Lila Fern Broughton

Lila Fern Broughton went to heaven to be with her Savior on January 9, 2024, in Grand Junction, CO.

Lila was born on May 16, 1933, in Colorado Springs, Colorado. She was the second daughter of Verle and Martha Deniston. The family lived near Rush, Colorado until Lila was in junior high school when they moved to B Road in Grand Junction.  The family of five children and parents lived in a large tent until the neighbors had a house raising for them. Lila enjoyed riding horses, being outdoors and helping with the family cherry orchard.

She attended Grand Junction High School and graduated on May 31, 1951. After high school, Lila became a bookkeeper and worked for Power Oil Company. She met Floyd Broughton through coworkers at Power Oil. They were married on September 13, 1953, and settled in Tucson, AZ where Floyd was stationed at Davis Monthan Air Force Base.

Lila and Floyd had three daughters, Cathy, Lynette and Nancy.  After Floyd was discharged from the Air Force, they moved back to Colorado and began farming in the Montrose and Olathe areas.  They lived in Kersey, Harden and Fort Morgan for a time where Floyd farmed. The family moved to Delta and Floyd and Lila operated the Broughton Onion Cellars on Highway 50 outside of Olathe. Floyd died in an automobile accident on November 11, 1971, and then Lila sold the Cellars to individual farmers and Olathe Co-op. Lila was a bookkeeper for Calhoun and Associates and Delta Montrose Electric Association. She always made time for her daughters and taught them how to sew, knit, cook and how to be a homemaker. She was a 4-H leader and helped many girls become good cooks, seamstresses and knitters. Lila also loved to sing and enjoyed singing in the church choir and teaching her daughters to sing some of her favorite hymns.

Lila was very devoted to her family and was always there to love them, support them, encourage them and help them in any way that she could. She loved being at family dinners, parties, holiday celebrations and special occasions. She enjoyed attending concerts, games and events that her daughters and grandchildren were participating in. A few days before she passed, we went for a ride and she mentioned she remembered going to games at Stocker Stadium to watch her grandsons play football and baseball. She was their biggest fan!

The family had a cabin at Trout Lake near Lizard Head Pass. Countless hours were spent there enjoying the beautiful mountain scenery, hiking, fishing and Jeeping. Even after the cabin was sold, Lila still loved to visit her favorite mountain spot. Lila loved to go Jeeping and was always ready to join us wherever we went. Her favorite places were the San Juans, Grand Mesa and the Colorado National Monument. She loved seeing the tall trees, mountain peaks, colorful rock formations, blue skies, fluffy clouds, columbines, wildflowers and animals. She was always on the lookout for deer, elk, mountain sheep, rabbits, squirrels and birds. She was always fascinated by the animals.  She also loved watching hummingbirds and kept their feeders full.

Lila loved to walk and would walk several times a day. She always kept her eyes alert to find pretty rocks or pinecones. Her family has many baskets of rocks and pinecones that she had collected.

Lila was very artistic, and her family had been given many beautiful pieces of art. She was very precise and detailed when she painted ceramics, creative in the quilts she sewed or finished from her grandma, Alma Deniston, and her mother, Martha Deniston, ready to learn a new embroidery, crochet or knit stitches and excited to learn any new craft project. She also enjoyed sewing with her sister, Mariel, and they attended many classes together and worked on many different projects.

Lila was preceded by her parents, Verle and Martha Deniston, her in-laws, G.P. and Netta Broughton, her husband, Floyd Broughton, her sister, Vieva and Jim Shaw, her sister-in-law, Andrea Deniston, and her brother, Martin Elmer Deniston. Lila was the last of the Broughton brothers and sisters who were Bob and Marion, Orris and Beulah, Don and Verna, Margaret and Wilfred Smith and Carol and Rhodes Stephens.

Lila is survived by her daughters, Cathy and Steve Barger of Fruita, Lynette and Howard Wilson of Olathe and Nancy and Ross Kirkham of Austin. Her grandchildren are Zac Barger, Aaron and Lindsey Barger, Michelle Wilson, Doug and Kylynn Wilson, and Jody and Brian Berger. Her great grandchildren are KJ Berger, Avery, Colter and Mazie Wilson. She is also survived by her brother, Delroy Deniston, sister, Mariel and CL Speakman, and sister-in-law, Pat Deniston.

Memorial contributions may be made to Comfort Care - Memory Care, 807 Tahiti Drive, Grand Junction, CO 81506.