Search Archived Marriage Records
Patricia Moralez (6/9/2006)
A celebration of life for Patricia Moralez will be held from 5 to 9 p.m. Saturday, June 10, 2006, at Spring Creek Hall on County Road 334 in Ignacio.
Mrs. Moralez died on March 15, 2006.
George Andrew Brown (6/9/2006)
A man who was known as "Mr. Pancake Day" among his fellow Kiwaniians, George Andrew Brown, died in Durango on Wednesday, June 7, 2006. He was 82.
He and his wife had been residents of Durango since 1971.
Mr. Brown was born to Ernest and Anna Brown in Denbo, Pa., on July 1, 1923. He graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point on June 6, 1944. Mr. Brown had received his pilot wings the previous day.
He was commissioned into the Army Air Corps, reporting to B-17 Combat Crew Training in July 1944. He began flying B-29s as an aircraft commander in 1945, then moved up to the six-jet-engine B-47 in 1951.
On Jan. 6, 1951, he married Joan Elizabeth Stoddard of East Liverpool, Ohio.
Later stationed with the Strategic Air Command, he was involved with the RB-47 Reconnaissance program. During his career, Mr. Brown accumulated more than 6,500 hours of flying time.
Some of the highlights of Mr. Brown's military career included serving at the headquarters of the Strategic Air Command from 1957 to 1960; at the Air Force Academy from 1960 to 1964; at the Air Force headquarters from 1964 to 1967; and with the Air Force Reserve Training Officer Corps from 1970 to 1971.
Mr. Brown retired from the Air Force in July 1971 with the rank of full colonel. His major decorations include the Distinguished Flying Cross and two Meritorious Service Medals.
When the Browns moved to Durango, Mr. Brown activated the General Business Services franchise for Southwest Colorado. His family said that he helped many businesses to grow and prosper. He retired from GBS in 1989.
Mr. Brown was a life member of the Kiwanis Club of Durango. He served as treasurer and on the board of directors for many years.
He was a member of Christ the King Lutheran Church for 35 years and had served the church in a variety of capacities over the decades. Mr. Brown was an active member of the Military Officers Association of America.
His family said they would like to honor him for his devotion to his country, his family, his church and his community.
Mr. Brown is survived by his wife of 55 years, Joan Brown, of Durango; daughter Jan Reed of Durango; sons David Brown of O'Fallon, Ill., Dan Brown of Adams, Tenn., and Larry Brown of Sidney, Neb.; sister Velma Adamson of Dubois, Pa.; and 12 grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday, June 22, 2006, at Christ the King Lutheran Church. The Rev. John Knutson will officiate.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Christ the King Lutheran Church, 495 Florida Road, Durango, CO 81301; or to The Community Foundation - Kiwanis Endowment Fund, P.O. Box 976, Durango, CO 81302.
John Henry Zurbrick (6/9/2006)
Durango resident John "Outhouse" H. Zurbrick died at Mercy Medical Center on Wednesday, June 7, 2006. He was 76.
His family said Mr. Zurbrick moved to Durango in 1984 to live out his life's dream.
He enjoyed hunting, fly fishing and spending time with his friends. The Tuesday Safety Meetings held at the Diamond Belle were one of the things that he enjoyed.
Mr. Zurbrick was born on April 6, 1930, in Pontiac, Mich. He served in the Army.
Mr. Zurbrick is survived by his sons Kirk Zurbrick, Steve Zurbrick and Michael Zurbrick; and daughter Kristine Carr.
Cremation will occur and his ashes spread in the places he loved most.
Mary M. Johns (6/6/2006)
Ignacio resident Mary M. Johns, 67, died at Four Corners Health Care Center on Friday, June 2, 2006. The cause of death was pancreatic cancer.
Mr. and Mrs. Johns moved to Ignacio from Newport, R.I., in 1993, after Mr. Johns retired. Mrs. Johns worked for the Southern Ute Head Start Program as the assistant to the director.
Mrs. Johns liked horses, owned several of them, and served as the president of the Southwest Colorado Arabian Horse Association.
