Jewell Lee Withrow

Jewell Lee Withrow age 94, of Gillette passed away at her home on Friday, December 27, 2024. 

"If flowers grow in heaven, Lord, then please pick a bunch for us. Then place them in our Mother's arms and tell her they're from us." Mother is on her way to help tend to your flower garden, Dear Lord. Edwin Clarence and Iris Geraldine (Woodard) Heatherington knew from the start they held a "jewell" on that winter day of January 29, 1930, at Junction City, Geary County, Kansas. 

Mother would move with her parents and older sister, Darlene, at the age of three to Lyman, Nebraska from there it would be to Torrington, Riverton, Shoshoni and Hanna Wyoming. It was from Hanna High School May of 1948 Mother graduated and February 10, 1950, Mother married her one and only love of her life, Ronald Irving Withrow. 

"When I grow up, I want to be just like Mother". In our eyes, our Mother was as near perfect as one could be. With her husband and five children always put first. You could find Mother multi-tasking: chasing after a two year old while seven months pregnant, cooking for 21 men with no electricity, no running water, no indoor bathroom and cooking on a coal stove that also provided heat for their ranch house. Oh yes, don't forget the milk separator with its 100 (more or less) pieces to be washed every morning, the homemade bread and butter churned twice a week, 32-volt washing machine that worked only when the wind blew hard enough to make the windmill work to power the battery, hanging the clothes on the line and ironing with a gas iron.

November of 1956 Dad and Mother with their four children moved from Elk Mountain and their 8' x 30' trailer house to a bigger home in Hanna. Mother's days were filled with a new baby, the everyday house work, serving as full time bookkeeper for Dad's Construction Company, managing their trailer court, involved in P.T.A. with each of our grades, a member with her mother in the Diligent Dames Homemaker Club, always a 4-H leader, always involved with each of our activities, always finding time to cook/bake for us, we always sat for family evening meals. With five children in seven years, there was always an illness, a scrape, a trip to Rawlins some 40 miles away for stitches, hospital stay, and penicillin shot at Dr. McNamara's because of a positive strep throat culture at school. When one of us got the mumps or measles we all got it. Mother's love for each of us has always been unconditional.

Her multi-tasking continued on till her last breath. But over the years she added her vegetable gardening, fruit trees and big raspberry patch that had her canning for all of us. There was her morning ritual walk in her absolutely beautiful yard to see what new flower had came alive. It was here she would tell you, "that it's when I'm in my yard working with my flowers that I talk with Jesus". "I can always find one more place for that one more new plant!"

Mother has given us her "Quilt Legacy" as she leaves her 5 children, 13 grandchildren and 46 great-grandchildren all beautiful designed quilts, each stitch made with LOVE. August 5, 2017 was truly Mother's Day, when Jukebox Quilts of Fort Collins honored Mother with a reception for her love of quilting by hanging 21 of her quilts for better than a month.

Mother has been an inspiration to all of us. When possible she would not pass up a chance to travel to watch her grandchildren and great-grandchildren wrestle, play basketball, play soccer. There were many many birthday parties, graduations and weddings. Mother's family was everything to her.

Mother has always held her friends dear to her heart. She wrote, "When days were gloomy, they made the sun shine. Those were the good 'ole days with so many of them now gone."

Mother will be greatly missed by her family. Son, Clint (Deirdre) Withrow, granddaughter, Hanna of Wickenburg, Arizona; granddaughter, Codi Withrow and two great-grandchildren of Phoenix, Arizona; grandson, Austin Withrow of Phoenix, Arizona; daughter, Gail (Randy) Bulkley of Gillette, Wyoming; grandson, Chad (Lexi) Bulkley; great-grandson, Logan (Sklar) and great-great grandson, Atlas with a new great-great grandson due in June, all of Manassas, Virginia; great-grandson, Wyatt (Kierra) and great-great grandchildren Kianna, Walker and a new great-great grandchild due in August, of Gillette, Wyoming and great-granddaughter, Braidy (Riley) Shaffer, with a new great-great grandson due in July from Thermopolis, Wyoming; grandson, Hazer (Kristen) Bulkley and great-granddaughter, Kaci of Gillette, Wyoming; grandson, Dr. Jory (Betsy) Bulkley, four great-grandchildren, Lucas, Lily, Charlie and Savannah of Liberty Lake, Washington; daughter, Jeri (Frank) Holzworth of Timnath, Colorado; granddaughter, Brittany (Dan) of Golden, Colorado; daughter, Teri (Steve) Micek of Billings, Montana; grandson, Nick Micek of Billings, Montana, three great-grandchildren, Josh of Cody, Wyoming, Ava and Rya of Billings, Montana; Andrea Sun, eight great-grandchildren, Rudy, Rhett of Nampa, Idaho, Rayce, Rylinn, Ryan, Raleigh, Remedy, Rosalyn all of Billings, Montana; son, Roger (Jan) Withrow of Colorado Springs, Colorado; granddaughter, Beth (Dane), three great-grandchildren, Teighan, Lachlan, Rhiannon of Craig, Colorado; grandson, Alex Withrow and great-grandson, Isaac of Suffolk, Virginia; grandson, Adam Withrow (Amanda), four great-grandchildren, Ptolemy, Chrono, Xerxes and Klee all of Walsenburg, Colorado; grandson, Kaleb Withrow (Taeko), of Tokyo, Japan; sisters, Shirley Bryngelson of Mesa, Arizona, Gay (Keith) Humphry of Casper, Wyoming; sister-in law, Darlene Withrow of Loveland, Colorado; brother-in law, Gary (Laura) Withrow of Rawlins, Wyoming. 

Mother is preceded in death by her husband, Ronald Withrow (November 15, 2015), mother, Iris Geraldine Lucas (January 28, 1967), father, Edwin Heatherington (April, 12, 1983), brother Ed Heatherington (July 4, 2012), sister, Darlene Hoffman (March 19, 2021).

 A memorial service will take place at a later date in Rawlins, Wyoming.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Jewell's name to Campbell County Health Hospice.