Ottilia Brozovich

Ottilia Ann Brozovich July 12, 1930 – March 19, 2009 Ottilia Ann (Wolf) Brozovich (affectionately known as ""Tillie"") was born in Catherine, Kansas, on July 12, 1930 to parents Alois Wolf and Emma Staab. She was the second youngest of five children, and proud sister to Flora Lee, Robert, Mary Jane and Frank. At a young age, Tillie's family moved from Kansas to Brighton, Colorado, where her father Alois held various jobs to support the family. Her mother Emma was primarily the family homemaker; and Emma's family recipes were the inspiration for all the wonderful dishes, homemade noodles, cookies, and pastries that Tillie memorably shared with family and friends during holidays and special events. While Tillie was developing her cooking skills as a young teen, she also worked side-by-side with her younger brother Frank in the local bean fields to help the family make ends meet. Tillie attended Brighton Junior High and then Brighton High School, graduating with honors in 1948. She was very active in both the school newspaper and choir, and had many hobbies, including playing the violin and reading mystery novels like the Nancy Drew series. Tillie married the love of her life, Albert John Brozovich, on November 19, 1949. They had two children—Tom, who was born in 1952, and Teri, who followed five years later in 1957. Tillie and Al worked very hard to afford sending their kids to Catholic grade school and high school. While Tom and Teri attended Holy Rosary Grade School, Tillie was very involved in the school's physical education program. She generously volunteered her time to help the Dominican Sisters with this vital program to support President Kennedy's goal of improving the fitness of school-aged children and young adults. In addition to this volunteer work, Tillie participated in the PTA and volunteered for the federally funded Model Cities Program aimed at urban renewal and the expansion of educational and recreational programs for underprivileged, inner city youth. As her children got older, Tillie found her niche working at several hair salons where she thoroughly delighted in interacting with the customers. She met many dear friends at Arbach's Goodhair, the salon she continued to work at part-time until January of this year. After Tom and Teri ""left the nest,"" Tillie enjoyed taking frequent vacations to Hawaii where Teri worked for Continental Airlines; and to San Diego where Tom was on active duty with the US Navy. She took great pleasure in watching her granddaughters, Kristin and Laurel, play softball on summer weekends and loved taking trips to Las Vegas and to Blackhawk/Central City where she tried her luck at the slot machines and blackjack. She definitely had the ""luck of the Irish""when playing these games of chance, and nothing (except for love of family) thrilled her more than spending the day playing the Flaming 7s slot machines. Until her passing on March 19, 2009, Tillie's whole life was exemplified by her caring, nurturing, and empathetic lifestyle—she always put the welfare of others before her own. While her family and friends are deeply saddened by her passing, they are dedicated to keeping her memory alive by continuing her legacy of love and selflessness. Tillie is survived by her husband Albert John Brozovich; her two children Tom Brozovich (Cindi) and Teri Brozovich; sisters Flora Lee McMinn and Mary Jane Hohnstein; brother Frank Wolf (Charlotte); grandchildren Kristin Jantz (Derek) and Laurel Brozovich (Mark Seferian); great granddaughter Eisley Jantz; and various cousins, nieces, and nephews. She was preceded in death by her brother Robert ""Weiser"" Wolf (Jo).