Obituaries

Bettie Gregg
Nov 26, 2011
Obituary for Bettie L. Gregg Former Durango resident Bettie L. Gregg died Saturday, Nov. 26, 2011, at her daughter’s home in Dolores. She had just turned 106. Mrs. Gregg was born to Samuel H. and Abbie Huey Stewart on Nov. 20, 1905, in Cameron, Mo. Her family moved to Enid, Okla., and eventually to Norwood, where she grew up. Mrs....

August Aaland
Nov 25, 2011
Obituary for August W. Aaland Durango resident August William Aaland died of a sudden illness on Friday, November 25, 2011, at Children's Hospital Colorado in Aurora. He was 5 ½ months. Known as "Gus," he was born to Chris and Shelly Aaland on June 7, 2011, at Mercy Regional Medical Center. He enjoyed time with his parents and older brother,...

Holly Westbrook
Nov 25, 2011
Obituary for Holly S. Westbrook Holly Sue Westbrook, 57, died Friday, November 25, 2011, in Durango, Colo. A private memorial will be held at a later date. She was born September 3, 1954, in Ft. Collins, Colo., the daughter of Harry Downs. Holly grew up in Alamogordo, N.M. and graduated from high school in 1972. She attended a few years...

Rae Hamilton
Nov 24, 2011
Obituary for Rae E. Hamilton Rae Elinor Hamilton, 63, passed away Thursday, November 24, 2011, at her home in Durango. A Memorial Service will be held Wednesday, November 30, 2011, at 10:00 A.M. at Hood Mortuary Chapel. Rae was born in Ogden, Utah, the daughter of Richard and Irene McGrew, but grew up in and attended schools in Pocatello, Idaho....

Rose Quintana
Nov 22, 2011
Obituary for Rose R. Quintana Rose Rebecca Quintana died Tuesday, November 22, 2011, in Durango, Colo. She was 89. Rose was born August 12, 1922, in Allison, Colo., the daughter of Fermin and Mary Gallegos. She spent her childhood and elementary school years in Allison, Colo. Her family moved to Durango, where Rose attended high school and graduated in 1941....

Barbara Wheeler
Nov 21, 2011
Obituary for Barbara B. Wheeler Barbara Boomer Wheeler, 87, died November 21, 2011, surrounded by family members in Durango, Colo. The cause of death was complications due to Alzheimer’s disease. Her family remembers her as a devoted wife and mother who enjoyed spending time with her family and friends. She is best remembered for her compassionate nature. Born May 12,...

Howard Morris
Nov 21, 2011
Obituary for Howard L. Morris Durango resident Howard Lowell Morris, Cdr., USN (Ret), died Monday, November 21, 2011. He was 84. Howard was born October 22, 1927, in Arvada, Colo., the son of Guy Randolph and Carolyn Drew Morris. His parents met in Durango, where his father was a sheep rancher and his mother a nurse. Howard graduated from Arvada...

George Greer
Nov 19, 2011
Obituary for George W. Greer George W. Greer, 82, passed away peacefully at home in Mancos, Colo., on Saturday, November 19, 2011, surrounded by close family and friends. He was born on May 11, 1929, in Marvel, Colo., and was a lifelong resident of La Plata County. He spent his younger years in Marvel and La Plata Canyon, and later...

Ingrid Jefferson
Nov 18, 2011
Obituary for Ingrid Jefferson Durango resident Ingrid Jefferson died Friday, November 18, 2011, in Mancos, Colo. She was 75. Mrs. Jefferson was born October 13, 1936, in Fort Defiance, Ariz., the daughter of James and Opal Webster. She graduated from the Ute Vocational Indian Boarding School in Ignacio in 1956, and she married James M. Jefferson in 1957 in Aztec,...

Ursula Jaques
Nov 16, 2011
Obituary for Ursula M. Jaques Longtime Ignacio resident Ursula Maclovia Jaques died of heart and kidney failure Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2011, at Four Corners Health Care Center in Durango. She was 81. Known as “Cordy,” she was born to Jose Trinidad and Delfina Martinez on Nov. 9, 1930, in Ignacio. Descended from “Ute Strip” pioneers, she grew up near the...

