September 11, 1921 - April 1, 2024
Lucile M. Bledsoe passed away on April 1 after seeing 102 birthdays. (She would argue 103 because the clock starts when you are born and that really is your first birthday.) That very first birthday took place in Duluth, Minnesota, on September 11, 1921. She was the second of six Driscoll children. Since she was the eldest sister, it fell on her to help raise the younger siblings. With four younger siblings to practice, no wonder she was without a doubt a supermom. Her family eventually moved to La Junta, Colorado, when her father bought three meat packing plants. There Lucile put her college education to work as she was the primary bookkeeper. She fell in love and married a rancher named Henry Bledsoe, (who probably only did business with that particular plant because of the cute girl at the counter.) Together, they ran a ranch called Timberlake. Despite its name, the Timberlake ranch never had enough water, so they sold it and bought the ranch north of Wray, Colorado, and moved there with their two children in tow. In Wray, Henry’s and Lucile’s love and partnership grew.
Lucile was a true Renaissance Lady. Upon coming to Wray, she joined the Methodist Church choir and was a member for over 70 years. She was not only a vocal artist but also a visual one with her paintings now adorning our homes. Some of the paintings were based on her travels. She was a world traveler and would always incorporate business in her travels around the world. She explored both the Arctic and the Antarctic circles, with almost all of the countries in between. One of her favorite adventures was her participation in the first passenger cruise through the Northwest Passage.
In another, she played elephant polo in India (and probably would have turned pro if her pachydermic steed had not violated the rules and sat in front of the goal.) Closer to home, she was an avid bowler, golfer, and a rather bloodthirsty, take-no-prisoner bridge player. She was a member of P.E.O. for seventy-one years. She is most well-known for her love of flying. Ironically, she started this later in life (56 years old) due to numerous State Highway Patrols being a little too zealous in issuing speeding tickets to her husband Henry. There is no speed limit in the air as Lucile soon proved as she would compete and win airplane races.
She progressed in aviation becoming a Master Certified Flight Instructor to share her love of flying with dozens of students and was extremely proud as they flew easily through their exams. She was a longtime member of the women’s pilot organization the Ninety-Nines. In 1994, she was inducted into the Colorado Aviation Hall of Fame for her long standing commitment to safety, instruction, and service.
Lucile believed in the old Cherokee proverb: “Don’t let yesterday use up too much of today.” She insisted that we must always look to the future. And the future, (though it feels a bit cloudy right now), will be bright indeed as she leaves behind two children (Sandy and Bob), four grandchildren (Annabet, Grant, JJ, and Doc), six great grandchildren (Lauren, Maddie, Jackson, Emma, Eryn, and Sheyann), and one great-great grandchild (Henry) and of course their special loved ones (Becky Bledsoe, Curt Soehner, Kandi Ortega, Katie Bledsoe, Will Helling, and Josh Rivas.) All of us will have to be on our best behavior. If there is anyone that can come back from the great beyond to chastise us, it is Lucile Bledsoe, forever the “Supreme Allied Commander” of the Bledsoe family.
Lucile’s final flight memorial will be held at 2 pm on May 30 at the Wray United Methodist Church. Anyone wishing to make a memorial contribution can do so to the Wray United Methodist Church or any Non-Profit Organization that supports the community of Wray, the town that Lucile loved.
