Edna Mae, the only daughter of Julia Maudlin and David Allen, was born May 19, 1924, in Rock Springs, Wyo., where her father, David, was employed as a miner.
Julia, after being widowed, brought her family to the Meeker area about 1927. She worked as a domestic at the Keystone Ranch on upper Strawberry Creek, and later, at the old Delaney Place down river. She kept her youngest son, Dave, with her, while Tom and Edna Mae stayed with their aunt, Bessie Wear, in Meeker or Uncle Elmer Maudlin or the Maudlin grandparents in Maybell, to attend school.
The entire family moved to Meeker in 1939. Edna Mae was graduated from Meeker High School (then called Rio Blanco County Meeker High School) in 1943. She then attended Beauty School in Denver.
She met George Willard Gould in Meeker, where he was employed by Loren Idol as a mechanic on John Deere equipment for many years.
Edna Mae and Willard were married in Meeker on Oct. 13,1946. Bessie Allen sang “The Girl That Got Away” at Edna Mae’s request, while Dixie Major Wittstruck (herself a beautician) styled Edna’s hair and manicured her nails for the occasion.
They had two children, Julie Grace and James Michael, along with George R. and Carole, Willard’s children from a previous marriage.
Edna Mae opened her own beauty shop in Meeker in 1945. It was located at the front of the Rio Theatre on Main Street. Sometimes she was the only beautician in town.
The Goulds purchased their home at the corner of Third and Market streets in 1954, and Edna Mae continued to operate her shop there. She had many devoted customers and friends and was hard working, efficient and considerate, managing her home, shop, and family.
Willard passed away on June 19, 1983. After 50 years of working, Edna Mae finally retired and sold her home in 1995. She took a Fairfield apartment until moving to the Walbridge Wing in 2015.
She was preceded in death by: her husband, Willard; her mother, Julia Allen; her brothers, Tom and Dave Allen; son Michael; and stepson George.
Always remembering and missing her will be: her daughter, Julie McCrary; daughter-in-law Kim Gould; stepdaughter Carole O’Connor; grandchildren Pamela (Bobby) Harris, Shane (Anne) McCrary, Tod (Stacey) Gould, Donald (Cassi) Hobbs and Vicki (Kelley) Crawford; great-grandchildren Kylee and Robbie Harris, Jada and Trevor Gould, Michael McCrary and Haley (Luke) Turner, Kesston, Autumn, Dillion Hobbs, Kelly, Elli, Tacey and Anavey Crawford; sister-in-law Bessie Allen; and many nieces, nephews, cousins and lifetime friends.
Services for Ednae Mae will be held at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 13, 2016, at the United Methodist Church in Meeker.
Aunt Edna Mae will be dearly missed. I will always remember the times when I stayed there with Aunt Edna Mae while I was in high school going to the football games. Painting her spare bedroom pink, I enjoyed doing that for her.