Alice Marie Tharp

July 18, 1940 – September 25, 2024

Alice “Toni” Marie Tharp, 84, passed away September 25, 2024 at her home in Pueblo West, Colorado. She was born on July 18, 1940 in Koshkonong, Missouri to parents Otto and Mildred L. Tharp. Alice was preceded in death by her grandparents, parents, brother Lonnie Tharp and nephew Donald Francis along with several uncles, aunts, and cousins. She is survived by her sister Dortha (“Dee” / “Dottie”) Tharp; sister-in-law Lorna Tharp; numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins; and special friend Susan Fosdick. Alice was proud of her Irish/German-plus (i.e., “Heinz 57”) heritage. One could see the Irish in her intense blue, chameleon-like eyes that changed color to match her attire or disposition.

Stories of her lifetime could fill a book. As a young child, Alice relocated with her family from Missouri to a logging camp outside of Taos, New Mexico where her father skid logs driving a mule team down the mountainside to the sawmill below. She attended a one-room schoolhouse at the camp where the girls prepared lunch daily as part of their Home Ec. training. The family moved thereafter to Colorado Springs, Colorado where she spent the remainder of her childhood. They initially lived on the west-side in a converted chicken coop without running water until they got their feet beneath them. Alice remembered spending many summers returning to Koshkonong to visit relatives. While there, she picked blackberries and cotton by hand with her mother, listening to gospel music and spirituals sung by others working alongside. She attended Palmer High School in Colorado Springs, located on Nevada Avenue where the bronze statue of Civil War General William Jackson Palmer atop his horse still sets in the middle of the intersection with Platte Avenue. Alice chuckled in reminiscing over classmates sneaking out under the guise of the night skies to paint various anatomical parts on the underside of the horse orange. Upon apprehension, the culprits had to do penance by publicly using a toothbrush to scrub the paint off. While in high school, Alice grew more aggravated with her naturally curly, out-of-control hair that her maternal grandmother reportedly did not believe in cutting. She ventured out to the local barber and had him fashion her hair into a stylish ducktail which rivalled those the boys at school wore in the mid 1950’s. Soon thereafter, her sister Dottie started using a Toni home perm solution to give curl to her naturally straight red hair. It was at that time Dottie gave Alice the nickname of “Toni”, which stuck through the remainder of her life to close friends and associates. As Alice grew older, she developed distinctive streaks in her hair on both sides of her head, a source of immense pride.

Alice left high school early, directly entering the workforce at St. Francis Hospital, first as a Dietary Aide then as a Nurse’s Aide before moving with a friend in the late 1950’s to Lakewood, Colorado. She continued working as a Nurse’s Aide at Craig Rehabilitation Center, located on West Colfax Avenue at the time. In the early 1960’s, Alice relocated to Florence and Penrose Colorado where her family now lived. She commuted daily to Colorado Springs to work in the “Metals Plant” with her uncle Leroy, stamping out machine parts and proudly setting records for productivity along the way. The opportunity arose for her to transfer to the “Marble Plant” where she poured marble countertops and sinks, beautiful in design, color, and quality. Time off was spent building pallets with her father, picking apples in Penrose and plowing cornfields in Kansas. It was in 1972 that Alice began her long, illustrious career in Food Service Management as the Dietary Supervisor/Food Purchaser at St. Joseph Hospital in Florence, during which she earned her G.E.D. in 1973. She continued her education, commuting to El Paso Community College (now Pikes Peak State College) in the Springs, earning an Associate in Science Degree, majoring in Food Service Management in 1976. She received high accolades from her instructors for “fine scholastic achievement” and “excellent academic performance”, “commended for dedication and hard work” while making the President’s Honor Roll. In 1978 with degree in hand, Alice sought a Nutrition Services Supervisory position at Penrose Hospital in Colorado Springs where she and Susan would meet, becoming best of friends throughout the remainder of Alice’s life. Alice was promoted three years later to the Department’s Purchasing Supervisor/Buyer. She particularly enjoyed honing in on her catering skills, collaborating with coworkers in designing elaborate fresh centerpieces crafted out of cut fruit and vegetables, some of which were entered into competition at the National Restaurant Association shows in Denver. Gingerbread houses and deer molded using sugar were a remarkable sight during the holidays. Alice earned her Dietetic Assistant certification from Pikes Peak Community College in 1980 while still working at Penrose Hospital, thus supplementing her food management knowledge with clinical skills for one-on-one nutrition assessment of patients in long-term care environments. Just prior to the end of her tenure at the Hospital, Alice earned a Bachelor of Science degree in the field of Technical Management from Regis College (May 1988), accompanied by winning the “Miss Perseverance” award, and again recognized for “excellent academic performance”. Later career highlights include becoming the Dietary Manager at the University Park Care Center in Pueblo, Colorado (1991) then Food Service Director at the Villa Pueblo Towers, a residential/extended care facility one year later (Dec. 1992 – Jan 2001). Both facilities provided the opportunity for Alice to apply her patient nutrition assessment skills. Following retirement, Alice served several years as President of the Crescent View Townhomes Homeowners’ Association.

