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Berlinda A. Lucero
Berlinda A. Lucero, 77, the mother of 11 children, who moved to Durango in the early 1950s, died Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2003, at Mercy Medical Center. She died of natural causes, her daughter, Shirley Casper said.
Mrs. Lucero was born May 1, 1926, in Pickten.
"She loved spending time with her grandchildren. All she did was watch the children and then watch the grandchildren. She loved cooking and cleaning and homemaking, too," Casper said.
Mrs. Lucero was preceded in death by her son, Leonard Albo and her daughter, Dolores Lucero.
She is survived by her children: Frank Lucero of Moriarty, N.M., Ross Lucero, Mario Lucero of Albuquerque, Albert Lucero of Durango, Shirley Casper of Bayfield, Linda Lucero of Phoenix, Irene Griego of Durango, Viola Medina of Albuquerque, Betty Lucero; many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
A memorial Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Saturday, at Sacred Heart Catholic Church. The Rev. Joseph Gallegos will officiate. Cremation will take place at Hood Mortuary Crematory. Burial will be at Greenmount Cemetery after the Mass.
Memorial contributions may go toward the purchase a headstone. An account will be set up at a local bank at a later date.
Mary Radden
Mary Radden, 46, died of cancer on Friday, Nov. 28, 2003, in Aurora.
Mrs. Radden was born on Dec. 18, 1956, in Aurora, the daughter of Angie Perez. She enjoyed a 23-year marriage with David Radden and raised her sons, Michael and Danny Radden. She enjoyed home life and needlework.
"Mary was very loving and caring. She had been fighting cancer for the past 15 years," said her mother.
Mrs. Radden is survived by her husband and sons of Denver; her mother, of Durango; her brothers, Rickie Rojas, Russel Perez, Kenny Perez and Ronnie Perez, all of Denver and Gerald Perez of Sacramento, Calif.; and her sister, Michelle Hackney of Reno, Nev.
A funeral service was held at Feiner Chapel at Temple Emanuel in Denver and burial was at Emanuel Cemetery.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Inflammatory Breast Cancer Research Foundation at ibcresearch.org.
JoEtta Brasher King
JoEtta Brasher King, who lived in Durango for 35 years, died Sunday, Dec. 7, 2003, after a long battle with cancer. She was 74.
Ms. King was a member of La Plata chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star.
"She was a homemaker and wonderful mother. She will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved her. Her courage and grace through these last few months was an inspiration," said Ms. King's daughter, Cindy Brasher Smith.
Ms. King was preceded in death by her husband, Jerry King, in 1981, and her former husband, C.G. "Curley" Brasher, in 2002.
She is survived by her children: Tom Brasher and Cindy Smith, both of Oklahoma City.
As she requested, Ms. King was cremated, and there will be no services. She asked that her family bring her back to her beloved mountains, which they will do in the spring.
Contributions may be made in her name to the American Cancer Society.
Frances B. Abbie' Wegher
Frances B. "Abbie" Wegher, 95, a Durango native and owner of Wegher's Food Store on College Avenue, died Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2003, at Four Corners Health Care Center in Durango. She died of natural causes, said her sister, Lena Babey.
Mrs. Wegher was born July 16, 1908, in Durango, the daughter of Catherine (Sartore) Baudino and John Baudino.
She graduated from Durango High School and earned a teaching degree from the University of Northern Colorado at Greeley (formerly Colorado Teacher's College). She taught for Park School in District 9-R for many years. She went on to teach at St. Columba.
She married Johnnie Wegher in Durango in 1949, and she will be remembered as the bookkeeper for the family business.
"She was a very gracious lady," Lena Babey said. "If she heard of a birth or a sickness of any of her customers, she always sent flowers. It was the best ad the store could have had."
Mrs. Wegher was a member of Sacred Heart Catholic Church, the Laureate Psi Chapter of the national sorority, Beta Sigma Phi, the American Association of University Women and the Sorelle di Colombo Lodge.
An active woman, Mrs. Wegher worked puzzles, played cards, crocheted, knitted, gave piano lessons and tutored children who were behind in their school work.
"She once crocheted a wedding dress that two of my daughters wore," Lena Babey said. "And they looked lovely."
She was preceded in death by her husband in 1993.
