Mary Earlene Whyte

Wray will miss a 95-year icon in Mary Earlene Whyte. Born August 20, 1917, to Earle and Mary Drommond in Sanborn, NE. The family moved to Wray when Earlene was 7 months old. She graduated from Wray High School in 1935. Earlene then graduated from beauty school and brought her talents back to Wray.  On March 20, 1938, she married Harold “Hy” Whyte. In 1942 the young couple moved to Denver to work at Remington Arms until Hy joined the Navy Sea Bees in 1943. Earlene followed Hy to California awaiting his deployment to the Philippines. When the war was over, they returned to Wray where she opened Earlene’s Beauty Shop. In 1947 they bought the home at 531 W 4th Street. Here she started a career as mother and homemaker residing there till her death.

Earlene was active in Order of Eastern Star serving as Worthy Matron in 1962-63, a lifetime member of the Legion Auxiliary, and supported Hy in the Wray Volunteer Fire Department. She was a lifetime member of the First Presbyterian Church where she, her mother, and several women of the church raised money doing dinners for local business and professional clubs. She and Hy were members of the Co-Weds couples church group. Earlene loved quilting and still spent Wednesdays quilting at the Senior Center.

Earlene is preceded in death by her parents, husband Hy Whyte, and two sisters Leatha King and Lyndall Drommond.

She is survived by two daughters Nancy (husband Tim Entzel) and Peggy (husband John Lynch), grandchildren John Pennington, Breann Entzel, Shawn Lynch and Chad Lynch, as well as six great grandchildren.

Her famous bridge quip, “That was the last hand”, will be remembered by all her fellow bridge partners. Guess that’s what she dealt to all on January 9, 2013.

Celebration of Life was held on Monday, January 14, 2013, 2:00 p.m. at the First Presbyterian Church in Wray, Colorado with Rev. Steve Wynkoop and Pastor Bob Gump officiating. A private family inurnment in the Grandview Cemetery in Wray, Colorado. Memorials may be made to the Wray Fire Department. Spellman-Schmidt Funeral Home was in charge of arrangments.