Lillian Krause Obituary

Lillian Krause, 90, passed away on November 1, 2023, in Centennial Colorado. She was preceded in death by both of her parents and her beloved husband Bill Krause of 57 years. She is survived by her daughter Paula (Dave) Hanson, her son Michael (Kristal) Krause, and her 6 grandchildren, Dillon, Brooke, Jacob, El, Charlie, and Mackenzie.

Lillian was the kindest, most loving wife, mom, grandmother, aunt, and friend cherished by many for her endless smiles. Lillian loved three things more than anything, her family, children of any age, and living in Durango.

Lillian's creativity and love of children were evidenced throughout her career as a teacher. She taught High School Photography and Journalism but was happiest in the Kindergarten classroom. Before her retirement, Lillian was recognized in the Tacoma, WA newspaper for her outstanding teaching abilities. Even after her retirement Lillian still loved being around children. About a month before her passing, Lillian visited the Denver Zoo. However, her focus was not on the animals but instead on all the children running around. During that visit, everyone, especially the children, could see her eyes light up when they spoke to her. Lillian's love for teaching continued beyond retirement as she taught people of all ages to scrapbook and make homemade cards. For years she would create and send homemade cards to all the elderly members of her church who were unable to leave their homes. Lillian also expressed her creativity and artistic abilities through the numerous paintings that filled her home. One of those paintings was of her husband Bill, which won 1st prize at the La Plata County fair.

Lillian discovered Durango Colorado in the 1950's and knew that someday she wanted to move and live there forever. She introduced Bill to Durango, and he too fell in love with the area. They made their first investment in their dream to live there when they bought some land in the mountains between Durango and Silverton in 1969. Their plan was to design a house, build it, and retire there. Together and with the help of their family, their dream was finally realized when they completed the construction of their dream home in 1997, moved in, and lived out the years until Bill's passing in 2019. Lillian hated to leave Durango after Bill's passing and was happiest when she was able to return, with family, to her home in the mountains (which was never often enough).

Lillian's kindness and endless smiles will be missed by all who had the pleasure of knowing her.

We love you mom.

A small family service will be held in the spring of 2024 to celebrate Lillian's life.