She is survived by her sister, of Durango; and numerous nephews; her great niece and her two great nephews.
A memorial Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Saturday at Sacred Heart Catholic Church. The Rev. Joseph L. Gallegos, with Sacred Heart, will officiate. Cremation will take place at Hood Mortuary Crematory.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Durango
Wilma Erlene Morrison
Wilma Erlene Morrison, 76, died Monday, Dec. 1, 2003, in her home at Pagosa Springs. She died of complications following a stroke, said her son, Ken S. Morrison.
Mrs. Morrison was born Oct. 4, 1927, in Anadarko, Okla., the daughter of Doris Mc-Wethy Hunt and Kenneth Hunt. A farm girl, Wilma attended a one-room, country school in Anadarko. She graduated at the top of her class from Anadarko High School and attended Phillips University, Enid, Okla., where she received a Bachelor of Arts degree in mathematics with a minor in physics in 1948.
She accepted a high school teaching position at Perry, Okla., where she taught mathematics for three years. She later joined Phillips Petroleum Company Research Department to use an electron microscope for three years in Bartlesville, Okla. There she met Harold E. Morrison. They married in Enid in 1952 and lived in Bartlesville for 35 years.
Mrs. Morrison loved teaching and youngsters. She attended summer school at the University of Colorado, Boulder to meet requirements for an Oklahoma Life Teaching Certificate. She secured a Colorado Certificate in 1985.
In Bartlesville, she chose to be a homemaker and math tutor for many years. She raised two sons, Keith Morrison and Ken Morrison. When they grew up, Mrs. Morrison returned to teaching mathematics, retiring in 1985.
She moved to Pagosa Springs in 1986, where she worked as a substitute teacher from time to time.
Mrs. Morrison was baptized at age 12 in First Methodist Church in Anadarko and later joined Methodist churches in Enid, Perry and Bartlesville, Okla., She also belong to the Community United Methodist Church in Pagosa Springs.
She enjoyed the Mountain View Homemakers Club, and began its baby-sitting course. She was Archuleta County Fair secretary and co-founder of the Pagosa Piecemakers Quilt Club.
Mrs. Morrison befriended and helped everyone she met, said her son, Ken Morrison.
She is survived by her husband, Harold E. Morrison, who cared for her during the last year of her life when she was weakened by the stroke; her sons: Keith Morrison of Homestead, Fla., and Ken Morrison of Pagosa Springs; and her granddaughter, Christine Morrison of Pagosa Springs.
Plans for a memorial service will be announced. Memorial gifts may be made to Arthritis Foundation or Community United Methodist Church.
Robert Asher
Robert Asher, 65, the owner of the Billy Goat Saloon in Gem Village, died Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2003, in Durango. He died of natural causes, his family said.
Mr. Asher was born Nov. 18, 1938, in Monroe, Mich., the son of Geneva (Johnson) Asher and Robert Asher, and grew up in Indiana.
He served with the U.S. Army as a paratrooper in Germany.
He married Ellen F. Asher in Chicago, Ill. on May 18, 1971.
He worked as a plant manager in a plastics manufacturing company, as a gold miner, and most recently, as owner and operator of the Billy Goat Saloon for 24 years.
Mr. Asher enjoyed hunting and fishing. He built his house on U.S. Highway 160.
"He was a good man and a hard worker and was very adventurous," said his wife, Ellen Asher. "We had a lot of good times together. He loved to talk about history, and he was a good listener."
Mr. Asher is survived by his wife, of Bayfield; his children: Ronnie Lahr of Slaughters, Ky., Robert Begley, Lisa Asher and Jessica Asher, all of Chicago; his grandchildren: Whitney Lahr, Codie Lahr and Camden Lahr, all of Slaughters, Ky.
A memorial is planned at noon Saturday at The Billy Goat Saloon. Cremation will take place at Hood Mortuary Crematory.
JoEtta Brasher King
JoEtta Brasher King, who lived in Durango for 35 years, died Sunday, Dec. 7, 2003, after a long battle with cancer. She was 74.
Ms. King was a member of La Plata chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star.
"She was a homemaker and wonderful mother. She will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved her. Her courage and grace through these last few months was an inspiration," said Ms. King's daughter, Cindy Brasher Smith.
