Maurine Slatten

Maurine Slatten, my mother, was a lover of beauty. Her favorite subject in school was art. Born in Libertyville, Iowa and raised in Newton and Oskaloosa, she was the daughter of Bert and Bess Hancock. Bert worked first at Maytag, then later moved the family to a farm in Oskaloosa, where he rebuilt an old farmhouse (he was a cabinet maker too). There Bert and Bess farmed the land and Bert did carpentry on the side. From her parents, Maurine and her two sisters learned that with hard work and ingenuity, they could create what they wanted in life.

Maurine wanted to surround herself with beauty. A war bride, she met her husband John when he was on leave in Oskaloosa. After the war, they moved to an old house in Ames, Iowa which needed a lot of work. John was finishing his degree and money was tight, so Maurine learned to buy used furniture and restore it. She was gifted at finding other people’s “junk” and making it beautiful. In her various homes over the years, in Iowa and in Denver, she wallpapered, upholstered, refinished furniture, built shelves and knocked out walls to create beautiful homes for herself and her family. And she loved gardening. It was her idea of heaven. She was also an accomplished seamstress and made most of her clothes as well as mine.

Maurine also loved to travel and see all the beautiful places in the world. I found hundreds of postcards in her belongings of the places she’d visited.

She was a loving mother, who along with my dad instilled a love of family in me and my two brothers. Weekends and vacations were spent visiting grandparents,aunts, uncles, and cousins; camping out together in the summer, decorating and cooking up a storm on holidays, playing games, creating memorable times.

And when we were grown, she helped fix up our houses. She also became our best babysitter. She adored her grandchildren, and they loved their Grandma “Ine”.

Maurine also loved her church and her neighbors; all the wonderful friends she made over the years. Their love and her faith helped sustain her in this last difficult year.

Maurine is survived by her children, Brent Slatten and his wife Bettyann, Leigh Anne Jensen and her husband Doug, and Laurence Slatten and his wife Ricki; also by her grandchildren Noel Jensen and his wife Kate, Collin Jensen, Lauren Slatten, and Jenay Slatten.

We love you mother. Today, tomorrow, and always.