Muriel F. Lembright-Carter

Muriel Lembright-Carter was born on June 18, 1933 in St Luke's Hospital in Denver, Colorado, to Gordon and Eva Dies Clark. She parted this life on November 9, 2006. Her parents divorced when Muriel was three. Her mother was awarded custody and her father moved about a hundred miles away. This was significant because by the time Muriel was five years of age, she got on the bus every weekend to go visit her father. In one of her writings she stated, "I never encountered a stranger. Anyone I sat with I'd engage in conversation -- albeit somewhat one-sided!" Those who knew Muriel would agree she carried this trait with her throughout her whole life. Muriel loved her Dad but was denied spending time with him as she grew up. When he re-married, his new wife did not want anything to do with his daughter from a previous marriage. It would be years later before Muriel would meet her half-sister Penny and the two of them would teach each other about his early and later life. When Muriel was five, her mother met Charles and moved to the Faltz farm in Mandalayl (which has been swallowed up by Broomfield). There was culture shock she had to deal with. Again as she wrote, "Milk now came from cows; no bottles were left at the door. Butter was churned, not bought in one-pound cubes." When Muriel was seven years old her sister Jerry was born. Shortly after that her mom asked her if she would like to be formally adopted by her step-dad. She said yes because she wanted to have the same last name as her sister. Muriel moved many times as she grew up because her step-father Charles worked for the railroad. She attended 30 different schools from the time she entered kindergarten until she graduated from South High School. She loved to read. She read "Gone with the Wind" when she was eleven years old. One other summer she said she read 60 books over 400 pages each. After Muriel graduated from South High, she met Frank Stauth from Dodge City, Kansas. Frank was attending Denver University studying business and they were married when Muriel was seventeen years old. After Frank graduated from DU, they moved back to Dodge City where Muriel began her life as a farm wife. During their eighteen years of marriage, Frank and Muriel were blessed with Sharon, Carol, Marla and Mark. At first they lived in a 'little' 800 square foot house next door to Junior, Flo, Karen, Cheryl and Daryl Davis. Frank and Junior were first cousins. While they were there, Frank built the "big" house and in 1963 he moved his family of six next door. Frank and Muriel separated in 1969 and later Muriel married Norval Lembright (who went by Lem). Muriel and Lem were married for twenty years before Lem passed away in 1990. He had 3 children, Pam, Jill and Jim and several grandchildren. Shortly before Lem died, they had moved to Haysville, Kansas (near Wichita) where Muriel secured a position as a professor at Wichita State. She continued to teach after Lem passed away for a couple more years but then moved back to Denver to be close to her children and grandchildren, and the rest of her family. She purchased a house on South Andes just up the street from John, Carol, and Rachel Black and began attending St. Paul's Presbyterian Church. Wayne Carter was also a member of St. Paul's and through their mutual interest in traveling, they were drawn together. After returning from a trip around the world together in 1999, Wayne and Muriel were inseparable. Over the course of the next several years, they would travel together to China three times, Mongolia, Argentina, Panama, Spain, London, and so many other places their kids could never remember where they were. Wayne asked Muriel to be his wife in 2003 and they were married in a beautiful wedding ceremony at St. Paul's. After they were married they continued to tour the world, being out of the country almost as much as they were at home. In addition to being a member of St. Paul's, Muriel was a member of the Daughter's of the American Revolution, Beta Sigma Phi, Order of the Eastern Star, the Nerd Birds, and served on the Board of Director's of the South High School Alumni Association as well as many other organizations. Muriel is survived by her husband Wayne and his three children Randy, Tim and Dennise and their families. Also surviving are her four children and spouses, Sharon and husband Ron Place, Carol and John Black, Marla Stauth, and Mark and Kim Brown-Stauth. Grandchildren and their spouses, Curtis and Heather Burke, Bryan and Kristall Burke, Janiece and John Dickson, Rachel Black, Stacy and Dan Ackerman, Eric and Tracy Henderson, Conner, Savannah, Hayleigh and Dane Brown. Great Grandchildren Schuyler, Morgan, and Sawyer Burke along with Savannah and Katelyn Henderson. Muriel is also survived by her sister Jerry and her husband Gary, along with their children Sean, Jason, and Garrett, and their wives and children. Also surviving is her half-sister Penny. Her sisters were very special to her. Her life was full of love and adventures and she will be sorely missed by all those that loved her. ===========================================