron that had been in the Veo family for generations and helping to raise her granddaughter, Stephanie.
Mae bought the old Anholtz house, which was used in the filming of “True Grit”, that sat near Highway 50 and hired men to cut the huge log home, built in the 1800’s, into three sections and blast a road wide enough to move it three miles up into the canyon. She worked years bringing the old home back to life while happily sharing it with friends and family.
Mae was well known, near and far, as the best cook! Her hunters always raved about her biscuits she baked in the old Majestic (wood) cook stove. Ask any of her kids and they will tell you it was the “hot cakes” and “sugar rolls” that were the best in the whole wide world.
Mae had quite a following of people that truly adored her. Not only her daughter, granddaughters, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren, but all their friends as well. Everyone knew her as “Nana.” She truly loved doing all she could for all her kids. She worried and fused over the perfect fit for so many prom and Rainbow formals she put her heart and soul into creating for the girls. She taught all the girls to sew and to cook. Always patient, never upset over spilt milk, dropped eggs, or mixers splattering batter all over kitchen walls.
She also passed on her love of gardening. Nobody ever had such beautiful roses. She had a hand in teaching the little boys to fish and “clean what ya catch.” Her unwavering love of nature was firmly instilled in each of us. At 80 years old she couldn’t wait to tell every one of her snow mobile rides and riding the four-wheeler at 83! She would try anything once, and if she liked it… she’d do it again!
I’m sure Nana would be happy to know, that to remember her was to remember a true lady. Nana worked as hard or harder than any man on her ranch in Cimarron, she had the biggest heart of gold, she loved all her kids more than anything and would do anything for them and always had “Nana cookies” ready.
Mae is survived by her daughter, Yvonne Holton Willis of Montrose; granddaughters Stephanie Abbath and husband Bill (Mae lovingly claimed as the son she never had) of Montrose, and Stacy Waalkens of Arizona; great-grandchildren Billy Abbath and wife Misty of Grand Junction; Sarah Kinser and husband Bryan of Paonia; Kevin Waalkens of Arizona; Precilla Waalkens of Arizona; great-great grandchildren Kadin Abbath and Mason Kinser of Paonia; Katelehn and Rosilyn Abbath of Grand Junction, David Waalkens and Travis Waalkens-Lash of Arizona, and her very special nephew, Max and wife Doris Sanders, of Arizona.
Mae was preceded in death by her loving husband Edward A. Veo, her parents Davis and Lucille Boring, and brothers, Carl and Bob Boring.
Services to celebrate Mae’s life will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday, September 8, 2009 at the Crippin Funeral Home Chapel with graveside services at Valley Lawn Cemetery to follow.
Arrangements are under the direction of Crippin Funeral Home & Crematory, Montrose, Colorado.
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