Rebecca C Edens

Rebecca Carol Grate was born October 24, 1946 in Hart, Michigan to Willard Layton Grate and Marjorie Emilia Reed.  Her family moved to Shelby, Michigan in 1955 and to Montague, Michigan in 1959.  They settled in Florida for a short time before finally ending up in California.  When Beckie was 16 years old, her youngest sister Lynda was born and she left High School to help raise the baby. She eventually obtained her GED and then attended beauty school in Riverside, California.

In 1966, she married Edmond Gelvin, a naval serviceman she had met in California.  Ed and Beckie moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma before returning to Ed’s  home state of Colorado where he went to work on Kitzmiller Ranch. They brought their first child, Jennifer, home in 1971.  They moved to Laird Colorado in 1972 where they brought home Jeffrey in 1974 and Amber in 1977. While Beckie was expecting their fourth child, the couple moved 11 miles north of Wray where they would stay for 10 years. Megan and Natalie were welcomed to this home in 1979 and 1980. Ed and Beckie were married for 24 years before an amicable divorce in 1990.

Beckie married John Edens in 1992 in a beautiful backyard ceremony at their home in Wray.  Beckie’s favorite activity was spending time with her grandchildren, who were the light of her life.  She spent many hours reading to and playing with all of them.   She also enjoyed watching Jeopardy and collecting antiques. She was a long time member of her FCE club, Calico ‘n’ Cactus, and was an avid reader and book collector.

In 2002, Beckie and John traveled to Iowa to renew their wedding vows on Roseman Bridge to celebrate their 1Oth wedding anniversary.  They spent many years laughing and loving even though Beckie’s health began to decline.  She spent her fmal days at Hillcrest Care Center where she passed away peacefully on July 30, 2012.

Beckie was preceded in death by her parents, and her brothers Richard and Rocky.

She is survived by her husband John, her children, Jennifer, Jeffrey, Amber, Megan and Natalie, her grandchildren, Ethan, Hannah, Darin, Jada, Jenna, Jazper, Taylor, Ezra, Reagan, Thomas and Zachary, her sisters Peggy, Barbara and Lynda and her brother Bob, and many nieces and nephews.

Beckie was a wonderful wife, mother, sister, and friend. She was exceptionally proud of her children and cherished her friendships. She will be dearly missed by all who knew her.

Memorial services were held at the Spellman-Schmidt Funeral Home in Wray, Colorado Friday, August 3, 2012 at 11:00 a.m. with Pastor Tim Davis. Private Family Inurnment was held in the Grandview Cemetery in Wray, Colorado. Memorials may be made to the Hospice of the Plains, P.O. Box 110, Wray, Colorado 80758. Spellman-Schmidt Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.