Mable Almetta Eden

A Tribute to our Momma… Mable Almetta Peters-Eden

(1923-2025)

As the month of April transformed the Baca County countryside from the brown of winter into shades of green, the Dave Peters Family welcomed a brand-new baby daughter, Mable Almetta, into their world. As was common in those days, the doctor came to their home for her delivery while Papa and the older girls anxiously waited. Being the fourth daughter, Mable was surrounded with love. Her first few years, she followed in the footsteps of her older sisters Fae, Florence and Sadie who adored her. Life on the farm included early morning chores, long walks to school, making memories with her family, cousins and friends as she blended into a wonderful landscape of prairie life. Those years were filled with simple experiences, endearing friendships and interesting stories. She learned life skills that not only came natural to her but remained deeply embedded within the woman she became.

She was a child …Mable attended Blue Mound School, a country school located south and west of Campo, close to their home. Her middle school and high school years were at Campo…graduating with the Class of 1942 as valedictorian of her class. Those school years were filled with so much fun with her classmates. She attended church gatherings, community events and school parties which included trips to the canyons. It was on one of these trips to the canyons that Bob Eden found a beautiful arrowhead and Mable with her charms, took it and told him that he could only have it back if he married her… it remains a sweet token and family heirloom of their love story to this day.

She was his sweetheart … Bob, had been asked by his father to forgo school and help with the family farming while Mable completed high school. He spoke about how he could see Mable from his tractor as he made trips up and down the field and the more he thought about her, the more he knew that she was the one he wanted to spend his life with. He always referred to her as, “The Apple of His Eye”. They married on June 6th, 1942, in Clayton, New Mexico. They were so happy and had many plans for their life together. But it wasn’t long until Bob felt the call to serve his country. Soon after signing the paperwork, he received his notice to report for duty. He reported in July and in September of 1942 he left on a train from Springfield, headed for a very long three-year experience on the other side of the world…playing his part in World War II. Mable felt very alone but had great support from her parents, the Eden Family and the Campo community. She was able, however, to travel by train and visit Bob a couple of times before he shipped overseas… which was quite an experience from this farm girl. The following three years must have seemed endless to her. She filled her days writing letters to Bob, and he wrote back to her. She remained faithful and strong.

When she received the telegram that Bob was wounded in January of 1945, the news was devastating, filling her with thoughts of uncertainty. However, Mable’s determination helped her face those challenges and after a year at Fitzsimons Hospital in Denver, they returned home to begin their lives once again. With an Honorable Discharge from Uncle Sam and the status “Disabled Veteran”, he climbed on the tractor and never looked back. Mable was his constant supporter and encouraged him daily. Together, they were determined to raise their family and build a good life in Baca County, and she remained “The Apple of His Eye”.

She was a Wife …It was apparent that she lived her life through our daddy. It was her priority to be a good wife and mother. She supported him with an amazing household, wonderfully prepared meals, clean home and a wonderful garden where she grew vegetables and fruit for her family. She prided herself to be efficient in all things about the house and anything that she could do to support our daddy…made her happy. She enjoyed time with neighbors and inviting friends over for Stanley and Tupperware Parties, sharing her home and wonderful desserts served on her beautiful glass serving trays.

As her children, one of our fondest memories happened when Momma’s cinnamon rolls came out of the oven and the thermos was filled with freshly ‘perked’ coffee… we all knew that it was time for a trip to the field. When we arrived, we saw our Daddy on the tractor, smiling ear to ear. We couldn’t wait to jump out of the car and run bare-footed through the freshly turned soil…what a memory! He was always so happy to see us…many times he had a baby rabbit that he rescued, and we would take it home to feed. These little sweet things happened because of our mother, always done with love for Daddy, always making us aware of how hard he worked. I know he was very proud of her and loved her very much.

She was a Homemaker … Her family was first and foremost in her life, as little girls, we woke many mornings to the sound of her sewing machine or the gentle clanging of pots and pans as she prepared breakfast for her family. Her day began before we ever woke up, getting extra things out of the way before she began her ‘real’ day. She made beautiful dresses for us and many shirts for daddy. She was talented and always generous with her time with us. She was an amazing cook…what wonderful meals we shared together around our dinner table. This was the time she loved most, when we were all able to share our day with each other. Our meals included home grown vegetables from the garden, homemade bread and delicious desserts, and of course, farm raised chicken, beef and pork. All the while she was busy with this work, she encouraged us to work alongside her…and we learned. Each fall, she taught us to can vegetables and fruit for the winter…I remember chicken butchering day at Grandma’s and hog butchering day at our farm … so much she taught us during our formative years.

She was our Momma … We had a great sense of comfort and safety in our home. She was our protector, our teacher, our encourager and our greatest fan. She was our nurse when we had a skinned knee, ready with a band aid and ‘monkey blood’. Thanks to Dr. Hamilton who taught her how to swab our sore throat with Listerine, a Bayer aspirin and mercurochrome…we never required an antibiotic! She mixed this concoction in a small Tupperware bowl and when we saw her finger wrapped with cotton…we knew we were getting...our throat swabbed! This seems hilarious now, but it was something that none of us escaped growing up. I remember a neighbor bringing one of their kids over for her to swab… the grandkids also became personally familiar with this old remedy.

Our Christmases were simple and always included a homemade nightgown or P.J.’s (which we loved), and a beautiful Christmas dress for each of us to wear at our Church and School Programs. We spent hours looking through the Christmas catalog…just wishing…what wonderful memories! A few days before Christmas, we found presents wrapped and placed under our tree and we were so excited. Momma just knew how to make our holiday special, not because of material things but with simple and personal things that brought us so much joy.

