Charla Mae Marylin Filla died aged 85 on Sept 11, 2023, at home with her family.  She was born on Feb 5, 1938, to Glen Charles Colva and Martha Angeline Meigs Colva in Lander Wyoming.  She spent the first 14 years of her life living on the Arapahoe and Shoshone Indian Reservation where her father and mother were the school superintendent and teachers.

When the family moved to town, Riverton, Wyoming, Charla Mae attended Riverton High school and played the clarinet in the marching band, took piano lessons, and attended Girls State.  She graduated with the class of 1956.  Summers were spent working with her family with the Honeybee business, completing 4-H projects, and babysitting for 35 cents per hour (65 cents after midnight).  The money was saved by her parents and when she went to college, they used the money to buy a manual typewriter for her.

Charla Mae started college at Chadron State in Nebraska, transferring after 1 year to Colorado State College (now UNC) in Greeley where she completed her Bachelor of Arts degree.   While completing her student teaching in Akron, CO, she met Norbert Bernard Filla at the Norka restaurant.

Charla Mae and Norbert were married in the Riverton Wyoming Methodist Church on August 6, 1960.  During the early years of marriage, they began to build a foundation of land to start farming.  They found a field on a hill south of Akron and spent years planting trees, building houses and outbuildings, and planting flowers, huge gardens, and lilac bushes.  They skied the Rockies, took dance lessons, did archery, and flew private planes together.  Charla Mae completed her Master's degree at Colorado State College in 1963 and encouraged Norbert to pursue his degree as well.  Charla Mae continued to teach Home Economics, Science, Band, Chorus, and P.E. in Byers and Sterling.

Charla Mae and Norbert had three children, Natalie, Roscoe, and Barney.  She was very proud of her children, encouraging them to read, play the piano, attend Sunday School, and participate in 4-H.  Charla Mae kept busy while raising her young children.  She was a member of Beta Sigma Phi sorority and the Antelope Springs extension club.  She served as the Superintendent for Sunday school, taught Sunday school classes, and assisted with the Christmas Pageants at the Methodist church.  As the children got older, she returned to teaching in Akron, Otis, Brush, and Fort Morgan.  She found her true niche with Preschool.

Charla Mae loved little children, referring to them as "little persons".  She taught many in this community as youngsters at the preschool when it was located in the Akron Library basement.  She had dress up boxes, a corn table, water play, dolls and trucks, gadgets, games, and puzzles.  She loved getting dressed up in an outfit to read stories to the children, and even in retirement she continued to go into the Akron school to read to classes.  Charla Mae created a clown costume persona, named Petunia, and she would wear this pink outfit with a friend, and they would delight children and adults alike at various events in Northeast Colorado.

Charla Mae had many other pursuits: working at the greenhouse, doing census work in Colorado and Wyoming, refinishing furniture, sewing, and painting.  She traveled widely – even paragliding, liked the theater, opera, and concerts, and even ran the Bolder Boulder.

When Norbert died in 1995, Charla Mae dedicated herself to ensuring the family farm survived.  With much effort and perseverance, it did.

The biggest delight of Charla Mae's life came when the grandchildren started showing up.  She played with them, helped with art projects, took thousands of pictures, showed up for games, fair projects, and school events.  She hid candy in a stuffed bear for the kids to find, got out all her toys and allowed them free rein to play.  She provided clean clothes when they got dirty and stocked her cupboards with the foods they liked (Vienna sausages!).  She tried to keep the cookie jar full!  She was so proud of her grandchildren and loved when they would talk with her and tell her stories about their lives.  She was so disappointed when she realized that she wouldn't be present to see them continue to blossom.

She was a gardener at heart, whether it be growing people or plants.  Her flowers, grass, fields, and family are her legacy…  And she will be missed.

Charla Mae M. Filla is survived by her daughter Natalie Filla Hawk and grandson, Dominick; son Roscoe Filla and wife Gina, and grandson Daniel; and son Barney Filla and wife Jessica, granddaughter Leigha and husband Logan, and grandsons Jackson and Anderson.  She is also survived by her brothers:  Arlie Colva and James Colva and brother-in-law Thomas Vaughn and wife Susan, along with numerous cousins, nephews, nieces, and other relatives.

A funeral service will be held Saturday, September 16, 2023 at 11:00 a.m. at the United Methodist Church of Akron.  Interment will follow at the Akron Cemetery. Memorial donations may be made to the Trinity Lutheran Church of Akron or to the United Methodist Church of Akron.