Victim a 'wonderful' mom, friend

Bianca Prieto, Rocky Mountain News

Published January 25, 2007 at midnight

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The 37-year-old mother gunned down Tuesday, allegedly by her police officer husband's spurned mistress, was known for going out of her way to help others, grieving co-workers said.

"She would do anything for anybody. It doesn't matter if she couldn't do it; she would find a way," said Maria Valdez, who worked with Heather Garraus at the Colorado State Employees Credit Union in Greeley.

"If you were upset, she would make you feel better," Valdez said. "She didn't have one enemy in the whole world. She didn't have one mean bone in her whole body."

Valdez and other friends gathered Wednesday afternoon at the Weld County District Court in Greeley, determined to share kind words about Garraus, who had worked with them since 1993.

"She was a wonderful mother. She was a wonderful supervisor. We all loved her. We were a family," said Yvonne Younger, sobbing. "She was just taken from us. We're never going to be the same again."

Heather Garraus had been married to her husband, Greeley crime prevention officer Ignacio Garraus, for nearly 16 years. The couple has a 9-year-old daughter.

In 2005, La Tribuna, a Spanish-language publication affiliated with the Greeley Tribune, profiled Ignacio Garraus, citing his work with Santa Cops, a program that gives gifts to needy children.

In the article, Garraus, who is of Cuban and Spanish descent, spoke fondly about celebrating Christmas Eve, "Nochebuena," with his wife and child. Each year, he said, the family prepared "roasted pork, yuca con mojo and black beans, the way it should be."

Ignacio Garraus joined the police force in 1991, shortly after marrying Heather Lynn Hodges.

The Garraus family declined to comment Wednesday.

Just hours before Heather Garraus died, she helped friend and co-worker Martha Meyer repair a stamp machine in their office.

"She was a computer person; she could fix anything," Meyer said.

Meyer, who shared the adjacent office for 4 1/2 years, said Garraus devoted her free time to her daughter and husband.

Meyer watched as the pictures changed every year in Garraus' office, showcasing her growing daughter, and listened to the tranquil sounds of a waterfall she kept by her desk.

The credit union was closed Wednesday. A note was posted on its Web site saying there had been an emergency.

"We are deeply saddened by this loss," said credit union CEO Terry Leis. "We are trying to support the family."

Leis said the bank was in the process of setting up a memorial fund in Heather Garraus' name.

prietob@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-5219

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