Hester Lucille Perfors (Shupe)

Hester Perfors

September 30, 1923 ~ August 26, 2016

Hester Lucille Shupe was born September 30, 1923 in Littleton, CO. to Frank and Eunice Shupe.

She had an older brother, Frank Jr., and later a sister Patty Jo and two more brothers John and Ronald.

As a child in the depression, she and her family moved around the Denver area as her father scrambled

for work. Eventually, they settled in Barnum and in 1941 Hettie Lou graduated from West High School.

After graduation, she worked for Montgomery Ward and, with the advent of World War 2, worked at

Hill Field in Ogden, Utah in the secretarial pool.

In Utah, she met George Perfors, an Air Force supply sergeant stationed in Ogden. They were

married on a three-day pass in Evanston, Wyoming in March of 1944. After the war, they moved to

Cleveland Ohio, where George had family, and in November of 1946, Hettie Lou gave birth to her son,

George Jr. She missed her family and her church in Colorado; so in 1948 they moved back to Denver. In

March of 1951 she gave birth to her daughter Debbie.

George Sr. worked for Russell Stover Candies and Hettie Lou worked as a secretary as the

children grew up. Her main interests were her family and her extended family and the West Cedar

Church of Christ, a church her father had helped build in the 30’s. In the sixties she and her sister-in-law

Clara purchased a retail yarn business but the economy and larger businesses forced them out.

However, they were left with a huge inventory of yarn, and Hettie Lou out of necessity knitted her way

through that inventory and developed a life-long habit of knitting. Her children, grandchildren, and

great-grandchildren have sweaters and afghans and slippers made from Grandma.

In 1978, George Sr. moved with Russell Stover to Montrose and Hettie Lou (now Hester again)

became a fulltime grandmother and great-grandmother. Both her daughter’s family and her son’s

family moved to Montrose to be with her and George. Besides family, the church and her knitting kept

her occupied in her later years. In 1997 George Sr. passed away and Hester moved to Paradise Village

where she resided until shortly before her death.

Hester is survived by her son George (Diane) Perfors and her daughter Debbie (Charles) Nelson.

She has seven grandchildren: Shanda (Mark) Bray, Kelly Crouse, David (Laura) Perfors, Amy (Toby

Elmhirst) Perfors, Tracy (Jon Whitehead) Perfors, Steven (Lauren) Perfors, and Julie (John) Romano. She

has nine great-grandchildren: Sarah Bray, Melissa Bray, Trenton Crouse, Stephanie Perfors, Benjamin

Perfors, Emilie Perfors, Sam Elmhirst, Luke Elmhirst, and Agnes Romano.

On the afternoon of August 26th, 2016, Hester Lucille Perfors passed away at the age of 92 at

Valley Manor Care Center. For her, the great adventure continues elsewhere. A memorial service for

Hester will be held at the Montrose Church of Christ at 1 pm September 30, 2016. In lieu of flowers,

contributions in her memory may be given to Mountain States Children’s Home, www.msch.org.  Crippin Funeral Home is assisting the family