She was born to Milton and Gayle Hart in Cincinnati on July 13, 1938. Mrs. Johns graduated from Roger Bacon High School in Cincinnati in 1956. In 1967, she married Warren E. Jones, also in Cincinnati.
While living in Rhode Island, Mrs. Johns worked as the office manager for Newport Creamery, a chain of 34 stores.
"She was very demanding but very loving," her husband said.
Mrs. Johns is survived by her husband, Warren Jones, of Ignacio; daughters Juanita Frost of Highlands Ranch and Dorothea Grubbs of Walton, Ky.; son Mark Reed of Cincinnati; two grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
Cremation will occur. A memorial service will be held at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 7, 2006, at the Southern Ute Head Start gymnasium at 279 Capote Drive in Ignacio.
Memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society, 3801 N. Main Ave., Durango, CO 81301.
Allen H. Trimmer
Mr. Trimmer was the only child of Howard C. and Maude Worden Trimmer and was born April 18, 1920, in Toledo, Ohio.
“His was a true rags-to-riches story,” his family said. “A product of the Great Depression, Allen went from building and selling model airplanes in his mother’s basement at age 12 to owning and running a successful business.”
During World War II, he served in the Army Air Corps, traveling all over the United States to develop faster systems to overhaul plane engines to keep more planes in the air.
While stationed in San Antonio, he married Sybil Batey toward the end of the war. The marriage later ended in divorce.
After the war, he attended the University of Toledo, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in engineering.
His business, B&T and Associates, represented a number of large manufacturers in the automotive and aeronautical industries and was based in Toledo.
On Nov. 15, 1957, he married Barbara Wise in Toledo.
The Trimmers had owned a home in Durango since the late 1980s. They also maintained homes in Hope Town, Abaco, Bahamas; and Blakely Island, Wash.
“Together with his beloved wife ... Allen enjoyed all aspects of life to the fullest,” his family said. “He was a charming acquaintance and a steadfast friend.”
Mr. Trimmer was a pilot, a boater and a railroad enthusiast. He was a member of the San Juan Large Scale Model Railroad Club.
His family said the Trimmers made many friends in Durango and Blakely Island during their annual summer visits, but Hope Town was where they were most at home.
Mr. Trimmer was preceded in death by his wife of almost 50 years, Barbara Trimmer.
He is survived by his daughters Barbara Trimmer of Toledo and Marilyn Trimmer of Prescott Valley, Ariz.; stepdaughter, Bobbie Burton, of Howe, Ind.; one grandson; two great-grandchildren; and extended family members.
A memorial service will be held in Hope Town at a later date.
Memorial contributions may be sent to Hospice of Mercy, 1 Mercado St., Suite 270, Durango, CO 81301 or www.centurahealthathome.org; Hope Town Fire and Rescue at www.hopetownfirerescue.com; Bahamas Lighthouse Preservation Society at www.elbowcaylighthouse.com; or a charity of one’s choice.
Barbara Wise Trimmer (6/6/2006)
Durango resident Barbara W. Trimmer died at her home on Saturday, June 3, 2006. She was 92.
The Trimmers had lived in Durango since 1991.
Mrs. Trimmer was born to Edward Munn and Carmen Marguerite (Miller) Wise in Toledo, Ohio's Old West End on March 12, 1914. She graduated from Scott High School in 1932 and went on to study at Toledo University.
She was enjoying a career in sales with Harper Manufacturing and raising her daughter, Bobbie, when she married Allen H. Trimmer on Nov. 15, 1957. Following their marriage, she served as vice president of his company, B & T and Associates, handling all accounting and recordkeeping duties.
Her husband said they traveled throughout the Americas, using every mode of transportation, including cargo ships. Mr. Trimmer was a private pilot, and Mrs. Trimmer took flying lessons so she could take over in an emergency.
Mr. Trimmer became an accomplished "first mate" on trips on the Intracoastal Waterway on their boat, the Barbara W.
Mrs. Trimmer polished her chess skills so the couple could play on a portable set while traveling. Her husband said that between them, they played every conceivable hand of both contract and duplicate bridge.
"Barbara was ruthless at Scrabble and Boggle," Mr. Trimmer said.
The couple both enjoyed golf and always kept a putter at the back door.
