Emma Orvilla (Val) Fletcher passed away on July 20, 2017 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. She was born April 30, 1926 to Fred and Era Goss in Canon City, Colorado. The 12th and youngest of their children.
The family resided in Colorado. During WWII the family moved to Richmond, California where her father was a member of the boiler makers. After the war, her mother and father moved back to Colorado, where they resided until their deaths.
Emma met and married Paul Wilder, a young Naval serviceman, when she was 15. She lived in San Francisco, California, which was Paul’s home base. Paul was killed during the Battle of Leyte Gulf. After his death, Emma moved back to Colorado.
Emma married Grover Niles in 1945 and they 4 daughters: twins, Arlene Gibson and Eileen Fields, Janice Richardson, and Jeane Linger. The marriage ended in divorce.
After her divorce, Emma and her daughters lived in Denver, Colorado where she worked various jobs to support her children.
Emma met Donald Fletcher in Denver, Colorado, where he was stationed at Lowry Air Force Base. They were married on June 7, 1961. To this union, 1 son, Donald Lee Fletcher, Jr., was born.
They moved to various duty stations in the United States, where she always found a job to help support their family.
After Don’s retirement, they moved to Tampa, Florida for Emma’s health. Don passed away in 2002.
Emma stayed in Tampa until 2013 and then she moved back to Colorado Springs to be near her family. She resided at Apple Tree Assisted Living, until her death.
Emma was a wonderful seamstress. She could look in a catalog, copy dresses out of it, and sew them for her girls. She continued to sew into her later life. She was also a wonderful cook. When her children came home she made sure their favorite cake and food was waiting for them. She always loved purple Iris and grew them wherever she lived. She was very proud and supportive of her grandchildren and great grandchildren. They all adored her.
Preceding her in death is her husband of 41 years, Donald Fletcher; daughters, Eileen Fields, and Janice Richardson; son in laws, Charles (Chuck) Gibson, and George W. Linger; her mother; father; and all her brothers and sisters.
Surviving Emma are daughters, Arlene Gibson and Jeane Linger of Flagler, Colorado; son, Donald Fletcher Jr. (Ann) of Colorado Springs, Colorado; 10 grandchildren; 12 great grandchildren; and various nephews and nieces.
A visitation will be from 5-7 p.m. Tuesday, July 25, 2017 at Shrine of Remembrance “America the Beautiful” Chapel, 1730 East Fountain Boulevard, Colorado Springs, Colorado 80910. A graveside service will be 10:00 a.m. Wednesday, July 26, 2017 in Fort Logan National Cemetery, Denver, Colorado.