Luella May Schoonover

Luella May (Dillon) Schoonover of Delta, Colorado, passed away unexpectedly, surrounded by family, on July 8, 2025, at Delta Health Hospital ICU at the age of 94.5, from complications from an accident.

Lue was born in Cedaredge, Colorado January 14, 1931, to John Dennis Dillon and Ruth Blanche (Laird) Dillon. She graduated from Cedaredge High School in 1949.

She married the love of her life, Jackie (Jack) J. Schoonover on November 24, 1949. They were happily married nearly 67 years before Jack’s death September 3, 2016.

She worked all of her life. She picked peaches, apples, strawberries and other local crops in Cedaredge growing up. After she was married, she took in ironing, worked at Holland’s Department store in Delta, and later was a bookkeeper for her father’s coal yard at Delta Brick and Tile. Her next working challenge was at Burris Petroleum and she continued bookkeeping there after its sale to John Doyle and its change to Doyle Petroleum. All this time she was raising 3 children and attending their school, work and activity events. When the business sold again she and her husband joined their daughter in the purchase of Delta County Abstract Company where they both worked until their deaths. She volunteered for a few jobs too, like the treasurer of the Escalante Estates Homeowners Association, various offices in the Cottonwood Ladies Golf Club, and other organizations she was a part of.

She was an adventurous lady, loved travelling, (to England, Morocco, Alaska, Hawaii, Spain, Portugal, Italy, New Orleans for Mardi Gras, Seattle for the World’s Fair, to name a few places), golf, being the Cottonwood Ladies Club Champion in 1985, hunting, bowling, gardening, sewing, ATVing, fishing, picnics and just taking drives, as well as lunches and dinners with her many, many friends, and hosting Thanksgiving celebrations for her extended family, from the year after her marriage until the year before she died, 75 years in all, that’s a lot of turkeys (cooked ones, not family!).

Her dogs were all a huge part of her life and she gave them care above and beyond what many pet owners would endure.

She loved being involved in the community, she and Jack volunteered with the Council Tree Powow all the years it was held in Delta, they were active members of the Delta Trap Club and Thunder Mountain Wheelers. She served on the Board of the Delta-Montrose Community Concert Association, was a member of the Delta County Historical Society and Delta County Humane Society. Lue was a Room mother, Den mother, and an Eagle Scout mother, twice. She actively participated in her children’s lives and was always there for them. She was a member of the First Baptist Church of Delta. Lue and Jack went to all the Post Office employee and all the military get togethers they knew about. They remained friends with most of the Postal employees and Army National Guard members they worked with and knew. She never missed a birthday party or anniversary party or family reunion, if she could help it.

She enjoyed aerobics classes and “Dancersize” and walked with her little dog all over town. A lot of people remember seeing them at the bank or the post office, City hall or just going down the sidewalk. She walked a dog in the Dumb Friends league Furry Scurry for the last 20 years, only missing a couple.

Lue is survived by son, Garry (Margaret) Schoonover of Houston, Texas, daughter Jackie (Les Coleman) Schoonover of Delta, Colorado and son Denis (Beth Parish) Schoonover of Arvada, Colorado. Also surviving her are her Grandaughter, Heather (Tristen) Overton and great grandson Jackson Overton, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa and her sister Darlene Myers of Delta. Her nieces, Julie Myers of Grand Junction, Linda (Mark) Head of Durango and Wanda Huff of Delta, her nephews, Doug (Dana) Huff of Delta, David (Janet) Dillon and J. C. Dillon of Durango, and Kevin Myers of Black Forest, CO. and their families also survive her. She was preceded in death by her parents, her brother, John Dee and his wife Carleen, her sister Dorothy (Dot) Huff and her husband Buck and her brother-in-law Jerry Myers. She is also survived by many of her friends from all those years, young and old, she was always so very glad to see them.

A celebration of her life will be held August 23, 2025, at 3:00 p.m. at the First Baptist Church of Delta, 1250 Pioneer Road, Delta, CO 81416.

Please join the family to share a meal afterwards.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The First Baptist Church of Delta, 1250 Pioneer Road, Delta, CO 81416, Canine Companions, P. O. Box 446, Santa Rosa, CA 95402, Delta County Humane Society, P. O. Box 1111, Delta, CO 81416, Delta-Montrose Community Concert Association, c/o Connie Pittenger, President, P. O. Box 911, Delta, CO 81416, Hope West, hopewestco.org, the Salvation Army, 30840 Hawthorne Blvd, Rancho Palos Verdes, CA 90275 US, or a charity near and dear to you, in her name.