7 minute read
OBITUARIES
June 19, 1928 - May 25, 2023
On May 25, 2023, Edith Elaine Hartong (Elaine), almost 95, went peacefully home to be with the Lord in Heaven. She had been living at Alta Vita Assisted Living in Longmont, Colorado. She was preceded in death by her husband of 62 years, William Richard Hartong (Bill).
Elaine was born on June 19,1928 in Laramie, Wyoming to Raymond Uel Cooper and Edith Clara Swanson. As a child, she and moved with her parents to Tulsa, Oklahoma. She later attended e University of Colorado in Boulder, CO, where she earned a degree in Journalism. Elaine served as a Residence Hall assistant, received honors, and was named “Miss Responsibility”, as one of the top senior women at CU Boulder. ere she met Bill on Easter morning on the way to a Sunrise Service on Flagsta Mountain in Boulder. Bill and Elaine were married in 1951. ey moved to Prairie Village and later to Leawood, suburbs of Kansas City. Bill, who had received degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Business at CU Boulder, worked in management at the Kansas City Procter and Gamble Plant for 31 years. ey had two children, Toby Joseph and Ellen Claire.
BY JESSE PAUL THE COLORADO SUN
Colorado taxpayers will be sent even larger refund checks next year than expected after state tax revenues nished the scal year much higher than budget analysts for the legislature and in the governor’s ofce predicted.
e state may now have to refund nearly $1 billion more than originally expected, nonpartisan Legislative Council Sta and the governor’s Ofce of State Planning and Budgeting told state lawmakers in June, increasing refund checks by hundreds of dollars per person.
Exactly how large those Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights refund checks will be remains in ux, in part because the number will be determined by whether voters pass Proposition HH in November, a 10-year property tax relief plan from Democrats in the General Assembly and Gov. Jared Polis.
e legislature passed a bill in the nal three days of its 2023 lawmaking term, which ended May 8, that would make the refund check amounts the same for everyone if voters pass Proposition HH. ey were originally expected to be about $650 for single lers and roughly $1,300 for joint lers, but could now be roughly $850 for single lers and $1,700 for joint lers.
Last year, Colorado taxpayers e improved economic outlook would mean larger refunds for people in every tier, though people in the top tier would bene t most. People in the lowest tier would now receive refund checks of $587 for single lers or $1,174 for joint lers. For those in the highest tier, the checks would now be $1,854 for single lers and $3,708 for joint lers. e refund amounts are determined by how much money the state government collects above the TABOR cap on government growth and spending. e cap is calculated by annual growth in population and in ation.
If Proposition HH fails, the refund checks would be tied to income levels. Under the default refund system — called the six-tier sales tax refund mechanism — people who make more money get bigger refund checks based on which of six income tiers they fall into.
People in the lowest tier, who make up to $50,000 a year, were expected to receive refund checks of $454 for single lers or $908 for joint lers. For those in the highest tier, who make $279,001 or more, the checks were expected to be $1,434 for single lers and $2,688 for joint lers.
Colorado taxpayers will get their refund checks next year after they le their taxes. Nonpartisan
Elaine was an incredible wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and friend as she raised her children. She had much joy and love and cared deeply for others. She loved the Lord and looked to Him for guidance and would live by His example. Elaine was a member of Village Presbyterian Church (Prairie Village, KS) and later Georgetown Presbyterian Church (Georgetown, CO), having served as a deacon at both churches. She was active in church activities and Sunday School as well as teaching children about God’s Love in an inner-city church in Kansas City, KS. Elaine was president of the Parent Teacher Association and was involved in leadership in Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts. She lovingly supported Toby and Ellen with swimming, piano, voice and tennis lessons, as well as school and church activities they were involved in. She was always there to cheer the family on and would volunteer to help others whenever she could. She even helped in the hospital when Toby was in Medical School and Ellen was in Nursing School. She would always lend a listening ear and give positive encouragement. God blessed Elaine with a “green thumb”. She loved gardening and designing beautiful backyard gardens. She was also a member of Leawood Garden Club. Elaine and Bill loved to travel and would take many trips with their family. Whether it was camping expeditions to beautiful places like the National Parks and Canada, or visiting amazing countries in the world, they always enjoyed learning about and seeing God’s creations. Some of their favorite destinations included Colorado, Yellowstone, Alaska, Hawaii, Germany, Ireland, Sweden and South Africa.
