Mary Lou Korkow
Page by Bob Leathers
Mary Lou (Young) Korkow (Funeral Booklet. 2009)
Mary Lou (Young) Korkow
Mary Lou (Young) Korkow died peacefully Oct. 26, 2009, surrounded by friends and family.
Born Feb. 23, 1930, in Cheyenne, she was the only child of Belfield and Elizabeth Young. She was raised on a ranch north of Hanna and resided there most of her life. She met Bob Korkow while attending Laramie High School, and he stole her heart. Bob and Mary Lou married June 19, 1948.
Having reared seven children, she was active in supporting the school and all the functions. She was active in the Catholic Church, Democratic Party and Hanna’s 4-H Club. She was an accomplished seamstress (partly out of necessity), making the girls prom, graduation, wedding and bridesmaid dresses. She has a handmade Christmas stocking for all of her children, grandchildren and great- grandchildren on display every year. Family members recall Mary Lou was loved by everyone who knew her. She had compassion to make sure everyone was taken care of. Mary Lou thought everyone just needed the noise of a large family to make everything right.
In her later years Mary Lou enjoyed working at the library, recreation center and Hanna Museum. She had been compiling all the history of the “North” country (Leo, Seminoe Dam area) and enjoyed visiting and hearing all the stories. Living in Hanna gave her the ability to even catch the grandchildren’s school games. Her greatest joys in life always included a big get-together in which she could take part.
Family members remember Mary Lou as a devoted wife, dedicated homemaker, a wonderful mother, a fantastic grandmother and great grandma to her family. Her friends remember her as true, and never ending. She loved the Red Hat get-togethers. She cherished her many life-long friends and their kinship, which spanned the decades.
Mary Lou was preceded in death by her husband Bob Korkow; father Belfield Young and mother Elizabeth Young.
She is survived by her daughters Debbie, Vicki, Vonnie and Valerie; sons Bob, Larry, and Burt; 22 grandchildren; and 17 great-grandchildren; plus, two brother-in-laws; four sister-in-laws; numerous nieces, nephews and distant relatives.
Many thanks to all the staff at the Davis Hospice Center, Cheyenne Regional Medical Center, Carbon County Memorial Hospital, Energy Basin Clinic, and the Meredith and Jeannie Ray Cancer Center. She loved her caregivers.
A service is scheduled for 10 a.m. Nov. 5 with the Rosary followed by Memorial Service at 11 a.m. at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Hanna. Her last wishes are to be buried on the ranch. A Celebration of Life memorial is to take place the summer of 2010. Everyone is invited. (Funeral Booklet, 2009))