Obituary of Dolores Marie Yates

Dolores Marie Langdon-Yates, 92, went to be with our Lord on March 4, 2023.  Dolores was born on November 28, 1930, on a farm north of Fleming, Colorado to Samuel Wesley and Anna Marie Davis-Langdon. Her parents were farmers all their lives and Dolores enjoyed living on a farm.

                Dolores graduated from Fleming High School and attended Colorado State College of Education – now UNC – at Greeley on an Honor’s Scholarship.  She entered teaching in Logan County, Colorado; teaching grades 5 through 8 at a 2-teacher rural school in Willard; and then teaching 7th grade at Crook for two years.

                She married Howard Russel Yates on August 30, 1953, at First Assembly of God church in Greeley, Colorado. She taught in a 3-teacher school in Auburn, southeast of Greeley in Weld County.

                In the spring of 1954, Dolores and Howard moved to Juneau, Alaska where she was a 7th grade teacher while Howard worked for the Federal Interior Department as a Bridge Design Engineer.

                Four years later in November 1958, they moved to Olympia, Washington where Howard was a Structural Design Engineer for the Washington Department of Transportation. Following this move, Dolores elected not to return to public school teaching.

                She chose to enlarge her private piano and organ teaching by opening Yates Music Studio for the next 28 years. During this time, she was able to study advanced piano and organ with a university professor who had studied and graduated from Julliard School of Music in New York City. During several summers, she was able to study choir directing from a Lutheran university professor as well as at the University of Colorado.

                Purchasing a Steinway grand piano, a 2-maunual concert harpsichord and a large church-model Baldwin organ for the studio added great pleasure and stimulated students who were able to play them.

                From her studio, Dolores taught organ, piano and directed a large 125-voice inter-faith choir. In addition, she worked with single soloists, duets, trios and quartets of high school students. From her talented students she chose three to study the “Art of Piano Teaching”, using them as cadet teachers. All three, upon graduation from high school, continued private teaching, one graduating from university to continue teaching and now teaching at a university.

                In addition to her private piano studio, Dolores was staff pipe-organist at a local mortuary for almost 20 years. During this time, she served as a church organist and directed a church youth choir.

                With her husband, they retired in 1985. In 1986, they moved to Greeley, Colorado for retirement to be close to their families. They rejoined the same church they were married in 1953.

                Dolores is survived by her sister-in-law BJ Langdon of Fleming, Colorado, nephew Brent Langdon and wife Laurie of Greeley, niece Cherri Jo Ramirez and husband Joe of Fort Collins, niece Darla Busboom and husband Jeff of Douglas, Wyoming, great-nephews Eric “Bo” Langdon and wife Emily, Mando Ramirez, Rykr Ramirez and great-nieces Jamie Langdon, Jacy Mendez and husband Rene, Carly Busboom, and three great-great nephews and one great-niece.  

                Dolores was preceded in death by her husband Howard, both of her parents and all three of her brothers.

A celebration of life Service will be held Friday, March 10, 2023 at 10:00 A.M. at The First Assembly of God Church, 3000 16^th Street, Greeley, Colorado.