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Wanda Jo Smith
Services were held Monday at the First United Pentecostal Church in Bay City, Texas, for Wanda Jo Smith, who died Friday, June 4, 1999, in Bay City, Texas, of natural causes. She was 72.
Burial was at Roselawn Memorial Park in Van Vleck, Texas.
Mrs. Smith was born July 29, 1926, in Ben Franklin, Texas. She was a resident of Durango for the past two years and was a former 63-year resident of Bay City, Texas.
Mrs. Smith was a member of the First United Pentecostal Church in Durango.
She was preceded in death by two sons, Royce R. Smith and Terry G. Smith.
Survivors include her husband, George A. Smith of Durango; three daughters, Wanda Garner of Durango, Joan Harper of Hattiesburg, Miss., and Nellie J. Haakasma of Houston; two sons, Rusty Smith of Anchorage, Alaska, and Gordon Smith of Bay City, Texas; four sisters, Frankie Socha of Magnolia, Texas, Hazel Andrews and Thelma Gola, both of Bay City, Texas, and Faye Hadley of Chatom, Alabama; a brother, Jack Brumley of Bay City, Texas; 12 grandchildren and 23 great-grandchildren.
Memorial donations may be made to the United Pentecostal Church, 1990 Florida Road, Durango, CO 81301.
Lucinda E. Garcia
A Mass of Christian burial was celebrated Monday at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church for Lucinda Garcia, who died Thursday, June 3, 1999, in Durango after an extended illness. She was 37.
A Rosary was said Sunday at the church. Burial was at Hilltop Cemetery.
Ms. Garcia was born April 27, 1962, in Durango. She moved away from the area to Denver but returned to Pagosa Springs in 1979. She married and had two children.
Ms. Garcia was a housewife and mother. She had a special love for music.
Survivors include her mother and father, Corina Hermosillo and Chris Garcia, both of Pagosa Springs; a son, Richard Garcia of Pagosa Springs; a daughter, Laura Martinez of Pagosa Springs; two brothers, Jerry Garcia of Pagosa Springs and Toby Garcia of Denver; her grandmother, Eva Espinosa of Denver; two grandchildren, Natasha Garcia and Darron Garcia of Pagosa Springs; and several aunts, uncles and cousins.
Joseph Graham 'Joe' Hitti
Memorial services will be 10 a.m. Wednesday at Hood Mortuary Chapel for Joseph Graham "Joe" Hitti, a lifelong resident of the area who died June 2, 1999, in Douglas, Wyo. He was 27. The cause of death was unavailable.
The Rev. Dan Straw will officiate at services. Mr. Hitti was born Jan. 23, 1972 in Durango and worked as a pipeline welder for various gas companies.
He is survived by his wife, Mitzi Hitti, of Aztec, N.M.; a daughter, Brittany Hitti of Prescott, Ariz.; parents, Sue Hitti of Durango and Ron Hitti of Pagosa Springs; brothers, Mike Hitti of Chimney Rock, Ron Hitti Jr. of Durango; grandmother, Alice Meiklejohn of Durango; and three stepdaughters, Tosha, Jade and Corina Marquez, all of Aztec., N.M.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Joe Hitti Memorial Fund, c/o Burns National Bank, P.O. Drawer N, Durango, CO 81302. The fund will be used to assist his daughter.
Margaret A. Combs
A memorial graveside service will be 11 a.m. today at Greenmount Cemetery
for Margaret A. Combs, who died Sunday, May 30, 1999, in Durango. She was 90.
Chaplain Ginny Brown will officiate.
The cause of death was not available. There was cremation.
Mrs. Combs was born April 6, 1903, in Durango. She attended grade school and high school in Mancos. She then attended Cornell and Colorado universities, obtaining her master’s at Columbia University.
Mrs. Combs became a junior high school mathematics teacher in public education.
She was a member of the P.E.O.
Her hobbies included panning for gold, pressing flowers, fishing, hiking, cooking, handwork and playing bridge. She was married to Z. P. Combs, who preceded her in death.
Mrs. Combs is survived by a nephew, John Ashback of Farmington, N.M.
John Stever Leech
A private informal family gathering will be held for John Stever Leech, who died Tuesday, May 25, 1999, in Loveland, after suffering heart and lung problems for approximately one year. He was 79.
There was cremation.
Mr. Leech was born July 17, 1919, in Fairfield, Iowa. He married Mary Helen Jones Oct. 16, 1949, in Fairfield, Iowa.
