Mary Lou Flater

April 1928 - February 2022

Mary Lou (Louise) Hackett Flater was born in Evanston, Illinois in 1928. Her father, Norbert Hackett, was of Irish origin, and her mother, Louise Boldenweck, German descent. She had 2 older sisters, Dorothy and Ruth. Mary Lou grew up in Glencoe, Illinois and went to Central School and New Trier High School. She attended Wellesley College and graduated from Northwestern University in Evanston where she met her future husband, Roald Flater. She was a proud member of the Alpha Phi sorority and maintained many friendships from the sorority throughout her life. Mary Lou married Roald Flater in 1951 settling into married life in Northfield, Illinois. They had 2 daughters, Kitty and Jackie, and Mary Lou adopted Roald’s daughter, Lottie. They moved to Colorado in the early ‘60s after a brief time in Minneapolis. They bought a home in Bow Mar and Mary Lou became an avid tennis player and skier. She bought a place at the Vorlaufer in Vail in 1967 where the family spent most weekends and holidays skiing. Mary Lou and Roald divorced in the early ‘70s. Mary Lou went back to school and received a graduate degree in Art History from the University of Denver, and was a docent of the Denver Art Museum for over 40 years. She enjoyed painting and many of her paintings hung in the family home. She pursued painting sessions with Rita Derjue and other artists in the Denver area. She also enjoyed going to the symphony each week with her pals, in addition to other cultural events. Mary Lou was fascinated by the game of bridge and played it diligently. She especially liked duplicate bridge and made many friends with the people she played with. Mary Lou met Pieter Cramerus in Vail after her divorce, and had a long and loving relationship with him until he died at age 101. After several years of the Wedel Inn, Pieter bought a ranch in Big Timber, MT where he and Mary Lou spent most of their summers flyfishing, riding horses, hunting with their dogs, and hosting guests. Everyone loved to come stay at the Flying Dutchman Ranch! Mary Lou loved her horses KC and Brightwings and went to Ray Hunt and Buck Branaman clinics to train them. Mary Lou always returned to her Bow Mar life after stays in Montana and loved going to the Bow Mar Beach for picnics and events. She had so many good friends in Bow Mar. Mary Lou continued to take ski trips to Vail until her ‘80s. She moved to Windcrest in 2018 after Pieter died and had a happy social life with the other Bow Mar transplants at Windcrest. Mary Lou was a person who loved family and friend connections. She was incredibly good at staying in touch with friends and maintaining family traditions. In addition to her daughters, she developed special relationships with all her grandchildren, nieces and nephews. She enjoyed life and had a great attitude about the limitations that accompany growing older. In the end, her heart just stopped. Mary Lou was preceded in death by her daughter, Kitty (Jeff Johns), which broke her heart. She is survived by her daughter Jackie (Rich Wood), Lottie (John Nicoletti); 4 grandchildren, Amy (Ben Anderson), Kristi (Bjorn Collins), Austin and Anna Wood; and 3 great-grandchildren (Madelyn and Lillian Anderson, and Kiki Collins).