Colleen Sue Kaltenberger

Colleen passed away Saturday evening, April 15th under the care and compassion of the staff at Pathways Hospice. Her friend Ronda Norgard and sister Karen Davidson were at her side. Colleen was born to Harold and Rufina (Meyer) Kaltenberger Sept 9, 1953 the third of four children. The family lived in rural Fort Collins and the Wellington area allowing Colleen to participate in 4-H. She attended and graduated from Poudre High School in 1972. She had various jobs – her last employment was at Albertsons in the deli and meat department until her early retirement. Colleen had symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis in her teens and was eventually diagnosed at the age of forty, with the disease progressing over the years. She was remarkable in the way she moved forward with her life. She attended concerts, traveled to Reno and Las Vegas, Branson, MO, Cheyenne Frontier Days, and the Greeley Stampede. She loved Alan Jackson and went to several of his concerts. She enjoyed holidays and provided us with melt in your mouth Sugar cookies and what she fondly referred to as “Aunt Shirley’s Cookies”. She made several Christmas stockings for friends and family cherished to this day. Colleen lived independently until recently and she maintained her home with little help. If you knew Colleen you were aware she was a loyal friend, opinionated, fun-loving and had a wicked sense of humor. Laughter was in abundance when she was around and never more present than at a solemn ceremony. We had to be careful as sisters how close we sat to each other as it could be disastrous. She loved being around her nieces and nephew and didn’t miss an opportunity to tease. Colleen had the benefit of many friends through life – most notable are Debbie Decorsey, whom she met in high school, Doris Loveland as her fierce protector until Doris passed, and Ronda Norgard, whom she met working at Albertsons nearly twenty five years ago. Through marriage she became a stepparent to Tracy Day and Shawn Day. Tracy provided tremendous assistance over the years and they remained close. She gained grandchildren as well and was very present in their lives. Everyone needs a friend like Ronda. If you look in the dictionary under the word “Ornery” you will see both of their names as the definition. It’s reasonable to assume some of the pranks they pulled wouldn’t be acceptable in today’s work environment. All in good fun. Ronda made a habit of stopping by Colleen’s house several times each week. During the last four months it was a daily visit and we are grateful for her unending care and concern. Colleen is survived by mother Rufina Kaltenberger, sisters Karen Davidson and Janet Stewart (Jack) all of Windsor, niece Jennifer (Ryan) Patterson of Seattle, Janie Davidson of Lakewood CO, Angie Strother (Brian) of Fort Collins, Eric (Nikki) Davidson of Amarillo Tx, Mason Patterson of Seattle, Tracy Day of Fort Worth Tx, Shawn (Jennifer) Day of Wellington, granddaughters Brystal (Dakota) Bond of Fort Worth, Braeya Day of Greeley, Felicity Day of Fort Collins, grandson Bryce Day, great granddaughter Elinore Day and Quentin and Ethan Strother of Fort Collins. Preceding her are father Harold Kaltenberger, much loved younger brother Harold Jay Kaltenberger, grandparents George and Eva Meyer, Jake and Lydia Kaltenberger and several aunts and uncles.

Tributes

Colleen Sue Kaltenberger

September 9, 1953 - April 15, 2023