She taught us to be friendly and polite to people, she loved to listen to us sing and encouraged us to be involved in community activities and in our church and school. We became busy about the farm, helping with chores. Naps were not tolerated unless we were sick, and it seemed to be her focus to keep us busy with something all day and every day! Cooking and sewing were taught and became a natural part of our lives…teaching us the basic skills of life was important to her. She was thrifty and was so good at making something wonderful out of something she had on hand…a skill that we girls have carried into our adult lives. Her greatest objective as a mother was to prepare her daughters with things that would help us to have a good life…and for that, we are forever grateful!

She was Community …aside from the wife and mother observation, was found a somewhat different woman. A woman who was never idle with ideas and vision. She was excited and determined to help make things better in her community, her state and her country. Mable took a huge interest in the school and served as President of the PTA. If there was ever a need, she was the first to volunteer for the committee; ready to plan an event to do fund raising for the cause. She could quickly gather her friends together and things happened at our school. It was amazing what a group of mothers accomplished in those days! She took a keen interest in making sure that the kids were getting a good education, hot lunches, and was always willing to sew pep-club and cheerleading uniforms if needed. One of her most satisfying undertakings was her twenty years of being the Campo Trailblazers 4-H club leader. She absolutely loved the little girls, teaching them to sew and cook and she recalled those days many years later in her life. She took pride in a job well done and her 4-H’ers were perfect in her mind.

Mable was struck with unbelief when she was chosen as the Colorado State Farm Wife of the Year. This award meant more to her than we could ever imagine. Mable loved ‘farm life’ and all of the support she rendered was never done for the reward but for the love of the life she had with daddy and us girls…what a well-deserved award!

She was a Friend … she had a treasure box of friends who had children the same ages as we were. I guess in a way ‘children-friends’ brought these ‘mother-friends’ together…they were so important to Mable. She was always concerned with those who were less fortunate, and I remember many lessons, reminding us to be thoughtful of those less fortunate. She connected with so many people and never thought twice about starting a conversation with a complete stranger. She just loved people and treasured knowing about them and becoming acquainted with them. Her friends at home were lifelong friends who enjoyed sharing time together.

Probably the most difficult thing she experienced was leaving her home in Campo…she never forgot her friends and the treasured life she left. As she grew older and lost so many of those special friends, she grieved each of them deeply and we felt her grief.

She was a Woman of Faith …When we were growing up, our daddy never went to church with us. It was always an unspoken challenge, but momma always prayed for him and encouraged us to pray for him as well. In 1987, our prayers were brought to reality because God answered. What a Day! There were very few Sundays, Sunday nights and Wednesday Prayer meetings, throughout our lives that she did not have all five of us girls, sitting in the pews. If she was not able, Grandma & Grandpa Peters took us…always wearing a homemade dress, hair curled and a smile on our faces! Church played a huge part in our lives, learning memory verses for Sunday School, singing specials at church and in the summer, we had an amazing week of Bible School which was more fun than anything imaginable! The red Kool-Aid and homemade cookies were the best at Bible school! God was never questioned; our faith was never an option rather a necessity and God has blessed our lives abundantly! We are thankful today for our God-fearing Mother…it has made all the difference in our lives.

At the end of her life, her faith grew to be even more dear to her. She read the Bible through a few times with Daddy and loved to study scripture, and when her eyesight failed her, she listened to her favorite preachers, Allen Jackson and David Jeremiah. She enjoyed the old hymns and loved to sing along. At bedtime, after she was tucked into bed, we could hear her praying out loud for her family, her friends and her country… and her prayers were pretty lengthy. She truly was amazing and this memory will forever be etched in our minds.

She was a Grand Mother … After we girls married and began families of our own, grandkids became a huge addition to her life! She continued to teach the same principles, but I believe she took a little more time to enjoy each of them. They were so important to her, and she and Daddy spent many hours laughing, playing and making memories with each of them. These years brought satisfaction to them and built character in our children. Our children became familiar with an older generation through this precious time and were able to know and appreciate their Grandparents all the while…hearing family stories…enjoying home cooked meals and listening to old-time music like Box Car Willie and George Jones. These were the days…

Mable is survived by her five daughters & sons-in-law: John & Melody Espey, Ed and Madelyn Mlynek, Aaron & Debbie Isaacs, Tanky & Deede Lowry and Stephen & Penny Grasmick. From her five daughters, 16 Grandchildren were born, with the addition of 23 Great Grandchildren, and 18 Great-Great

Grandchildren with a total of 62. This number does not reflect the spouses of her family members who were equally important to her.

She loved … Cabin-time in Creede, Out-fishing Bob and playing card games with the grandkids. She loved America, being part of the Republican Party and writing ‘Notes from Mable’ for the Plainsman Herald. She loved the Rockies and the Nuggets almost as much as she enjoyed watching her grandkids play sports. Staying in touch with her friends from home and making trips to Campo was always a highlight as she longed for home. She enjoyed quilting, baking pies, learning new things, reminiscing and sharing stories with all of us.

She was our Momma …and after 102 years, she would say that her five daughters remained her ‘greatest joy and accomplishment’.

We want to thank Sangre de Cristo Hospice Staff, Chris, Karen, Michael and Jean for such wonderful end of life support, Bernice Meister and Jocie Kirkland-Johnson for their special love and personal care, Sharron Simmons and Patsy Christianson for filling in when needed and Mary Kirkland for the unending bouquets of flowers for our momma.

We are grateful for the love from so many family members and friends who brightened her days with cards and phone calls…you were an important part of her journey. May the God we serve bless each of you.

Written with love by Deede Eden-Lowry