Barbara Hyde Boardman

Born Barbara Jean Tilton in 1924, to Forrest (Frosty) and Ruth Tilton of Palisade Colorado. She attended University of Colorado until she married William H. (Bill) Hyde, January 30, 1943. She then followed her husband to each of his postings as a flight instructor during WWII. After the war, Bill obtained a law degree, and the couple settled in Grand Junction. There, Barbara was one of the seven planners of Operation Foresight, Grand Junction's pedestrian mall Main street, which received an All-America City award as a result. Barbara then obtained both a Bachelor's Degree and a Master's Degree in Horticulture from Colorado State University. After a short stint at the Missouri Botanic Garden in St. Louis, Barbara became a County Extension agent for horticulture in Longmont, where she stayed for 17 years. As such, she trained over 500 Master Gardeners, a program she helped found. For over three decades, she wrote gardening columns entitled "Now is the Time" for the Rocky Mountain News, Boulder Daily Camera, Longmont Times Call, Greeley Tribune, Palisade Tribune, and the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel. She also wrote and published a trilogy on Gardening in the Mountain West, and a fourth book on gardening for children. Her garden, and more especially her rock garden, was well-known to area residents. She was active in the PEO Sisterhood, Littleton Garden Club, Boulder Garden Club, American Rock Garden Society, Denver Botanic Garden, and Colorado Field Ornithologists. She received numerous awards for her work, including the CSU Alumni Association Distinguished Extension Award in 2009. She is survived by her children, William H. (Bill) Hyde of Casselberry, Florida, and Jane Sinton, of Shandon, California; grandchildren Jennifer Finnegan, Julie Pruniski, and Daniel Sinton; and eight great grandchildren: Saoirse Finnegan, Liam Finnegan, Caoimhe Finnegan, Declan Finnegan, Colby Sinton, Nolan Sinton, Noah Pruniski, and Reid Pruniski. She was preceded in death by her first husband, Bill, and her second husband, Robert Boardman. A private memorial service will be held for her next September. Anyone wishing to attend please notify the family at whyde7@hotmail.com . Donations in her memory may be made to the Barbara Hyde Boardman Endowment for the Master Gardener program at Colorado State University Cooperative Extension Service. advancing.colostate.edu\extension