LethaMae Greenlee

LethaMae Greenlee On August 24, 1919, LethaMae became the first child born to Earl and Esther Smith, of Weld County Colorado. Her family remained in Colorado until 1935 at which point they moved to Cheyenne, Wyoming. While she was still a small child LethaMae made her desire to know and serve God very clear. Because she had parents who were educated to be teachers, and because she had a deep desire to be able to read the bible LethaMae was reading at age four. A few years later LethaMae contracted Polio and was told by doctors that she would never walk or use her left arm again, however due to her mother's determination and constant work with her, LethaMae did walk again, and became able to use her left arm even for intricate work such as sewing. After graduation LethaMae worked as a clerk at Newberry's Department Store. It was during this time that she met Albert Sweazy who was stationed at Fort Russell Army base in Cheyenne which later became Warren Air Force Base. After Albert was transferred to Camp Hood in Oregon, LethaMae and her family drove to Oregon and she and Albert were married on April 5th 1941 in Astoria Oregon. A few days after the wedding Albert shipped out to Alaska, and from there he was sent to Belgium to fight in the Second World War. From 1942 to 1957, eight living children were born to Albert and LethaMae. In 1959 LethaMae's father died. In August of 1963 the family moved from Cheyenne back to Colorado to an 80 acre tract of land Northeast of Nunn and directly East of Carr. Shortly after the move, in November of 1963, after 22 years of marriage, Albert died of a heart attack leaving behind six children between ages six and sixteen still at home. In May of 1964 LethaMae's mother Esther died. LethaMae worked as housecleaner until there were just two children left at home, and she then went to work as a cook on a nearby ranch. In 1976 after all of her children were raised, she moved to Denver to take care of Mr. Lee, an elderly attorney who needed in home nursing care. She cared for him until his death in 1978. In 1980 she then moved to Fort Morgan to care for an infirm elderly lady, Mrs. Cox, until her death. She then went to work for Frank Greenlee helping him to care for his wife Ruth during her last years. After Ruth Greenlee's death in 1984 LethaMae spent a year traveling around to visit each one of her children. After that year of traveling was concluded, Frank Greenlee asked LethaMae to marry him and she agreed. They were married in September of 1987 and had almost ten years together before Frank's passing in 1997. Following Frank's death, LethaMae moved to Oklahoma to help care for her son Chuck after his heart attack, and upon his recovery she went to assist Mrs. Martin at the Redbud assisted care center in Guthrie Oklahoma. When Opal was moved out of the assisted care center because of needing more care than LethaMae could provide, LethaMae was admitted to Redbud as a resident. She became very sick and was admitted to the hospital and while she was there, she passed away on December 18, 2007 at the age of 88.