"Barbara lived her life with gusto, energy and curiosity and sparked, pushed and prodded those around her to keep up," her husband said. "She was never an observer, and there seemed to be no bounds to the things that interested her and that she accomplished."
He said that her passions were multi-faceted, so that the pursuit of the morel mushroom would lead to a feast from the sauté pan and colorful Lake Superior Agates would become part of a piece of jewelry that she crafted. Mrs. Trimmer also enjoyed glassmaking and painting.
Mrs. Trimmer was a self-taught cook who enjoyed entertaining. She liked to gather friends for fine food and great conversation.
The Trimmers wintered in Hope Town in the Bahamas for many years. Mrs. Trimmer enjoyed walking the beach and wading through tide pools looking for what she called "goodies."
In 2003, she self-published what she hoped would be the first of her memoirs for friends and family. Called The Cakebreaker Factory, after the location of her first job, it included many remembrances of her early years.
Mrs. Trimmer is survived by her husband of almost 50 years, Allen H. Trimmer of Durango; daughter Bobbie Burton of Howe, Ind.; stepdaughters Barbara Trimmer of Toledo, Ohio, and Marilyn Trimmer of Prescott Valley, Ariz.; one grandson; and several nieces and one nephew.
A celebration of her life will be held in the fall in Hope Town, Abacos, the Bahamas.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Hospice of Mercy, 3801 North Main Ave., Durango, CO 81301; the Hope Town Sailing Club or Hope Town Fire and Rescue, Hope Town, Abacos, Bahamas.
Her family also said that she would have thought it would be great to be remembered when her friends gathered to enjoy a meal.
Elizabeth Marie Wilson (6/6/2006)
Former Durango resident Elizabeth Marie "Betty" (Orr) Wilson died at the Grace Assisted Living Memory Care Unit in Meridien, Idaho, on Friday, May 19, 2006. She was 85.
The Wilson family lived in Durango from 1957 to 1975. They enjoyed exploring the Four Corners in their old Jeep, as well as skiing, sailing and living in a small cabin at Vallecito Reservoir. Mrs. Wilson worked as an elementary school teacher while at the cabin.
She was born to William M. and Eula D. (McDonald) Orr in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on Nov. 14, 1920. Her parents were Presbyterian missionaries there. When she was 18 months old, the family returned to the United States, and she grew up in El Paso, Texas; Las Cruces and Raton, N.M.; and Canon City, where the Rev. Orr continued his ministry.
In 1937, the family moved to Albuquerque, where Mrs. Wilson graduated from Albuquerque High School. She went on to study at the College of Emporia in Emporia, Kan., in 1942. That's where she met her husband, David E. Wilson. They wed in Denver on May 29, 1944.
The Wilsons lived in Partridge, Kan., before moving to Durango. In 1953-54, Mrs. Wilson hosted the first cooking show for KTVH-TV, an affiliate of CBS, in Hutchinson, Kan. Called "Kansas Kitchen." It was a daily half-hour program that ran Monday through Friday. She would demonstrate how to prepare meals and decorate for the holidays as well as bringing special programs to her audience.
Her family said Mrs. Wilson received a lot of fan mail, and she answered each with an individual response.
After leaving Durango, the Wilsons lived in Boise, Idaho, where their son, Dan Wilson, lived. In 1979, they moved to the Oregon Coast, where they enjoyed exploring the area. In 1991, they moved back to Idaho to Nampa.
When the Wilsons lived in Coos Bay, Ore., Mrs. Wilson was an instructor for the Home Economics Department at Southwestern Oregon Community College.
According to her family, Mrs. Wilson learned to love nature in all the places where her parents resided and where they would go camping. They said some of her happiest times were spent traveling with her husband in their motor home and then putting together photo albums from the places they visited.
They said Mrs. Wilson loved children, animals, quilting, sewing, cooking, roses, music and chocolate.
She was a member of the First Presbyterian Church in Nampa, Idaho.
Mrs. Wilson was preceded in death by her husband, David Wilson.
She is survived by her son Dan Wilson of Idaho; and numerous nieces and nephews.
She requested that in lieu of flowers or other remembrances, donations be made to organizations that help small children.
