Submitted by Ann Thacker

Metro Denver

Lakewood

Edna “Skipper” Hollis led Girl Scout Troop 362 during my growing-up years. Who knew she would still be leading us, as adults, 60 years later?

Troop 362 was a big troop with three different age-groups. I was in the middle. That was nearly 60 years ago. And, we’ve kept in touch all those years… reuniting the last Saturday of every July at Skipper’s rustic cabin on the shores of Lake Eldora. She left this place on Thanksgiving 2016 at 104 ½ years old. As we gather at the cabin for one last time, we reminisce and bask in her love. She was a remarkable woman whom I deeply loved and admired.

Her energy was limitless. Even though she was nearing 50 back then, she taught us to: swim, canoe, hike, snowshoe, mountain climb, toboggan, ice skate, and chop ice from a deeply encrusted mountain spring. We learned to dip our buckets in the cold, clear water for drinking and bathing. She filled our days and nights with songs, swimming, cooking on a wood-burning stove, wildflower hikes, bird walks, campfires, and scary stories that went “boo” in the night.

She demonstrated kindness, compassion, unconditional love, and even taught us to “date young men.” To this day, my best date was the one she arranged for us (and chaperoned) with Air Force Academy Cadets. She showed us nature in its authentic purity, tender beauty, raw power, and rugged grandeur…all the while keeping us safe and secure.

More than anyone I’ve known, she trusted the goodness and abundance of life. Knowing that nature is God-made-manifest, she revealed a natural world, full of miracles that live forever in my heart and imagination.

Because of her, I remember to pause and drink in a sparkling dew drop, or inhale the scent of a soft, pink rose. I hug trees, speak to crickets, and sing duets with meadowlarks. I stand tall when lightning splits the clouds and thunder rolls. And all the while, I feel her presence, sense of wonder, and joy; as I take in the awe of each moment.

She embodied all that is good and continually expressed gratitude for life itself. She stood as a pure reflection of the divine, an illuminated mirror in which we could see our own souls.

How intimately she knew and loved the One Creator! And, how generously she loved each of us!!! I’m profoundly grateful for the privilege of opening the gift that she was… and I celebrate her; for she enriched my life.

Thank you, Skipper, for being who you are… a blessing to us all!

Girl Scouts of Colorado is proud to celebrate the legacy of one of our most cherished alumnae, Edna “Skipper” Hollis. In 2016, Skipper passed away at the age of 104, leaving a 94-year history of Girl Scouting as a girl and an adult volunteer.  Skipper touched the lives of hundreds of girls, families, and volunteers and will be remembered for her love of the outdoors and the annual troop gathering she hosted at her Colorado cabin for more than six decades.

To make a gift in honor of Skipper, which will support opportunity grants to ensure any girl is able to attend camp, or  to honor an alum who has made a difference in your life, go to the Girl Scouts of Colorado website: http://www.girlscoutsofcolorado.org/en/support-us/alumnae.html 

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