DEL NORTE—Natalie Ruth Slattery (nee Coursen), born April 22, 1926, passed away peacefully April 13, 2017. Born to Mortimer Scofield Coursen and Myrtle Adelaide Johnson in Girard, Ohio, Natalie loved reminiscing about the idyllic summers she spent in her childhood at a cabin on Lake Erie with her beloved sister, Barbara Ann Off. She was a bright and competitive student who graduated valedictorian of her high school class in Denver, as well as at the top of her class at the University of Colorado at Boulder in 1948. She was an active leader on the university campus and served as treasurer of ISA, publicity chairman of the University Women’s Club, president of Phi Sigma Iota and president of Valkyrie. She worked for a time at Magnolia Oil in Dallas before meeting the love of her life, Michael Francis Slattery, Sr., on a blind date arranged by some mutual friends. A year later, Natalie and Mike married on October 27, 1951, and shared 52 years together. I In her new role as president of the Slattery household, she raised six beautiful children. Her full-time duties as mom did not prevent her from dominating her neighborhood tennis and ping pong leagues, sewing intricate quilts and exploring her artistry through painting and drawing. She and Mike enjoyed spending their summers on their ranch in Del Norte, Colo., sitting on their porch overlooking the Rio Grande. Natalie entertained family and friends with her quick wit and fun loving personality. She loved to solve puzzles and play games, from the New York Times crossword every Sunday, to bridge with friends, to Rummikub with her grandchildren. She possessed an incomparable kindness and a limitless capacity to love. She was wonderful, wise, and beautiful. She loved her life and her family, with great grace and humor all the way to the end. Can you blame us for hoping she’d live forever? Her love lives on. Natalie was preceded in death by her husband Michael Francis Slattery, Sr. Natalie is survived by six children, 25 grandchildren and nine great grandkids.