Florence Cundiff
Nov 13, 2011
Obituary for Florence M. Cundiff Florence Cundiff, our loving mother, grandmother, aunt and friend, went to be with her Lord Sunday, November 13, 2011, at Mercy Regional Medical Center in Durango. She was 91. Florence was born in Bayfield to Siecke and Elmer Willmett on April 26, 1920. She lived her life in the Bayfield/Durango area. She married Kelly Cundiff...

Kenneth Craig
Nov 10, 2011
Obituary for Kenneth A. Craig Kenneth A. Craig, 80, died Thursday, November 10, 2011, in Durango. Mr. Craig was born July 30, 1931, in Durango, the son of Platt and Grace Craig. He grew up in Durango on a ranch (running cattle) on the Florida Mesa. He graduated from Durango High School in 1949, and he married Ruth Gibbens on...

Walter Nowotny
Nov 9, 2011
Obituary for Walter W. Nowotny Durango resident Walter William Nowotny, Jr., 75, died from complications of Alzheimer’s disease Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2011, in Durango. Known as “Walt,” he was born to Walter William and Margaret Glaub Nowotny on June 7, 1936, in St. Louis. Mr. Nowotny graduated with a bachelor’s degree in agriculture from the University of Missouri in Columbia...

Duane Valencia
Nov 8, 2011
Obituary for Duane S. Valencia Duane Solomon Valencia, 45, died Tuesday, November 8, 2011, at his home in Ignacio, Colo. A Memorial Service will be at 10 a.m. Monday, November 14, 2011, at St. Ignatius Catholic Church. Cremation will occur at Hood Mortuary Crematory in Durango. Mr. Valencia was born November 14, 1965, in Garden Grove, Calif., the son of...

Mary Albright
Nov 8, 2011
Obituary for Mary Ellen Albright Durango resident Mary Ellen Albright died of cancer Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2011, at her home. She was 55. Ms. Albright was born to Charles and Mary Ellen Albright on March 16, 1956, in Baltimore. She was the youngest of seven children and the only girl. She was first educated as a registered nurse and worked...

Kitt Harman
Nov 4, 2011
Obituary for Kitt S. Harman Durango resident Kitt Stone Harman died Friday, Nov. 4, 2011, in Durango. He was 26. Mr. Harman was born to Jimi Lee and Marita Jean Harman on Oct. 21, 1985. He was the last baby born at Community Hospital in Durango. He graduated from Durango High School in 2006 and from Wyoming Technical Institute in...

Robert Freeman
Nov 1, 2011
Obituary for Robert Allen "Rob" Freeman La Plata County resident Rob Freeman died on November 1, 2011 after a courageous battle against a rare and aggressive cancer called merkel cell carcinoma. He was 66 years old. He was born in Washington, DC on December 15, 1944, the eldest of three sons of C.A. Freeman and Mary Halstead. He grew up...

Ruben Garcia
Nov 1, 2011
Obituary for Ruben Eddie Garcia Ruben Eddie Garcia, 63, died Thursday, October 27, 2011 at Mercy Medical Center in Durango, Colorado. He was born in Bayfield, Colorado on January 31, 1948 to Ruben and Irene Garcia. He lived in Bayfield most of his life, but recently moved to the Senior Center in Ignacio where he was closer to his daughters...

Jerry Ulibarri
Oct 27, 2011
Obituary for Jerry Leon Ulibarri Jerry Leon Ulibarri, 62, died Thursday, October 27, 2011 at San Juan Regional Medical Center in Farmington, New Mexico. A Funeral Service will be Saturday, October 29, 2011 at 11:00 A.M. at Pine River Valley Baptist Church. Pastor David McCaw of Pine River Valley Baptist Church will be officiating. Burial will occur at Pine River...

Genevieve Phelps
Oct 27, 2011
Obituary for Genevieve Phelps Genevieve Phelps died Thursday, October 27, 2011, at home in Allison, Colo. She was 90. Genevieve was born August 22, 1921, to Charles Bradley and Elizabeth (King) Johnson in the family home at 162 Lewis Street in Pagosa Springs, Colo. She is preceded in death by her first husband James Theodore Olsen and her parents. While...