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William Earl Trimble
Durango Masonic Lodge member and lifelong truck driver William Earl Trimble of Sterling died on Thursday, May 20, 2004. He was 73 and died in a truck accident in Greeley.
"He spent his last moments doing what he loved, and that was driving those trucks," said his son, William Trimble Jr. "He will be dearly, dearly missed by his family and all of his acquaintances."
Mr. Trimble was born in Artesia, N.M., on Oct. 31, 1930, to Katie and William Trimble. He and his family lived in Bayfield from the early 1950s through the late 1970s. He was a veteran of the Korean War.
Mr. Trimble is survived by two daughters, Cherrie Brown of Farmington and Earlene Finch of Wasilla, Alaska; a son, William Trimble Jr. of Albuquerque; eight grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren.
A funeral service will be held at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday at the Tennant Funeral Home in Sterling. Mr. Trimble will be buried alongside his wife, Twila, in the Pine River Cemetery in Bayfield at 2 p.m. Tuesday, June 1.
Frank Varaia
Hesperus native Frank Varaia died Wednesday, May 19, 2004, at Four Corners Health Care Center in Durango. He was 88 and died of natural causes, his family said in an obituary notice from Hood Mortuary.
Mr. Varaia was born Oct. 5, 1915, the son of Joseph and Elizabeth Varaia. He spent his youth living on Florida Mesa, and then moved to Redmesa in the 1950s. He was an expert cattle and ranchman who could treat cows or break horses with ease. He loved to hunt elk and was privileged to have gone on the first elk hunt in Hermosa after elk were introduced to the area. Mr. Varaia was a self-taught gunsmith and excelled at any type of equipment repair.
Mr. Varaia is survived by two sisters, Mary Evola of Ogden, Utah, and Pauline Reza of West Point, Utah; and numerous nieces and nephews.
Visitation will be held at Hood Mortuary from 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday. A graveside service will be held at 9 a.m. Monday at Redmesa Cemetery in Redmesa near Colorado Highway 140 and County Road 103. Bishop Trent Taylor of the Redmesa Ward of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will officiate.
David A. Miller
David A. Miller, a Durango native and Bayfield resident until the mid-1960s, died Monday, May 24, 2004. Mr. Miller died at his home in Leesburg, Va., from complications from lung and liver cancer. He was 65.
Mr. Miller attended Bayfield High School and joined the U.S. Air Force in 1958. He served for four years and went on to work in construction for the remainder of his life. He enjoyed hunting and fishing, said his brother Ronald Miller.
Mr. Miller is survived by his wife, Katherine Miller of Leesburg, Va.; a son, Thomas R. Miller of Leesburg, Va.; two daughters, Kelly Kinney of Hillsboro, Ore., and Linda Voitl of Colorado Springs; a sister, Noreen Starbuck of Farmington; a brother, Ronald Miller of Bayfield; two half-sisters, Doris Cox and Margaret Maier; and 12 grandchildren.
A funeral will be held at 1 p.m. Thursday at the Colonial Funeral Home in Leesburg, Va. Burial will be in Virginia.
Alex Martinez
Durango native and lifelong Bayfield resident Joseph Alex Martinez died Saturday, May 22, 2004, at his home. He was 43 and died of natural causes, his family said in an obituary notice from Hood Mortuary.
Mr. Martinez was born June 10, 1960, the son of Fern and Ben Martinez. He enjoyed animals and outdoor activities, including hunting, fishing, taking care of livestock and spending time with friends.
Mr. Martinez is survived by his mother, Fern Martinez of Bayfield; his sister, Beverly Martinez of Bayfield; his brothers, Ross Martinez and Isidore Martinez of Bayfield; his grandmother, Natividad Martinez of Durango; three nephews and one great-nephew.
A rosary will be recited at 7 p.m. today in St. Ignatius Catholic Church. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday at St. Ignatius. The Rev. James Koenigsfeld will officiate. Burial will take place at Tiffany Cemetery in Tiffany.
Anna Mae Carlisle
Anna Mae Carlisle of Farmington, who lived in Durango through the 1940s and early 1950s, died Monday, May 17, 2004, in Farmington. She died of natural causes at the age of 85.
Mrs. Carlisle was born Anna Mae Brown on May 24, 1918, in Moab, Utah. She married Kenneth Carlisle, who was manager of the Moab Transportation Co. They had a house near Vallecito.
Mrs. Carlisle was preceded in death by her husband.
She is survived by her children, John Carlisle of Flora Vista, N.M., Sandy Bell of Farmington and Kit Doerfert of Flora Vista, N.M.; her sister, Ruth Lambo of Durango; and five grandchildren.