Ms. King was preceded in death by her husband, Jerry King, in 1981, and her former husband, C.G. "Curley" Brasher, in 2002.
She is survived by her children: Tom Brasher and Cindy Smith, both of Oklahoma City.
As she requested, Ms. King was cremated, and there will be no services. She asked that her family bring her back to her beloved mountains, which they will do in the spring.
Contributions may be made in her name to the American Cancer Society.
Dennis Leon Lujan
Dennis Leon Lujan, 55, who once studied and worked as an archeologist in Grand Junction and Durango, died on Monday, Nov. 24, 2003, in Richmond, Va.
"His body weakened after surviving three strokes and two heart attacks, he moved onto higher things," said his wife, Rosalinda Lujan.
Mr. Lujan was born in Antonito on Nov. 27, 1948, the son of Stella and Joe Lujan. After serving in the U.S. Army as a Specialist 4 in Vietnam from 1968 to 1970, he came to Grand Junction where he studied archeology at Mesa State College.
In 1991, he was awarded his bachelor's degree from Fort Lewis College and achieved his ambition, to become an archeologist. He worked for the Bureau of Land Management in Durango until he retired after his second stroke in 2002.
He married and had a son, John. In 1984, he married again, to Rosalinda, and had two daughters, Shanti and Lena. He shared the role of father to Rosalinda's six children.
"Leon was blessed to have a job, wife and family about which he was passionate," Mrs. Lujan said. "Digging in ancient ruins was simply icing, while climbing the San Juans, hiking the deserts, fording the creeks and rivers while listening to the wind singing in the trees was the cake."
He was preceded in death by his grandson, Nicholas.
He is survived by his brothers, Joe, Manuel and Nathan; his sisters: Rachel Lujan, Joanne Stilton, Sharon Lujan, Ruth Eggers and Marion Martinez; his children: John Lujan, Shanti Lujan, Lena Lujan, Aaron Wenzel, Kris Wenzel, Sean Wenzel, Bryan Wenzel, Gary Wenzel and Keather Wenzel; 18 grandchildren and many nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews.
A memorial service was held Nov. 28 at Mr. Lujan's home in Farmville, Va. Cremation has taken place.
Send condolences to Mrs. Lujan at 811 Bizzarre Street, Farmville, VA 23901.
Jean K. Brown
Jean K. Brown, 73, who found her birth parents late in life from genealogy records in Durango, died on Monday, Nov. 10, 2003. She died of a heart attack in the emergency room of Mercy Medical Center, her daughter, Karen Mundy said.
Mrs. Brown was born Virginia Lee Gant in Dallas, Texas, on Sept. 2, 1930, the daughter of Vada Lorene Gant and Watson Alexander Gant. She was left on the doorstep of Hope Cottage in Dallas with just a note in her sock giving her up for adoption.
Hope Cottage didn't know if she had a name so they called her "Baby Winnie."
In 1932, Zazu Pitts, the screen comedian, visited Hope Cottage and had her picture taken with Baby Winnie. Pitts adopted a boy from Hope Cottage, but was quoted as saying she would make sure Baby Winnie found a good home.
The picture and article appeared on Jan. 19, 1932, in The Dallas Times Herald.
Six months later C.W. and Clara Kelty, teachers from Tyler, Texas, adopted her, and she named her Winnie Anagene Kelty.
She attended Tyler Junior College where she met and married William Wayne McConnell. They moved to Crockett, Texas, where they had a daughter, Karen Suzanne McConnell. Later, they divorced and Mrs. Brown married M.J. Brown. The couple later divorced.
She moved to Durango in 1998. That same year she flew to Dallas where she met many family members, with whom she stayed in touch for the rest of her life.
"She was happy, and wanted people to know that there is always hope," Karen Mundy said.
Mrs. Brown is survived by her daughter, of Bayfield; her grandsons, Kevin McConnell and David LaPole, both of Durango; her sisters, Sue Compasans of Downers Grove, Ill., Dorla Threlkeld of Garland, Texas, and Margie Goff of Calif.; her aunts, Rose Kelty of Pearland, Texas, and Nina Cresiski of Texas; two great-grandchildren and many cousins.
Mrs. Brown has been cremated, and no services are planned.
