Elmer Fast

Elmer Fast was reunited in Heaven with his wife Mary on Sunday, June 26, 2022 at 95 years of
age in Wheat Ridge, Colorado.

Elmer was born January 22, 1927 in a sod house at his family farm in Kirk, Colorado to Tena
(Fadenrecht) and Jacob G. Fast. Elmer attended the local school in Joes where he excelled
academically and was able to skip one grade level. Elmer began working on the family farm
from the 8th grade where they grew corn and wheat and tended a menagerie of animals
including chickens, pigs, cows, horses and three dogs. He was brought up in the Mennonite
Brethren Church in Joes, Colorado and accepted the Lord as his Savior at a young age. Elmer
was drafted into the US Army at the age of 18 during World War II. During basic training in
Texas, Elmer told the story of how they were taken out into the ocean, told to jump off of a ship
and swim to another boat nearby. As a farm kid from Colorado who had never swam, Elmer was
pleased to have made it but soon developed pneumonia and was recovering while his Division
went overseas. Upon being assigned to a new Division, Elmer was given orders to serve in
Korea against the Japanese. Elmer always felt that was divine providence as he had a great
Captain that he served under and he felt strongly that their unit was as successful as they were
due to his leadership. Elmer was a 'BAR Man' in the war as he operated a Browning Automatic
Rifle in an infantry unit. He bravely protected his unit when times got tough. Elmer loved his
Country and his family was always incredibly proud of how he served his country overseas and
was honorably discharged. He was truly one of the last surviving World War II veterans.
Upon returning from the war, Elmer and Mary Lou Hensley began a whirlwind courtship. Having
grown up together in the same farming community, attending the same Mennonite Brethren
Church, they knew each other and their families were well acquainted with one another. On a
trip to Denver to order flowers for two relatives' wedding, Elmer asked Mary to be his wife and
sang "It had to be You" to her. It worked. Elmer and Mary were married on August 22, 1948 in
the Mennonite Brethren Church in Joes, Colorado. The classic operatic song 'Because God
Made Thee Mine' was sung and subsequently performed in three generations of family
weddings since that day.

Early in their marriage, Elmer and Mary had very little means, and often said they could not
have pooled their resources to buy a package of gum the day after they were married. However,
they were determined to make a better life for themselves and their future family. During their
first winter together, Elmer and Mary were living on a farm when a large blizzard struck. The
blizzard was so severe that pheasants were freezing to death in the fields. Elmer went out with
relatives and they collected 28 pheasants. This was a blessing for them during hard economic
times, but it was the last time Elmer or Mary ever ate pheasant. Initially, Elmer and Mary helped
run the family Phillip's 66 gas station in Joes, Colorado but soon set off for Denver to pursue
other employment. After a few years of marriage, Elmer and Mary were blessed with their only
child, Sharon Kay (Kinvig).

While starting their newly married life in Denver, Elmer became a certified diesel mechanic and
really began to excel in that field. After receiving his certification, Elmer became established with
a construction company in Denver, working on their heavy equipment. This included a job
operating a heavy earth mover to help construct Cherry Creek dam. Elmer later worked for a
company that built highways in Arizona and the company relocated Elmer, Mary, and Sharon to
a newly established town called San Manuel in Arizona.

When Sharon was nearing the age to start school, Mary felt strongly that she wanted her to
attend Kindergarten and their community did not have that grade in the local school. So, their
little family packed up and moved back to Denver where Elmer began working for Walt
Flanagan Concrete Company, managing their maintenance department. Some years later Elmer
went to work for Mobil Pre-Mix, one of the largest concrete companies in the Denver area that
later merged into international giant Holcim Group. Elmer was very successful at Mobil Pre-Mix
and at the time of his retirement he managed a team of 35 people who kept trucks running all
over the state.

Elmer was very mechanical and had a real talent for working on engines. Sharon has many fond
memories of watching her Dad work on cars and was taught how to change oil, spark plugs and
how to listen for a 'noisy lifter'. Elmer took great joy in his only child Sharon, and in one of their
first houses in Denver, Elmer built such a large playhouse for Sharon that it would be
considered a 'tiny house' today. The playhouse had a concrete foundation, drywall, three
windows, electricity, carpet, bookshelves and it was tall enough for an adult to stand up in. It still
stands in that backyard today and was the source of many fun tea parties during Sharon's
childhood.

After Elmer retired from Mobil Pre-Mix, he and Mary had different entrepreneurial pursuits that
involved a brake shop, a lumber yard and a rental home. They also helped Sharon and her
husband Milt work on many fix-and-flip houses. Elmer was the master plumber while Mary was
the expert painter. Elmer and Mary took a great interest in Sharon's life and when their two
grandchildren, Cameron and Ashlyn were born, they were immediately smitten. When the
Barbie Corvette and Jeep Power Wheels arrived for Christmas one year, Elmer found himself
frequently outside monitoring Cameron and Ashlyn as they sped down the driveway and drove
all over the neighborhood sidewalks. He would jog alongside and often had to be the human tow
truck when the vehicles would get stuck in the bushes.

As Cameron and Ashlyn got older, there was a basketball hoop installed, daily afternoon bike
rides, homemade swings installed on the backyard trees and two little helpers in the backyard
garden. Elmer loved growing vegetables and took great pride in the cucumbers, tomatoes,
carrots and zucchini that came out of his yard. There was also a wide range of fruit trees at their
home and there were many years of bountiful crops of cherries, apples, and peaches. Elmer
took Cameron and Ashlyn fishing at Georgetown Lake many times and he enjoyed going
fishing, boating, and camping with his family over the years.

To Elmer's family, they remember his strong love for the Lord and his Christian faith. Elmer and
Mary were members of Red Rocks Baptist Church for roughly 57 years where he was a deacon,
usher and church greeter for many years. Elmer also had a great love of Gospel music and
enjoyed singing tenor in the church choir and quartets. Elmer and Mary read through the Bible
in its entirety for 21 years in a row and prayed for their family by name every single day. Most of
all, Elmer's family is proud of the foundation he laid for the future generations of his family. We
are especially thankful for the 73 years of marriage that Elmer and Mary spent together. Elmer
was often soft-spoken and preferred a quiet life filled with simple pleasures like a good cup of
coffee, candy, and ice cream. But you could expect that at the end of every phone call to his
family, there was an 'I love you' waiting. We are thankful for all of the years that we were able to
spend together, and we look forward with anticipation to the day when we are reunited again as
a family.

Elmer is survived by his only child, a daughter, Sharon Kay (Fast) Kinvig, two grandchildren
Cameron Winston (Natalie) Kinvig, Ashlyn Brooke Fast Kinvig (Scott) Del Priore and one
great-grandchild, Augustana Brooke Kinvig Del Priore. Elmer is also survived by one sister,
Laura (Fast) Rupple and numerous nieces and nephews.

Elmer was preceded in death by his wife of 73 years, Mary Lou (Hensley), his son-in-law Milt
Kinvig, his parents Tena (Fadenrecht) Fast, Jacob G. Fast, two sisters, Esther Heinrichs and
Evelyn Hensley, and his brother Irvin Fast.