She received many written commendations regarding her honesty, intelligence, hard work, initiative, creativity, high productivity, exemplary service, and as a “true asset to any organization”. She had an incredible work ethic and was exceptionally principled; she believed in doing things right the first time. Such high standards coupled with her integrity and tenacity were, on occasion, at the chagrin of some individuals she worked for, with and/or supervised who were less conscientious in their commitment to quality care and service, thus placing her in a compromised position. She encountered her share of hard knocks along the way, at times feeling things just did not seem fair. However, she would get back up, dust herself off and move on, reflective of why she won the “Miss Perseverance” award and perhaps accounts for her becoming a champion/advocate for the underdog along the way.

Toni had a passion for sports cars, particularly her first Mustang and Camero. She went to test drive a later-model Corvette but at 5 foot 2 inches in height, her legs did not reach the gas pedal. Thereafter, she could only fantasize about cruising Route 66 in a late 1950’s Corvette Stingray convertible or T-bird. Truth be told, she enjoyed traveling just about anywhere by car (by plane, once was enough): short drives into the mountains of Colorado or cross-country trips across America. She appreciated nature and was in awe of magnificent scenery, particularly in the National Parks. She got a kick at roadside attractions, including such quirky sites as Carhenge, Nebraska. Favorites included Custer State Park and the Black Hills Wild Horse Sanctuary in South Dakota; the Desert Southwest four-corner states of Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah; and Louisiana’s Creole Nature Trail. One cannot travel without experiencing the local cuisine: BBQ Shrimp with a Hurricane from O’Brien’s in the French Quarter of New Orleans; Crab Cakes at Rehoboth Beach, Delaware; Carne Adovada with a Margarita at the Rancho de Chimayo in New Mexico just to name a few! Locally, she favored a “Double-Double” at the Owl, sharing a Triple Dipper at the neighborhood Chile’s, and the Pineapple-Coconut ice-cream at P.F. Chang’s. She loved eating out every opportunity she had and there probably was not a meal that a Wild Turkey 101 and 7 could not go with! She even ventured to experiment with special recipes, many with a little bite. Throughout her travels she amassed a huge T-shirt collection and prized her contemporary southwestern art collectibles. She was a gifted artist with a steady hand, equally useful in meticulous home repairs. Toni was an amazing gardener and thrilled by watching the deer and other wildlife in her back yard, feeding the birds and squirrels in a garden spot designated as “Mama Alice’s Aviary Café and Spa”. She was an avid reader and valued her books immensely, garnering quite the collection. Like her mother, Toni cheered on the Denver Broncos along with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team, true to her Irish roots!

Most importantly, Toni treasured family gatherings: the cookouts, games for the children, the holidays. In later years, visits with Dee (plus canine companions Carmie and Lacey) on the Western slope and Lonnie’s family in Montana were the best. Oh, how she savored the daily phone calls with her sister Dee. Miss Alice will be deeply missed by family and friends.

Special thanks to Abode Hospice Home Health of Pueblo and Cornerstone Caregiving for the gentle care provided Alice during the final days of her life. There will be no service at her request. Toni had an amazing love for all children and was exceedingly generous. In lieu of flowers or food, please consider a donation to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, her favorite charity. https://www.stjude.org/donate/donate-to-st-jude.html