Memorial services for Mrs. Carlisle will be announced.
Brenda Wright
Brenda Wright, a native of Durango and more recently a resident of Farmington, died in San Juan County, N.M. She was 45.
Mrs. Wright was born Sept. 1, 1958, in Durango, to Harold and Emma Lou Wright.
Mrs. Wright is survived by her children, Daniel, Valerie, Crystal and Heather Jaquez and Julie McKinney; brothers, John, Dennis, Terry and Mike Wright; sisters, Barbara Murphy and Benita Wright; and a grandson, Dylan McKinney.
She was preceded in death by her father and a brother, Jerry Wright.
Mrs. Wright's children offer special thanks to Barbara Olguin for her faithful friendship to their mother.
Mrs. Wright's family will receive friends from 6 to 8 p.m. today at Cope Memorial Chapel. A celebration of her life is scheduled at 2 p.m. Monday at Pine River Baptist Church in Ignacio, with the Rev. David McCaw officiating.
Interment will be at Greenmount Cemetery in Durango.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests contributions to the Brenda Wright Memorial Fund at the Four Corners Community Bank, 500 W. Main St., Farmington NM 87401, to assist the family.
Arrangements are under the direction of Cope Memorial Chapel, 404 W. Arrington St., Farmington.
Myrtis B. Holt
Myrtis B. Holt, a longtime resident of Durango, died of natural causes Wednesday, May 19, 2004, at The Valley Inn, in Mancos. She was 92.
Mrs. Holt was born in Omaha, Tex., on May 4, 1912, to John and Barbara (Cochran) Burkhead.
Her parents were cotton and grain farmers, which provided Mrs. Hold with her earliest memories - field work.
The family moved to Muleshoe, Texas, where Mrs. Holt graduated from high school in 1932.
She met Gale W. Holt in Muleshoe, and the couple married Nov. 10, 1935, in Portales, N.M. They moved to Durango in 1947.
Mrs. Holt was a longtime member of the First Baptist Church of Durango where she helped organize a Bible study group that met regularly for more than 22 years.
She also taught the church's Mary-Martha Sunday School class for nearly 20 years. She read the Bible daily.
An accomplished seamstress, Mrs. Holt also did needlework of all kind. She didn't rest until macular degeneration robbed her of her eyesight. She also was a member of the Community Hospital Auxiliary.
Mrs. Holt is survived by numerous nieces and nephews, including Kay Baker, Susan Reese and Gary Robison, all of Durango, and Ann Gross of Camino, Calif.
She was preceded in death by her husband, in April 1995, a sister and two brothers.
A graveside service is scheduled at 10 a.m. Friday at Greenmount Cemetery, with the Rev. Dan Straw officiating.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the First Baptist Church of Durango, P.O. Box 3307, Durango 81302.
Pearl McRae Talley
Pearl McRae Talley died Saturday, May 15, 2004, at her home in La Plata, N.M. She was 92.
Mrs. Talley was born Dec. 2, 1911, in Thatcher, Ariz., the daughter of Nymphus Charles and Sarah Francis McRae.
Mrs. Talley is survived by sons Thomas Charles Talley, of Durango, and George McRae Talley, of Reno; a sister, Etta Smith, of Thatcher; 12 grandchildren; 31 great-grandchildren; and four great-great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Alvin Talley; a son, Del; and a daughter, Peggy McRae.
Visitation is scheduled from 6 to 8 p.m. today at Brewer, Lee & Larkin Funeral Home in Farmington. Funeral services will take place at 10 a.m. Wednesday at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Redmesa, with Bishop Trent Taylor officiating. Interment will be in La Plata Cemetery.
Sid Samuels
Sid Samuels, who lived in Durango more than 30 years, died Tuesday, May 11, 2004, in brother Lendy Crone's home in Yuma, Ariz. He died of cancer at the age of 60, Crone said.
Mr. Samuels was born Dec. 10, 1944, in Carlsbad, N.M., but he lived most of his life in Colorado, including Bayfield, Creede and Ignacio. He worked in the mines in Silverton and Creede for many years and was last employed by the La Plata County Road Department in Durango.
Mr. Samuels enjoyed living in the mountains where he hunted elk and pheasant, besides fishing in the Pine River near Bayfield.
"I recall one day when Sid was taking me to school, and he said that this was the best time of my life and I should try to enjoy it," Crone said. "I applied that to the rest of my life and have tried to seize every opportunity and have fun at it. Now, more than 35 years later, I'm still having fun and thankful that I can still enjoy life."
