Dolly Parker died early Saturday morning, December 6, 2014, in Brighton, surrounded by family. She was born on August 7, 1925 in Hayden, Colorado, to Waller and Mary Davis Barnes. Her mother died while Dolly was a small infant so she became a member of the family of George and Katharine "Kitty" Barnes Schulz. Dolly's young years included attending a one-room school with many cousins in far northwestern Colorado and some challenging years in southeastern Colorado during the height of the Dust Bowl. She was accompanied on her family's moves by her cat Monkey -a special companion of her youth. She attended high school in Sarasota, Florida, and graduated from Canon City (Colorado) High School in 1944. She moved to Denver, sharing an apartment with her sisters, and went to work at the Veterans Administration. She met Maurice Parker of Fort Morgan soon after he returned to Colorado from WWII. They got married in Denver on September 17, 1945, and began their life together in Fort Morgan. She resided on the family farm east of town until moving to Brighton in 2010 following a serious hip fracture. Dolly had a twenty-seven-year career in the Member Service department of Morgan County Rural Electric Association. She also served as an application reviewer for the Colorado Agricultural Leadership program and was a delegate to the National Farmers Union convention in 1990. Dolly and Maurice loved to travel and visited all fifty states. Though she considered herself to be a relatively shy person, she joined her husband in his political campaigns (knocking on hundreds of doors across northeastern Colorado) and many other functions. She was a member of the Fort Morgan First United Methodist Church, Rocky Mountain Farmers Union, and the Democratic Party. She particularly enjoyed being part of Platte Avenue Social Hour and valued the friendships. Her most enduring and rewarding role was that of mother and grandmother. She was loved and will be dearly missed. She was preceded in death by her husband Maurice, parents, sister Helen "Tots" Silzell, brothers Edward Barnes and Lee "Jack" Schulz, and niece Joan Parker. She is survived by her sister Lillian Pickering of Grand Junction; children Sherry (Stewart) Leach of Boulder, Rhonda (Fred) Olguin of Brighton, Sue Fritchell of Denver, Kipp (Paula) Parker of Limon, and Kitti Jean Parker of Westminster; grandchildren Traci Janssen of Denver, Bess (Chris) Miller of Hudson, Mary Leach of New York City, Brianne (Bob) Harlow of Limon, Ashley Parker (Del) Schmidt of Atwood, KS, Katharine Leach of Boulder, Ceri (Calder) Hendrickson of Lubbock, TX, Morgan (Bethany) Parker of Calcutta, India, Topper Parker and Jiggs Parker of Limon; great-grandchildren Parker Janssen of Denver, Celah and Case Hendrickson of Lubbock, TX; and thirteen nieces and nephews. Memorial service will be at 11 a.m. on Saturday, December 20 at the First United Methodist Church in Ft. Morgan. Inurnment will take place at 2 p.m. on Friday, December 19 at Riverside Cemetery in Fort Morgan. Heer Mortuary is in charge of arrangements. Please send condolence messages for the family to 168 N. Prairie Falcon Parkway, Brighton, CO 80601. Memorial contributions may be made to Youth Programs of Morgan County Rural Electric Association or First United Methodist Church of Fort Morgan.