Search Archived Marriage Records
Mary Elizabeth ‘Mary Beth’ Barnett
Oct. 2, 1998
Memorial services will be 1 p.m. Saturday at the Fort Lewis College Chapel for Mary Elizabeth "Mary Beth" Barnett, who died Friday, Oct. 2, 1998, at her home in Durango after an extended illness. She was 56.
Private burial of cremains will be at Skylawn Cemetery
in San Mateo, Calif., at a later date.
Mrs. Barnett was born April 20, 1942, in Walsenburg, Colo. She was a longtime Durango resident. She worked for many years at Poor Boys and kept books for the Palace Restaurant.
Mrs. Barnett enjoyed playing volleyball and softball and also umpired softball. She was the anchor for the Farquahrt’s tug-of-war team and led her team to many victories. She was known as the Tug-O-War Queen.
Survivors include her mother, Margaret Alexander of San Mateo, Calif.; brothers, Dale Alexander of Daly City, Calif., Pat O’Brien of Golden, Colo., and Mike O’Brien of Dumont, Colo.; and sisters, Patti O’Brien-Wilson of Silverton and Erin O’Brien-Authier of Anchorage, Alaska.
Memorial donations may be made to the American Heart Association, La Plata County Heart Fund, P.O. Box 1777, Durango, CO 81302.
William Morgan ‘Bill’ Howell
Oct. 1, 1998
Funeral services will be 4 p.m. Friday at Miners Union Theatre in Silverton for William Morgan "Bill" Howell, a longtime Silverton resident, who died Thursday, Oct. 1, 1998, in Durango. He was 67.
There will be cremation.
Mr. Howell was born June 24, 1931 in Cleveland, Ohio. He was a longtime resident of Silverton where he was a businessman and active in community affairs. He attended the University of Chicago and the University of Kansas at Lawrence.
He is survived by his wife, Cheryl, of Silverton; a daughter, Mallory Downs of Bloomfield, N.M.; a son, Morgan Howell of Silverton; one grandson and one brother.
Contributions may be made to the Silverton San Juan County Ambulance Assoc., Inc. P.O. Box 493, Silverton, CO 81433 or to A Theatre Group, P.O. Box 56, Silverton, CO 81433.
The cause of death was unavailable.
Theodore Roosevelt ‘Ted’ Varner
Oct. 1, 1998
No services are planned for Theodore Roosevelt "Ted" Varner who died Thursday, Oct. 1, 1998, in Durango. He was 90.
Mr. Varner was born Feb. 6, 1908, in Blackwell, Okla.
A former resident of Farmington, N.M., Mr. Varner worked many years throughout the country for El Paso Natural Gas.
Mr. Varner was preceded in death by his wife, Anna May, who died in February 1993.
Survivors include his son Charlie Kaiser Sr. of Cortez; a brother, Charles Varner of Santa Barbara, Calif., and numerous grand, great-grand and great-great-grandchildren.
Vena B. Morlan
A memorial service will be 10 a.m. Thursday at St. Columba Catholic Church for Vena B. Morlan, who died Saturday, Nov. 28, 1998, in Mesa, Ariz., of heart failure. She was 90.
The Rev. Michael McCleary will officiate.
Judy Bustos Raulston
Services were held Dec. 1 at the Wood Family Funeral Service Chapel in Tehachapi, Calif., for Judy Bustos Raulston, who died of cancer Thursday, Nov. 26, 1998, in Bakersfield, Calif. She was 68.
Interment was at the Tehachapi Public Cemetery
in Tehachapi, Calif. Mrs. Raulston was born in Crested Butte, Colo. She was a longtime resident of Durango and a graduate of Durango High School.
Mrs. Raulston moved to Tehachapi in 1959. She was employed as a waitress at Kelcy’s Restaurant before retiring.
Survivors include her husband, Lonnie Raulston of Tehachapi, Calif.; son, Chuck Raulston of Bakersfield, Calif.; daughters, Janell Slattery of Tehachapi, Calif., and Shalona Pendley of Bakersfield, Calif.; mother, Stella Bustos of Huntington Beach, Calif.; six grandchildren; four sisters and numerous nieces and nephews.
Memorial donations may be made to the American Cancer Society or the American Lung Association of Kern County. The cause of death was not available.
James Bowen Morton
Memorial services will be 3 p.m. Friday at the Fort Lewis College Chapel for James Bowen Morton, who died Friday, Dec. 4, 1998, in Durango. He was 63.
Mr. Morton was born April 25, 1935, in Denver. He was a resident of Pagosa Springs.
He was a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps. Mr. Morton was employed as an owner-manager.
Survivors include his daughter, Lynne Gomez of Ignacio; son, John Robert Morton of Durango; sister, Mary Jane Summers of Denver, Colo.; and two grandchildren. The cause of death was not available.
Stuart H. Buehling
Stuart H. Buehling, a longtime U.S. Forest Service employee, died Monday, Nov. 23, 1998, at the Central Washington Hospital of Wenatchee, Wash., due to complications from thyroid cancer. He was 80.
The body was cremated.
Mr. Buehling was born May 11, 1918, in Chicago. He married Phyllis R.. Miller on July 24, 1943, in Spokane, Wash.
Mr. Buehling worked 34 years for the Forest Service. He and his family moved to Pagosa Springs in 1957 and to Durango a couple years later. In Durango he worked in timber management for the Forest Service and stayed until 1967. He retired in 1972.
Survivors include his wife, Phyllis Buehling of Wenatchee; a son, Bruce Buehling of Durango; and a daughter, Dianne Beeson of Wenatchee.
He was preceded in death by a brother, Norman, and a sister, Margaret.
Ruth Smith
Graveside services will be 2 p.m. Thursday at Greenmount Cemetery
for Ruth Smith, who died Saturday, Nov. 28, 1998, in Durango. She was 80.
The Rev. Dan Straw will officiate.
Mrs. Smith was born Sept. 14, 1918, in Belle Fourche, S.D. She married W. Frank Smith Aug. 7, 1940, in Deadwood, S.D.
Mrs. Smith lived in Durango for the past 16 years. She previously lived in Phoenix, Ariz., for 25 years.
Mrs. Smith was employed as a medical transcriptionist. She worked on genealogy for 40 years and enjoyed studying Native American history.
Survivors include husband, W. Frank Smith of Durango; daughter, Linda Willmett of Durango; one grandson, three step-granddaughters and one step-grandson.
Earl V. Biss Jr.
Earl V. Biss Jr., an internationally renowned artist and master oil painter, died of a stroke Sunday, Oct. 18, 1998 in Santa Fe, N.M. He was 51.
Mr. Biss was born Sept. 29, 1947, in Renton, Wash., and was taken six days later to the Crow Nation in Montana, where he was raised by his grandmother. He attended the Institute of American Indian Arts from 1965 to 1966 and later studied at the San Francisco Art Institute from 1966 to 1972. He continued his artistic training in Europe and South America. He lived in Durango in 1971.
Survivors include his ex-wife, Dana Ivers of Bayfield; two half-brothers and adopted son, Benji Bulltail.
Memorial donations may be made to the Earl Biss Memorial Scholarship Fund, P.O. Box 1830, Aspen, CO 81612 for a school for Crow Indian artists on the reservation.
Margaret P. Watson
Private services will be held for Margaret P. Watson, who died Wednesday, Nov. 25, 1998, at Hearthstone of Sun City, Ariz. She was 82.
Mrs. Watson was born in Durango. She was a homemaker. She moved from Arizona to Colorado in 1974.
Survivors include her husband, William Watson of Sun City, Ariz.; son, Jim C. Watson of Roseville, Calif.; four grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
