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James Dean ‘Chamos’ Benavidez
A Mass of Christian burial will be held 10 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 15, 1999, at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Durango for James Dean "Chamos" Benavidez, who was shot to death Sept. 7 in Durango. He was 31.
Father Joseph L. Gallegos will officiate, with burial to follow at Greenmount Cemetery. A rosary will be said Tuesday at 6 p.m. at the church.
Mr. Benavidez was born Oct. 16, 1967, in Durango. He worked for Fort Lewis College and enjoyed hunting, fishing and playing golf.
He is survived by his children, James, Maria, Angela and Vayola; father, Jim Benavidez of Durango; brother, Clint Benavidez of Ignacio; sister, Andrea Sweetman of Cortez; nephew, Troy; nieces, Brianna and Haley; and several aunts and uncles.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Emily and James Benavidez Memorial Fund, c/o Burns National Bank, P.O. Drawer N, Durango, CO 81302.
Morris ‘LM’ Jonas
Services were held Aug. 24 in Lewiston, Idaho, for Morris "LM" Jonas, who died Monday, Aug. 23, 1999, in Lewiston, Idaho, after suffering a heart attack. He was 61.
Mr. Jonas was born Sept. 3, 1937, in Grants, N.M. He attended Durango High School. He served in the U.S. Coast Guard from 1956 to 1960 and obtained the rank of 3rd class engineerman.
Mr. Jonas worked from 1965 to 1992 as a member of the Teamsters Union, working in California and Idaho. He married Jeanne Simon on Jan. 31, 1959, in Reno, Nev.
Survivors include his wife, Jeanne Jonas of the family home; three daughters, Mary Jo Marshall, Teri Roberts and Amy Jones, all of Lewiston, Idaho; a son, Jesse Jonas of El Cajon, Calif.; 11 grandchildren; two brothers, W.C. Jonas of Renton, Wash., and Jim Jonas of Victoria, Texas; three sisters, Dana Roebuck of Sacramento, Calif., Nancy Hunt of Alamogordo, N.M., and Nelda Jonas of Aurora, Colo.
Virginia Procarione
A memorial service will be held at 10 a.m. Friday at the First United Methodist Church for Virginia Procarione, who died of natural causes Thursday, Aug. 26, 1999, in San Antonio, Texas. She was 92.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to a charity of your choice.
William Albert Conner
Services will be at 10 a.m. Wednesday at Ertel Memorial Chapel in Cortez for William Albert Conner, who died Wednesday, Sept. 1, 1999, at St. Mary’s Hospital in Grand Junction. He was 60.
Cremation will follow. Visitation will be from 7 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at the Ertel Chapel.
The cause of death was not disclosed.
Mr. Conner was born June 18, 1939, in Cortez. He was a lifelong resident of this area.
Survivors include his wife, Lola Conner of Dolores; two children, Bill Conner and Tina Griffith, both of Cortez; his ex-wife, Marie L. Conner of Farmington, N.M.; three stepchildren, Ray Davis of Cortez, Jerry Davis of Lewis and Anita Gray of Cortez; two grandchildren, Jeremy Conner and Tonya Conner, both of Cortez; one great-granddaughter; seven step-grandchildren; a brother, Bob Conner of Cortez; three sisters, Myrna Rice of Montrose, Betty Gross of Wichita, Kan., and Iva Steward of Clovis, N.M.; and numerous other relatives.
Memorial donations may be made to the American Heart Association.
Dorothy Mae Caylor Dutton
Dorothy Mae Caylor Dutton died suddenly of heart failure at her vacation home east of Pagosa Springs on Tuesday, Aug. 24, 1999. She was 66.
Mrs. Dutton was born May 7, 1933, in Encinitas, Calif. She graduated from Dolores High School with high honors. She received her pilot’s license at age 16. She married Carl J. Dutton on Jan. 10, 1950. They lived throughout the Four Corners area and in Othello, Wash., for a brief time.
Mrs. Dutton was a member of the Order of Eastern Star chapters in Dolores, Alamosa and La Plata County. She served as vice chairwoman of the Montezuma Democratic Party in 1963.
Mrs. Dutton was a local correspondent for two San Juan Basin newspapers and editor of the Rotary Club newsletter.
For 17 years, Mrs. Dutton worked for the Alamosa and La Plata County Social Service departments, retiring in November 1983. She performed as a clown at events.
Survivors include her husband, Carl J. Dutton of Tucson, Ariz.; four daughters, Sharon McMeen and Cindy Egger, both of the Virgin Islands, Mickey Dutton of Arizona and Nanette Chadwick of Dolores; a brother, Kenneth Caylor of Othello, Wash.; five grandchildren, Kimberly McMeen, Ray Egger, Dawna Cunningham, Heather and Kole Chadwick.; three great-grandchildren; and numerous other relatives.