Elaine always loved Georgetown, Colorado. Her grandparents, who emigrated from Sweden in the 1800’s, lived there. Her grandfather was a silver miner and her mother was raised there. Elaine spent many summers with her grandparents there as a child. When she lived in the Kansas City area, she and Bill made it possible for their children to enjoy Georgetown in the summers, who would come to love it as well. When Bill retired, Elaine and Bill moved to Georgetown, where they built a wonderful Victorian style home. Elaine was very involved with the community and town. She taught Sunday School in Georgetown Presbyterian Church as well as a “Friday School” where school children who might not attend Sunday School would come to the church after school to learn about God’s love and values. She helped develop the “Friends of the Library” sale of used books to the community. Bill helped build the Georgetown Library Children’s Wing and the patio is dedicated to Elaine’s mother. Elaine was involved in a book club and worked in a bookstore there for part of the time. She was also involved in the League of Women Voters. She loved to hike and would do so most days. She was always welcoming to anyone she would meet, starting conversations and o ering words of encouragement. Elaine and Bill lovingly welcomed people into their home, usually with something to eat, a cup of tea and memorable conversations. ey loved to drive and take picnics high into the mountains with their children, grandchildren and any guests who would visit.
After living in Georgetown, Elaine moved to Alta Vita Assisted Living in Longmont, CO. She encouraged and blessed the sta and residents there. All were impressed with her continued style and sense of fashion. God blessed Elaine with the Alta Vita sta who helped provide her with loving care for three and a half years. We express our sincere thanks to them. We are also thankful to Bristol Hospice who helped care for Elaine during her last few days.
Elaine is preceded in death by her parents and husband. She is survived by son Toby Joseph Hartong, daughter-in-law, Joni, daughter Ellen Claire (Hartong) Stokes and son-in-law Dennis. She was also blessed with grandchildren Holly (Hartong) ill, (husband Steven), Heidi Hartong and Heather Hartong, Chris Stokes, (wife Heidi), Cheryl Stokes and Amy Stokes. She also had seven great-grandchildren (Tanner, Tucker, Trevor, Tensley, and Tyler ill and Claire and Grace Bartles).
A family memorial service will be held later this summer.
We will miss her greatly and are so blessed to have been part of her beautiful life and legacy. As she loved to say, “God Bless Us, Every One.”
Full obituary can also be found at After.com.
REFUND
FROM PAGE 9 e governor’s O ce of State Planning and Budgeting now expects the TABOR cap to be exceeded in the current scal year by $3.527 billion — an increase of about $870 million over what they projected in March.
Greg Sobetski, the chief economist for Legislative Council Sta , called the increases a “signi cant upward revision.” e updates were presented to the legislature’s Joint Budget Committee, which received its quarterly economic and tax revenue forecasts from LCS and OSPB. While the end of the scal year is fast approaching, it will be months before the state knows exactly how much money it collected over the TABOR cap.
Both LCS and OSPB said betterthan-expected corporate income tax revenue was a large driver of the improvements.
Legislative Council Sta and the governor’s O ce of State Planning and Budgeting forecasts state government to collect tax revenue in excess of the TABOR cap through at least the 2024-25 scal year, which ends June 30, 2025.
Emily Dohrman, an economist with Legislative Council Sta , said the risk of recession has also decreased.
“ e economy is still showing positive growth, but slower growth than what we saw through most of 2022,” she told the JBC. “Our forecast is anticipating that growth will continue to slow through the end of 2023 but then return to a more moderate pace of growth in 2024 and 2025.”
She said there’s still a risk of an economic downturn, but that risk is lower than it was in March.
Polis touted the forecasts presented to the JBC. He said Colorado’s economy remains strong and that it’s evidence the state “continues to be the best place to live, work and do business.” e next quarterly tax revenue and economic forecasts will be presented to the JBC in September. e panel in November will begin drafting the state’s 2024-25 scal year budget, which takes e ect on July 1, 2024. e full legislature will vote on the spending plan after it reconvenes in January.
WHAT IS SLASH?
Sustainable Lands And Safer Homes. Allows residents to dispose of the wildfire fuel on their property, creating defensible space around their home. Organic debris such as tree limbs and branches, known as slash, contributes to the high risk of fire danger in Jefferson County. All slash is composted.
WHAT IS SLASH?
Sustainable
Allows
Organic
Organic debris such as tree limbs and branches, known as slash, contributes to the high risk of fire danger in Jefferson County. All slash is composted.
What Is
Not
SIGN-UP
Woody debris
Tree bark
Not
Pine cones
Logs:
-Max length: 8 feet
Accepted
BAGS ARE NOT
ACCEPTED
Lumber
Household trash
Metal of any kind
Rocks
Tree stumps
BAGS ARE
Leaves COST 1 load = 6 cubic yards (162 cubic feet of material) SIGN-UP FOR SLASH ALERTS Sustainable Lands And Safer Homes. Allows residents to dispose of the wildfire fuel on their property, creating defensible space around their home. Organic debris such as tree limbs and branches, known as slash, contributes to the high risk of fire danger in Jefferson County. All slash is composted. WHAT IS SLASH? BAGS ARE NOT ACCEPTED Accepted Limbs Branches Woody debris Tree bark Pine cones Logs: -Max length: 8 feet -Max diameter: 6 inches