Mr. Leech enlisted in the Army Air Corps before Dec. 7, 1941. He was shot down over North Africa early in World War II and was taken prisoner by the Germans and imprisoned at Stalag Luft III.
He was employed as the physical plant manager for Western State College in Gunnison and as senior property appraiser for the state of Colorado.
Mr. Leech helped deliver Meals On Wheels with his wife, Mary. He was a member of the Mountain View Presbyterian Church and a life member of the B.P.O.E. 1603 in Gunnison.
Mr. Leech lived in Durango from 1977 to June 1994. He was a resident of Loveland for five years.
Survivors include his wife, Mary Leech of Loveland; a son, Chuck Leech of Durango; four daughters, Peggy Leach of Louisville, Kathy Bentson of Davis, Calif., Joy Blongewicz of Horsholm, Denmark, and Jan Jennings of Atlanta, Ga.; two brothers; one sister and four grandchildren.
Memorial donations may be made to the Salvation Army.
Vernon L. 'Jack' Sadahiro
Funeral services will be 10 a.m. Saturday at Hood Mortuary for Vernon Lee "Jack" Sadahiro, a former Durango restaurant owner, who died Tuesday, June 1, 1999, in Durango from natural causes. He was 66.
Chaplain Myron Darmour will officiate at services. Burial will be at Greenmount Cemetery.
Mr. Sadahiro was born Jan. 19, 1933, in Durango. He began working in the restaurant business when he was 12 at the New York Bakery on Main Avenue. He attended Fort Lewis College before joining the Air Force, where he did a tour in the Philippines during the Korean War. Mr. Sadahiro returned to Durango in 1956, where he owned and operated Lucky’s Drive-In on 32nd Street and Main Avenue. He remained in food service until his death.
He is survived by his ex-wife, Ruby RaNea Sadahiro, of Bayfield; five sons, Charles Sadahiro of Las Vegas, Nev., Daniel Sadahiro of Grand Junction, David Sadahiro of Grand Junction, Steve Sadahiro of Durango, and Ronald Sadahiro of Flagstaff, Ariz.; two daughters, Susan Sadahiro of Bloomfield, and Rhonda Sadahiro of Durango; a sister, Winiford Ford of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.; eleven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society, P.O. Box 931, Durango, CO 81302.
Kirk S. Malone
Funeral services will be 2:30 p.m. Friday at the Shelton Memorial Christian Church in Ulysses, Kan. for Kirk S. Malone, a Bayfield resident for more than 11 years, who died Monday, May 31, 1999, in Johnson, Kan., from injuries sustained in a plane accident. He was 42.
The Rev. Bill Harrold will officiate at services. Burial will be at the Ulysses Cemetery.
Mr. Malone was born Feb. 17, 1957, in Perryton, Texas, and was raised in Ulysses, Kan., before moving to Bayfield in 1988. He married Cynthia Luter on May 11, 1998 in Santa Fe, N.M.
Mr. Malone was a senior customer support analyst for BP Amoco of Ulysses. He was a member of the Shelton Memorial Christian Church, The Airplane Owners and Pilots Association and the Experimental Aircraft Association.
He is survived by his wife, Cynthia of Bayfield; two sons, Seth B. Malone and Adam C. Malone of Bayfield; parents, Dewayne and Sally Malone of Ulysses, Kan.; three brothers, Scott and Craig Malone of Ulysses, and Mark Malone of Springfield, Mo.; and many nieces and nephews.
Contributions may be made to the Seth and Adam Malone Educational Fund in care of Garnand Funeral Home, 405 W. Grant, Ulysses, Kan. 67880.
Richard C. Box
A Mass of Christian burial will be 10 a.m. Friday at St. Ignatius Catholic Church for Richard Clyde Box, a lifelong Ignacio resident and Southern Ute Indian Tribe member, who died Sunday, May 30, 1999, near Ignacio from injuries sustained in a car accident. He was 18.
The Rev. Eddy Andary will officiate at services. A wake will begin at 5 p.m. today at the Rose Watts home south of Ignacio. Burial will be at Ouray Memorial Cemetery.
Mr. Box was born March 17, 1981, in Ignacio. He was a former student at Ignacio High School and was completing general equivalency diploma classes. Mr. Box worked as a farm machine operator at the Custom Farm Department for the Southern Ute Tribe.
He is survived by his parents, Virginia Watts and Greg Box of Ignacio; his grandmother, Rose Watts of Ignacio; two brothers, Craig Box of Ignacio and Loren Watts of Ignacio; and a sister, Candace Watts of Ignacio.
