Longtime Casper resident, Harriette ("Hi") Erskine (Allnutt) Curry, 82, died in her sleep on Sept. 11, 2016 - the 62nd anniversary of her marriage to William H. ("Skip") Curry. Born Nov. 6, 1933, in Baltimore, Maryland, to William Baker Allnutt and Harriette Erskine Sproul, she graduated from Garrison Forest in 1952 (and ranked second in the nation on an English achievement test). She met Skip when both were students at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. Hi was close to her 12 aunts and uncles from Staunton, Virginia, and the Homestead Farm in Maryland and was the oldest of 29 first cousins. Her love of horses brought her to a dude ranch near Cody in 1948, and after marriage on Sept. 11, 1954, two years at Westover Air Force Base in Massachusetts, and three years at Princeton University, she and Skip returned to the West to start a new adventure. During two summers of geological fieldwork Skip conducted for his doctoral dissertation, Hi cared for two small daughters in rustic camps across central Wyoming. In late 1959 they moved to Casper, where they raised four daughters. Hi worked alongside Skip at Curry Oil Co. beginning in 1967, and they loved rock hunting and spending time at two family properties on Casper Mountain. They traveled extensively from 1980 to 1993, touring the Caribbean and Mediterranean and taking a Kenyan safari in 1989. Family reunions at the Jackson Lake Lodge involved four generations, including a special gathering in 2004 for Hi and Skip's 50th anniversary. Hi drove for Meals on Wheels for 20 years, taking her grandchildren on her rounds. She also volunteered with the Blue Envelope, led Brownie and Girl Scout troops, had fun experimenting with new recipes, and participated in PEO, Geo-Wives, and bridge clubs. A compilation of favorite attributes on her 70th birthday repeatedly mentions her thoughtfulness, faithful service, generous nature, kindness to others - and full-hearted laugh. In her words, "enjoy your blessings and pass them on." Hi was a gifted artist whose many watercolors, pastels, oils, acrylics, and wood inlays grace the family home alongside dramatic freehand needlepoint panels. She sewed clothes, made quilts, knit sweaters, crocheted afghans, and cross-stitched bibs for family and friends. Hi is survived by her husband, Skip, daughters, Tam Bryfogle, Cathleen Toups, Carol Westbrook, and Donna Curry, and sons-in-law Mark Bryfogle and Steve Toups. She is also survived by six grandchildren, Kelly Rush, Stacy Frude, Wilson Toups, Sara Johnson-Trujillo, Paige Blomquist, Kate Yutuc and their spouses as well as seven great-grandchildren. She was predeceased by her brother, William B. Allnutt Jr. Baptized and married in the First Presbyterian Church in Baltimore, Hi has long been a member of the First Methodist Church in Casper, where services will be held on Friday, September 16, at 1:00. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Meals on Wheels (volunteerwyoming.org/agency/detail/?agency_id=12030) or the Blue Envelope Health Fund (blueenvelope.org/index.php?/pages/donate).
Service
Friday, September 16, 2016 1:00pm
First United Methodist Church
2nd Street
Casper, Wyoming 82601