Elizabeth Irene Preuss

Liesel was born in Wünschelburg, Silesia which is now Radkow, Poland, to Heinrich Menzel,

a Shoemaker-Master and his wife Anna who made fine stitcheries for an art school. She had an older brother, Gunter, and a younger sister, Irene. In her own words, her childhood was a very happy one, but the days of her youth were filled with fear and hardship. They moved from Wünschelburg first to Friedrichsberg, then settled in Bad Reinerz, a small spa town in the mountains.

She married her first husband Franz Dinter on March 28th, 1944. Soon after their marriage he was lost on the Russian front during World War II. After the conclusion of the war, the area they were living in was contested by the Polish and Russians for some time; finally acquiescing to become part of Poland. Her family was forced to leave with only what they could carry to Gevensleben in West Germany. There she met a farm boy named Leo Press; who she would later marry in January of 1952 and together they lived in Schwenningen. Their son Gunter was born on December 6th, 1952.

They successfully built their own home but post war Germany was difficult to make a living, so they immigrated to Regina, Saskatchewan in 1958, with dreams of making it to Colorado in the United States.

In 1959 they made it to Colorado and together they started Viking Cabinet Company. They resided just outside Loveland in Kelim for over 40 years; building their business, their homestead and their family. Elizabeth enjoyed working hard in the company as a designer and book keeper and also at home in their extensive garden. Harvesting fresh goose berries, raspberries, strawbernes, root vegetables, cabbage, lettuce, spinach, kohlrabi, cucumbers, tomatoes, squash and zucchini was a big pay off for their hard work. They shared their bounty with friends, family and customers in the Vail Valley. Gunter married Gloria Greenwald and they had two children of their own: Erika and Kelsey. As the company grew and Gunter took over the family business, Leo and Elizabeth were often in charge of their grandchildren. Teaching the old ways of foraging and drying edible mushrooms in the nearby mountains, and travelling to different places together to see the wonders in Colorado and beyond. In the Spring of 1990 they made it back to Germany with Erika and Kelsey and took them on a whirwind tour, visiting relatives and areas to share their past. They sustained a quiet life together until Leo passed in February of 2001.

Elizabeth continued all of her innate traditions. She moved to a new place but continued to grow substantial crops of vegetables and flowers. Her impeccable yard was an escape with places for the grand kids to play, and a pond for fish she guarded against the predatory birds. She was always working on improving her surroundings. She continued family meals of Schnitzel, Spaetzle, Red Cabbage, Cucumber Salad and Mushroom Potatoes. One can never forget the Strawberry cakes for dessert, or the ornate fruit salad concoctions. Holidays were marked by the different baked goods and cookies she spoiled everyone with. She loved all animals. The birds she kept and the dogs Blackie, Brenda, Rex and Benji were well taken care of. She coveted spending time with her future generations and her home was always filled with love for the grandkids Erika and Kelsey and later the Great Grand Children Bailey, Brandon, Emerson and Ella. Her hands were never idle and when she was done working on the business or outside in the yard and garden she would stitch complicated pieces of artwork and weave blankets or any number of things she would share with everyone in the family.

Elizabeth was a perfectionist at heart. Her standards for herself were above anyone's expectations, and permeated through everything she did. She led an extremely full life and was loved by everyone she encountered. She is survived by her son Gunter (Gloria), Grand Children Erika (Phillip) and Kelsey and Great Grand Children Bailey, Brandon, Emerson and Ella.

service details to follow.