Eleanor Olivas

Eleanor D. Olivas, 84 of Fort Collins, died peacefully on Wednesday, June 19, 2024 surrounded by her family. Eleanor was born in Ft. Collins to Louis and Julia Ribera. She was the eldest of 6 children. The family lived in rural farmland and so they walked 2 miles to attend the historic Plummer School in northeast Ft. Collins. They did not have a television so Eleanor would read and act out stories for her siblings, much to their amusement. She also liked to bake and so her siblings would often request her banana cream pie or her chocolate fudge cake. As a teenager, she always had a stash of candy, bought with her earnings, which she would share with her siblings. She had a lifelong sweet tooth and always had treats to share.

All of the children helped to pick agricultural crops in the farmer’s field so that is where she met Lawrence Olivas. They were married on his 21st birthday in August 1957. They were married and made a home in Fort Collins for 63 years until Lawrence passed in 2021. Eleanor and Lawrence had 10 children so Eleanor was a homemaker with occasional part time jobs such as working at the Denver Market grocery store in old town Fort Collins. She and the store owner Ralph Willey became good friends and he gifted her with 2 beautiful Spitz dogs which began her love of dogs. Her last little dog was a much beloved Chihuahua, whose cremains will be buried with her.

She found purpose in being a caretaker for family members and so would help with transportation, cooking, cleaning or babysitting in order to assist family and others. She also enjoyed cooking with her children and passed on a secret red chili recipe to them. Her son Dominic, grew a chili pepper garden in Florida and sent her his jelly pepper creations inspired by her love of chili. Her many grandchildren for whom she babysat also enjoyed her special comfort food pasta recipes made of vermicelli, macaroni or spaghetti. Her beloved grandson Corey still makes grandma’s spaghetti for his 3 girls.

Her father’s sisters in Nebraska taught her to dance the Mambo and the Cha cha. Even when she lost her mobility, she loved music, it brought her peace and happiness. She passed on her love of dancing to her grandson Loren, who is adept at everything from Country Western Swing to Bachata!

She learned the power of devotion and prayer from her father and so she passed on the gift of faith to her children. She prayed to the Infant Jesus of Prague and her home alter was adorned with the statue of the saint and an ever-present candle. She believed in Divine intervention as evidenced by her prayers for her youngest child, who was born with a heart defect that doctors said would require surgery. When she brought her infant in for surgical consult, the defect had miraculously disappeared!

She enjoyed collecting porcelain dolls, angels and crystal figurines but loved her garden above all else. She had a green thumb like her father, whose plants are still living 40 years after his passing. She had almost every color of rose that brightened the neighborhood. People would drive by and stop to talk to her about the flowers in her garden. She favored the pink and red roses most. She enjoyed seeing the beautiful flowers at the CSU trial gardens albeit navigating them in her wheelchair. Her beloved husband used to capture her garden via photography and share the pics with the kids. She was able to keep Christmas poinsettias growing all year and also loved the winter Amaryllis bulb bloom. Even as her memory faded, flowers always made her smile and her children kept her surrounded by them even as she lay upon her deathbed with a rosebud in her hair.

The family would like to extend gratitude to the staff at the Columbine Lemay Nursing Home for their care, consideration and kindness to our mother. Family visited everyday and the staff’s actions did not go unnoticed.

Eleanor is survived by her 2 sisters, Rose Lira and Beverly Ribera; her children: Veronica, Elizabeth (Mike), Kathy, Denise, Mary (Greg), Jesse (Kim), and Christopher; Grandchildren Loren, Corey (Vanessa), April, Cassandra, Siobhan, Lawrence, Victoria, Cetera, Winter and Tallon and several nieces, nephews and great grandchildren.

Eleanor was preceded in death by her parents; Louis and Julia, siblings; Louis Jr. (Martha), John, and Delores, Husband; Lawrence, Children; Lawrence Jr., Anna and Dominic, Grandchildren; Anthony and Natasha.