Louise Alderson

Louise Hubbard Alderson was born on Aug. 24, 1942, in Libby to Eurrcel and Clarke Hubbard. She passed away peacefully, surrounded by her loving family, at her home on Nov. 23, 2014, after a short but brave fight with brain cancer. The cancer took her life but never touched her spirit.

A memorial service and celebration of Louise’s life will be held at St. Aiden’s Episcopal Church, 2425 Colorado Ave. at 11 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 20, 2014. There will be a reception following the service.

After a short time in Spokane, Wash., Louise moved with her parents to Troy, where she lived until her marriage in 1964. Louise was the valedictorian of her 1960 high school class and, with the help of her family as well as her own working during the school years and summers, went on to college at Montana State College in Bozeman, where she earned a double major in home economics teaching and child development. Louise graduated from MSC (now Montana State University) in 1964, with honors, and was selected to attend the Merrill Palmer Institute in Detroit, Mich., for one quarter of her senior year.  

In September of 1960, Louise met the love of her life, John Alderson, at Montana State College. They dated throughout their college years and were married on Dec. 28, 1964, in Troy during her work break and his college break. Louise started teaching at Bozeman Junior High School in August of 1964 and continued teaching until they moved to Boulder, Colo., in July of 1966. During her teaching in Bozeman, she helped lay out a Home Economics Department area in the newly built school complex. She also started a boys cooking club after hours at the school in order to give young men the opportunity to learn how to cook, since they were not permitted to take the home economics classes offered at the school.

Louise gave birth to three beautiful children during the period from 1967 to 1971. During this time she also became an Amway distributer, and soon became the “product expert” in the Boulder area, serving both customers and other distributors with her customary professionalism and enthusiasm.

Louise taught her children how to cook, sew and other household duties, and made many of the clothes they wore while growing up. When her children had children of their own, Louise made clothes for them also, especially for holidays.

Louise loved animals, having grown up with a dog and several cats, and, after getting married, having three dogs, a ferret, and many cats over a 44 year span. Her last dog ran with her, hiked with her and fished with her. Her love of animals and teaching led her to become a volunteer naturalist for Boulder for many years up to the time of her death. She loved to teach children of all ages about bats, bears, beavers, raptors and other wild animals. Creating a meditative hike for women was a highlight of her volunteer naturalist career. Listening to bats at night with sonar detecting radios was a particular pleasure.

Fishing in the spring, summer and fall, and cross country skiing in the winter were passions of Louise. She loved to ski in Colorado and fish for trout in Colorado and Montana, and deep sea fish in Florida and Washington. Fishing in a small stream with her dog at her side was a particular delight to Louise.   

Louise conducted many programs at the Boulder Senior Center, teaching seniors about a variety of subjects. During the 1980’s, she volunteered with Boulder County United Way, working with several agencies to help them provide their services in more efficient, effective ways.   

In 1987, Louise earned a master of science degree, with honors, from Colorado State University in Human Development and Marriage and Family Therapy. She then began a 28-year career as a marriage and family therapist in Boulder, specializing in women’s issues. During this time she also served as a part time adjunct faculty member at Regis University and Front Range Community College. Both institutions offered her full time faculty positions which she declined in order to maintain and grow her therapy practice.

In 1966, shortly after moving to Boulder, Louise became a member of St. Aidan’s Episcopal Church, where she remained until her death. At St. Aidan’s she served on the Vestry (governing body of the parish); taught Sunday school (with up to 30 preschool-age children in each class); helped start a program called Angel Fair, in which parishioners made religious gift items and sold them to raise money for outreach programs; sang in the choir; and provided free pre-marital counselling to parishioners.      

In the 1960s and early 1970s, Louise helped put together and deliver food baskets at Thanksgiving and Christmas through the Boulder Elks lodge. For many years, she organized a neighborhood effort to work with the Family to Family Program sponsored by Boulder County Social Services. At times the “North Carter Trail” group provided Christmas gifts and food to 15 or more people.       

Louise was a talented painter, working primarily in oils doing landscapes of places she visited. She grew and canned fruits and vegetables for many years, and was an expert at raising plants. Her green thumb was legendary among her family and friends. She was a voracious reader of both novels and professional journals.

Louise wrote a column for the Left Hand Valley Courier for several years. She was an inspiration to several extended family members and friends helping them succeed in their chosen careers. Louise made many cakes for family and friends, including wedding cakes, birthday cakes, holiday cakes and others. For two years before her death, she was a caregiver for a young woman with severe MS.

Louise is survived by her husband of 50 years, three children and seven grandchildren – Angela Oakley and her husband Michael and children Jake and Brie of Centennial, Colorado; Michelle Feller and her children Tori, Ryan and Megan of Centennial, Colorado; and Chuck Alderson and his wife Christina and their children Sierrah and Caelin of Louisville, Colo. Her only surviving aunt, Sylvia Hermann, lives in Spokane, Wash. She had one sibling – William Hubbard and his wife Karen of Troy; two nieces – Christina Fisher and her husband Ben and their two children of Troy; Jennifer Page and her husband Buck and their two sons of San Clemente, Calif.; two nephews – Justin Alderson and his wife Kristin and their two children of San Clemente, Calif.; and Ken Hubbard and his wife Tricia and their children of Libby; and numerous cousins and friends. Her brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Jim and Connie Alderson of Palm Springs, Calif., were especially close to Louise.  

Halcyon Hospice took superb care of Louise in her final days. Cremation has taken place. A memorial service will be held at a later date at St. Aidan’s Episcopal Church, with internment to take place in Kalispell in the summer of 2015.

In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to St. Aidan’s Episcopal Church, 2425 Colorado Ave. Boulder CO 80302 or Halcyon Hospice Care, P. O. Box 177 Mead, CO 80542 or halcyonhospice.org.

Arrangements made by M. P. Murphy & Associates Funeral Directors, Boulder, Colo.