A memorial service was held Aug. 28 at Ertel Funeral Home.
Memorial donations may be made to the Heart Association, c/o the Dolores State Bank.
Ralph G. Flowers
A memorial service will be at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Community Bible Church for Ralph G. Flowers, a decorated World War II veteran, who died Wednesday, Sept. 1, 1999, in an airplane crash near Bayfield. He was 75.
Dr. Ken Carter, the Rev. Rick Fox and the Rev. Al DeBoer will officiate at services.
Mr. Flowers was born Oct. 28, 1923, in East Orange, N.J. He married Elizabeth Severns in 1945 in Neshaminy, Pa.
Mr. Flowers grew up in Hickory, N.C., and graduated with a degree in electrical engineering from North Carolina State University. He was a WWII veteran of the Pacific Theater. He worked for General Electric for 37 years.
Mr. Flowers was a member of St. Luke’s United Methodist Church in Lubbock, where he and his wife worked with the youth group.
After moving to Colorado, he helped build the church at Redstone. After moving to Pagosa Springs, he attended and served at Community Bible Church and Pagosa Bible Church. During his retirement years he served as a director of the Friends of Cumbres and Toltec Railroad in Chama, N.M.
He is survived by his wife, Elizabeth of Pagosa Springs; son, Ralph A. Flowers of Houston, Texas; daughter, Donna Neal of Carrollton, Texas; sister Barbara Miller of Hickory N.C.; five granddaughters, and numerous nieces and nephews.
Contributions may be made to Pagosa Bible Church, P.O. Box 3536, Pagosa Springs, CO 81147.
Ross Riggin
Ross Riggin, a longtime Ignacio-area farmer, died Sunday, Oct. 10, 1999, at a hospice in Sun City, Ariz. He was 80.
The cause of death was not available.
Mr. Riggin was born Sept. 13, 1919, in Auburn, Kan. His family moved to the Allison Tiffany area in 1928, and later to the farm near Ignacio where he lived until moving to Wittmann, Ariz., in 1994.
Mr. Riggin was a farmer. He also worked at many construction jobs in the area and for the Bureau of Indian Affairs. He drove a school bus for the Ignacio School District for many years. He served on the Southern Ute Community Action Programs Board and was the caretaker of the Ignacio Cemetery.
Survivors include his wife, Frances Parks Riggin of Wittmann, Ariz.; a daughter, Patricia Riggin; a granddaughter, Dusty Dawn Riggin of Wittmann, Ariz.; and a son, Mike Riggin of Phoenix, Ariz.
According to his wishes, there was cremation. There were no services.
Dale G. McConnel
Services will be at 2 p.m. Saturday at Hood Mortuary Chapel for Dale G. McConnel, who died Tuesday, Oct. 26, 1999, at Plains Regional Medical Center in Clovis, N.M. He was 72.
The cause of death was not available.
Burial will be at Greenmount Cemetery.
Mr. McConnel was born Sept. 4, 1927, in Monte Vista, Colo. He married Betty Jo Mason on Nov. 23, 1949, in Durango.
Mr. McConnel retired from Coca-Cola Bottling Company in 1989 in Durango and moved to Clovis, N.M., in 1993. He was a member of Kingswood United Methodist Church and a former member of the First United Methodist Church in Durango.
Survivors include his wife, Betty McConnel of the family home; a son, Ricky McConnel of Lubbock, Texas; three daughters, Dalene Cram of San Diego, Calif., Joyce Luther of Clovis, N.M., and Susan Tillotson of Durango; and seven grandchildren.
Orpha Willie Throckmorton Smith
A memorial service will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at the Highway Church of Christ northwest of Cortez for Orpha Willie Throckmorton Smith, who died Wednesday, Oct. 27, 1999, at the Valley Inn Care Center in Mancos. She was 87.
Burial will be in Enid, Okla.
The cause of death was not available.
Mrs. Smith was born June 14, 1912, at the family farm near Elk City, Okla. She married Carl Raymond Smith in October 1932. He preceded her in death in 1971.
After graduating from high school, Mrs. Smith worked as a reporter for the newspaper in Blackwell, Okla. Later she was trained to work as a tissue tech in the histology lab at St. Mary’s Hospital in Enid, Okla. In 1975, she moved to Durango, and then to Cortez in 1994.
Mrs. Smith was a member of the Church of Christ for 73 years.
Survivors include two sons, Shelby Smith of Cortez and Kirby Smith of San Diego, Calif.; six grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
