Phoebe Houlton Russell, 86, longtime Valley resident, passed away at the Columbine Chateau Assisted Living in Pueblo West on May 27, 2016, surrounded by loving family members.

Phoebe was born in Holly, Colorado on November 20, 1929. In spite of a rather rough start as a child of the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl Era, fragile young Phoebe overcame the odds and recovered her health once her family relocated to the Waverly Community southwest of Alamosa. In some of her writings later on in life, she says ”My memories of the terrible dirt storms are enough to make me thankful every day to call the San Luis Valley home”.

She graduated from high school and attended Adams State College briefly, where she completed her first oil painting which is still in the family to this day! Phoebe dropped out of college when she fell in love with Bob Russell, the neighbor boy to the south, who was also from Eastern Colorado. They married in 1949 and needless to say, Phoebe spent most of the next 28 years rearing their five children, predominantly on her own... Bob worked various jobs to keep them all well fed and entertained the family with exciting outdoor adventures on the weekends!

Phoebe was a stay at home Mom with a love of music and an aptitude for oil painting and other artistic endeavors, which she happily encouraged in their children. Some of the kids were more talented than others, but all were exposed to the arts. Phoebe’s first ‘studio’ was a remodeled chicken coop where her creations ranged from paintings and ceramics to weavings and whimsical custom designs on mailboxes around the neighborhood.

Mount Blanca, icon of the San Luis Valley, was Phoebe’s absolute favorite image to capture on canvas. She stated many years ago that she had already painted over 1000 Mount Blanca originals! Phoebe also sold her artwork in galleries and participated in numerous art shows and fundraisers. Her generous nature benefitted the community immensely as she donated her time and artwork to many worthwhile causes.

After the kids were grown and gone, Phoebe decided to return to Adams State College! She made the Dean’s List her Senior year and proudly graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree at age 55! That diploma was one of her proudest achievements!
Some would call Phoebe a ‘Social Butterfly’... She was very active in the Presbyterian Church, PEO, Red Hat Society and many other organizations over the years. She was always eager to get out of the house and go somewhere with family or friends. Staying in touch with her relatives and close friends was paramount to her and she wrote thousands of letters in her lifetime!

Unbeknownst to most folks, Phoebe was also a talented writer. Her vivid recall of her childhood provided ample subject matter for her autobiography and poetry. She was a gifted piano player as well and loved to entertain anyone who wanted to listen. After Bob and Phoebe moved to the Bridge, she continued playing the piano, much to the delight of the Bridge residents and staff.

Phoebe’s beautiful signature smile will be sorely missed by all who knew and loved her...

Phoebe was preceded in death by her husband Bob, a mere 7 months earlier, as well as her parents, Cecil and Rebecca Houlton, her brothers, Joe and Jerry Houlton, grandson Nicky Russell and niece Kathy Houlton.

She is survived by their five children: Steven (Mary) Russell, Sally (David “Jake”) Powell, Daniel (Carol) Russell, Scott (Terrie Lenzini) Russell, and Jocelyn (Michael Dubail) Russell. Grandchildren include Jesse Russell, Brooke Powell, Brandi (Powell) Goff, Rochelle Russell, Brandon Russell, Lindsay (Russell) Lininger, Jason Russell, Heather Russell, Misty (Russell) Brown, Jay Lillpop, Dane Lillpop, and Quinn Russell. Phoebe also had 15 great grandchildren.

Her nieces and nephews include Liz Lawrence, Annie Stump, Becky Van Vleet, Debbie Smith, Bobby Houlton, Susie Spach, Tom Houlton, Brenda Kelley, Laurie Van Lyssel, Leslie Dutra and Kenton Russell.

There will be a Memorial Celebration for Phoebe on July 6th at 10:00 a.m. at Society Hall in Alamosa. The address is 400 Ross Avenue.

The family requests the pleasure of your company for a Cold Pot Luck directly afterwards, with the venue to be announced at the Memorial.

The family requests donations to the newly formed Society Hall in Alamosa, which offers the people of the community an events center for gatherings and also celebrating the arts. Donations can be made to Society Hall, PO Box 1885, Alamosa, Colorado 81101 or call 719-580-7838.

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