Mr. Samuels is survived by his sons: Larry Samuels of Moses Lake, Wash., Dean Samuels and Mike Samuels, both of Cordes Junction, Ariz.; his granddaughter, Sydney Samuels of Cordes Junction; his brothers: Gene Samuels of Portland, Ore., and Lendy Crone of Yuma, Ariz.; and his sisters: Pat Conway and Nikki Britt of Durango.
At the request of Mr. Samuels, the services will be closed.
J. Gordon Bechtel
The Rev. J. Gordon Bechtel, 64, who grew up in Durango and graduated from Durango High School, died Friday, May 7, 2004, in Emporia, Kan. The cause of death was thought to be a heart attack, said a representative of the Roberts-Blue-Barnett Funeral Home in Emporia.
The Rev. Bechtel was born March 28, 1940, in Alamosa, although his family moved to Durango when he was a year old. He was the son of Helen (Gordon) Bechtel and J. David Bechtel, who was pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Durango from 1941 to 1967.
He earned a bachelor's degree at The College of Wooster in Wooster, Ohio; then he was awarded his master of divinity and doctorate of ministry at McCormick Theological College in Chicago.
After his ordination in 1965, he became pastor of a church in Latrobe, Pa., for five years. He moved to Lexington, Ky., to be associate pastor of the Second Presbyterian Church from 1970 to 1983; then he moved to Emporia as pastor of the First Presbyterian Church, a job he held for the rest of his life.
He married Meredith E. Lynch on June 29, 1963 in Greenfield, Ind.
Bechtel was a member and former moderator of the Presbytery of Northern Kansas; a member and past president of the Emporia Rotary Club, the Current Club in Emporia and the Lyon County Ministerial Alliance; a member and current president of Friends in Faith Serving Emporia; a former chairman and member of Emporia Senior Center Board.
He was awarded the Liberty Bell Award by the Lyon County Bar Association for his community involvement. He was also instrumental in getting the Hand in Hand Hospice started in Emporia.
Bechtel is survived by his wife, Meredith Bechtel, of Emporia; his son, Craig S. Bechtel of Park Ridge, Ill.; his brother, David R. Bechtel of Fort Collins; and his grandson, Lucas A. Bechtel of Park Ridge.
His memorial service took place May 12 at the First Presbyterian Church in Emporia. It was conducted by six fellow members of the clergy from Kansas.
Donations may be made to the First Presbyterian Church of Emporia or Friends in Faith Serving Emporia. Send donations in care of Roberts-Blue-Barnett Funeral Home, 605 State St., Emporia, KS 66801.
Nora Townsend
Nora Townsend, a longtime teacher in Durango schools, died of Parkinson's disease on Friday, May 14, 2004. She was 87.
Mrs. Townsend was born Sept. 16, 1916, in Bayfield, the daughter of James Albert Townsend and Sarah Emily (Eades) Townsend.
She is survived by her sisters, Doris Franklin of Farmington, and Lorena Brown of Lancaster, Calif.
Cremation has occurred and memorial services are scheduled for 2 p.m. Monday at Cope Memorial Chapel of Farmington, 404 W. Arrington St., Farmington, with the Rev. Brad Perry officiating.
Bradley K. 'Brad' Boose
Bradley K. "Brad" Boose died Thursday, May 13, 2004, at his home in Red Mesa. He was 44.
Mr. Boose was born July 23, 1959, in Coatesville, Pa., the son of Janice Otter and Ted L. Boose.
Mr. Boose married Holly Higgins on Dec. 3, 1988, in Deer Valley, Utah. The couple was relocating to Durango to be close to a sister. Mr. Boose was employed by TSA at the Durango-La Plata County Airport.
While in the Air Force from 1978 to 1984, Mr. Boose received the Humanitarian Service Medal for his contributions during the Mount St. Helens volcanic eruption. He served 18 months in Germany where he earned the rank of sergeant. He was a crew chief on aircraft and continued in aviation when he returned to civilian life.
"Brad was a loving, caring person with a great sense of humor," his wife said. "He was liked by all those who met him. He will be greatly missed."
Mr. Boose is survived by his wife, Holly; his parents; sisters, Briana Boose, of Salt Lake City, Brenda Lamiroy of Durango, and Dawn Ennis of Jupiter, Fla. He also is survived by his grandmother, Jane Boose, of New Holland, Pa.; and nieces and nephews, Carlie, Erin, Tonya and Keith Boose.
He was preceded in death by his brother, Benjamin Boose, in 1997.
