December 29, 1937 – December 15, 2023
Elizabeth Ann Cary was born December 29, 1937, in Cary, North Carolina, to Vance and Mary (Beale) Rhodes, and her soul passed on to heaven peacefully at her home in Durango, Colorado, on December 15, 2023. Liz was the second of eight siblings in the Rhodes family, with an older sister, Elsie, followed by John, Dorothy, David, Linda, Keith, and Mike Rhodes. The Rhodes family moved to Denver, Colorado, in 1943. One of her earliest memories was riding the train as a young girl west to Denver from North Carolina, filled with soldiers heading to serve during World War II. Liz remembered their smiling faces, sharing treats with the children as they headed to an uncertain future. The Rhodes family set up shop in the Denver area, and many of her extended family members still live there today. Liz’s family moved to Steamboat Springs, Colorado, in 1946 and lived there for several years before returning to Denver in 1951. She attended elementary and junior high school in Steamboat Springs and graduated from Wheatridge High School in 1955. Liz was blessed to return every summer to Steamboat Springs to stay with Alec and Mildred Chura and their family. During this time, she met the love of her life, Bud Cary, in the early 1950s; he was a young man from Milner, Colorado. They were married on her birthday, December 29, 1955, in Steamboat Springs at the Methodist Church. The couple raised two children, Jeff and Tracy, in Steamboat Springs from 1958 through 1976 and then moved to Hayden, Colorado. Liz moved to Craig, Colorado, in 1993 and Durango, Colorado, in 2004 to be closer to her family.
Liz was active in her community, owning two successful businesses in Steamboat Springs with her husband, Bud. The Cary’s A&W Drive-In at the west end of town gave many of Steamboat’s youth their first summer jobs from 1964 to 1975, and the Inside Edge Ski Shop kept her busy through the winter months on Main Street from 1968 to 1975. In the winter, Liz volunteered with the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club as club secretary and helped organize numerous Winter Carnival celebrations. In her earlier years, she worked at the El Rancho and Stockman’s Café and as a switchboard operator for Ma Bell. Liz especially enjoyed sharing tales of the El Rancho shenanigans. After she moved to Hayden, she was the bookkeeper for the Hayden Lumber Company and Bear River Co-op, and Liz retired from full-time work in 1995. After she retired, Liz spent time with her extended family of nieces and nephews in the Yampa Valley and often took them to the Denver Broncos home games. Once she arrived in Durango, Colorado, in 2004, she volunteered with the Durango Family Center Coalition, working with young children in the community. Liz received the Durango Volunteer of the Year Award in 2007 from the Durango Chamber of Commerce for her outstanding community work.
Liz’s heart was full of love and support for family, friends, children, and her beloved Chihuahuas. Over her lifetime, she touched the lives of many people throughout Routt, Moffat, and La Plata Counties as a daughter, wife, mother, grandmother, aunt, great-aunt, businesswoman, and friend to many. Her amazing energy, stories, and love for her family and community will be deeply missed. We were blessed to know her, and Liz Cary’s legacy will not soon be forgotten.
Liz was preceded in death by her husband Bud in 1995, her daughter Tracy in 1977, and her brothers John and Keith Rhodes. She is survived by her son Jeff (Sheila Casey), her cherished granddaughters Jaime Cary (Taylor Parsons) and Carli Cary (Eugene Kwoma), and by her siblings Elsie Rhodes, Dorothy Rhodes Billings, David Rhodes, Linda Rhodes Workman (Leland), and Mike Rhodes (Leanne). She is also survived by her in-laws, Pome & Glenda Camilletti and family, Frank & Janie Camilletti and family, and numerous nieces and nephews. Grandma Liz also had a special place in her heart for Sarah Hardwick (Victor Thomas), Rachel Znerold (Scott Eberhardt), and Chris Znerold (Mariele Williams) and their families (Elliott, Kingston, Aria, Ziggy, Leon, and Lucille), who blended into her sphere of love over the last 16 years.
A service to honor and celebrate Liz’s life is scheduled for Saturday, June 1st, 2024, in Hayden, Colorado. This gathering at the Haven Community Center, starting at 11 am, is a time for family and friends to come together, share stories, and remember Liz. Her ashes, along with those of her beloved husband Bud, will be laid to rest at the Hayden Cemetery beside their daughter Tracy. In place of flowers, donations in Liz’s memory can be made to the La Plata Family Center Coalition in Durango, Colorado, through their website Donate – LPFCC.
