Elsie M. McNeil

Elsie M. McNeil passed away peacefully at the age of 99 on December 13, 2011. Elsie is survived by her daughter Bonnie J. Jones, Son-in-law Freddie S. Jones, Grandson James L. Jones and his wife Grace Jones, Grand Daughter in law Carol Boh-Jones, Great Grand Daughters Christina Manzanares and her husband Michael Manzanares, Jamie Busch and her husband Michael Busch, Holly Jones and her fiancee Marcus Espinosa. Elsie is also survived by 9 Great-Great Grandchildren : Akasha Scarrow, Jarod Stein, Breanna Stein, Maylena Lilgerose, Ezekiel Moreno Jr., Kaitlyn Manzanares, Marcus (tiny) Espinosa Jr., Ramona Espinosa and Amelia Espinosa. Elsie was also "Granny" to Grace's four children (Richard Perez, Susanna Abitia, Robert Perez and Shirley Duran) and their families.

Elsie, fondly referred to as "Granny" was born to William and Johana Elfers on November 30th, 1912 as Elsie Martha Bertha Anna Elizabeth Elfers, in Grand Island Nebraska. Her parents immigrated from Germany to America to escape the kaiser in the late 1800's. Her father William was a furniture maker. Johanna was a housewife and a beautiful singer. She had two brothers Henry and William and a Sister Jessie (all deceased). The family moved to Hastings, NE where Elsie lived and grew up. She married Leon Sypherd in 1930, and had her only child, Bonnie in 1932. Granny moved to Denver in 1941, as her husband (who was a welder) was transferred here. Sometime later they divorced and she married Cecil "Tex" McNeil in 1952. They divorced in 1961.

She was a forward thinker, and she decided she would take care of herself! She got a job working with Wright and McGill, Andrew, Madeline and Lee taught Elsie many things during her over 25 years with their company. She loved her work! She made snelled fish hooks of all sizes, she worked on displays and took orders. Granny bought her first and only house in July of 1967, with the help of Wright and McGill, who gave her an advance of $125.00 for the down payment. " I'm so happy to have a place to call my own. The good Lord has been with me always. I can go out back and have my cup of coffee before work. I love my home". When she retired in 1978 she was missed by many!.

Granny never had a license to drive. But that didn't stop her from getting around! She always wanted a blue 1965 Ford Mustang, although she confessed she would never drive it. She was a saver! She managed to save even during times where money was tight. She taught others the importance of saving and trying to keep away from credit cards. She hated to be in debt! She loved coin collecting, and passed that passion on the several family members. She started collecting dolls with the help of her daughter, and had quite a collection of rare and special ones!

Granny loved many activities, including bowling! She bowled every Tuesday and Friday, at the Brunswick bowling ally on Broadway, until she was 95 years old! She was a great bowler and even at the age of 95 still had a 140 average, which was pretty good! She enjoyed playing games, card games especially! She loved a good game of poker - although she didn't really gamble. She just enjoyed the game. She loved playing games with her friends and family, and had a weekly luncheon and card game with her "girls" for several years. She enjoyed crafting, and making things to give to other people. She always said "I enjoy giving, more than getting. It's the smile on their faces that warms my heart."

Granny loved her family, and loved spending time with them. Whether it was for a dinner, a band or choir recital, a play, a parade or a good ol' Bronco game she was happy to be there! She loved watching Bronco games and Rockies games! She was an integral part of her family and made sure to be a part of Holidays, Birthdays and special occasions. She enjoyed life, and loved spending time in her yard and tending to her lilacs and grape arbor. She loved telling stories about the "old days" and telling about the great depression, and the cost of items and how times have changed. She was a treasure trove of knowledge. She used to talk about how fortunate she was to see so many things in her lifetime. She was grateful to the "good Lord" for letting her know and love so many generations of her family. Granny loved her church family as well, she was a member of Redeemer Lutheran Church and still looked forward to visits from Pastor Schilling. She made life long friends (Bev Horton, Terry, Rosa Lee, Cherry, Kate to name a few) if you were a friend of Granny's you were a friend for life.

Granny was kind, generous, thoughtful, giving, spirited, warm and respected by all who knew her. We are so grateful that she was a part of our lives, and we feel truly blessed to have known and loved her. She will be missed.

As she would always say..

"I love you a bushel and a peck, and a hug around the neck".

Visitation will be from 3-7pm on Mon. at Crown Hill Mortuary (W. 29th Ave. and Wadsworth). Services will be at 10:00am on Tues. at Redeemer Lutheran Church (3300 W. Nevada Pl.). Burial at Crown Hill Cemetery.