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Harold ‘Hoppy’ Payne Jr.
Harold "Hoppy" Payne Jr., longtime area resident, died Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2003, in Bayfield after a yearlong battle with cancer. He was 68.
Mr. Payne was born August 11, 1934, in Durango, the son of Harold and Mable Payne. He was raised in Ignacio. He graduated from Ignacio High School in 1953, and joined the U.S. Navy. He served for four years. After his service, he graduated from New Mexico State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in agricultural engineering.
He went to work for the Bureau of Land Management. While in Nevada, he met Virginia Cloud. They married in 1965 in Lovelock, Nev. They had three children.
Subsequent moves took the family to New Mexico, where Mr. Payne worked as chief engineer for the state of New Mexico. He later moved back to Nevada, where he was chief engineer for that state. He retired from the BLM after 32 years.
In 1990, he retired to Bayfield. He enjoyed fishing, fly tying and gardening. He also served on the Bayfield Planning Commission.
"He loved the Broncos," said his wife, Virginia Payne, of Bayfield.
He is survived by his wife, of Bayfield; one daughter, Suzanne Payne Wickman of Bayfield; two sons, Jack Payne of Aztec, and Vincent Payne of Albuquerque; three grandsons, Christopher Payne of Reno, Nev., and Rowdy Wickman and Beau Wickman of Bayfield; and one sister, Maxine Maxwell Anderson of Ignacio.
A funeral will be at 2 p.m. Saturday at Calvary Presbyterian Church, 89 East Mill St., Bayfield. The Rev. Dan Straw will officiate. Burial will follow at the Pine River Cemetery.
Visitation will be held from noon to 8 p.m. Friday at Hood Mortuary.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Volunteers of America Southwest Safehouse, P.O. Box 2107, Durango, CO 81302.
Robert Eugene ‘Bob’ Boyd
Robert Eugene "Bob" Boyd died Thursday, Feb. 6, 2003, in Aztec. He was 71.
Mr. Boyd was born Feb. 21, 1931, in State Line, near Bondad, the son of Willis and Eva Boyd. He attended high school in Buena Vista. He worked on the railroad, then moved to Denver to work for Sigmen Meat Co. He moved to Kraft Foods, where he remained employed for 31 years.
He married Christine Mildred Lovelace on July 3, 1965, at First Presbyterian Church in Durango.
Mr. Boyd bought the Lovis Robinson Ranch on Florida Mesa, and was instrumental in establishing the Loma Linda Sanitation District.
He was an outdoorsman who enjoyed hunting, fishing and ranching. He was active in 4-H and involved with sheep shearing during the early 1980s. He was a member of numerous gun and hunting organizations. He was also a silversmith. After his retirement in the early 1990s, he homesteaded in Alaska.
He is survived by his wife, of Durango; four sons, Robert E. Boyd of Laramie, Wyo., Britt Lovelace of Breen, Allen Boyd of Hotchkiss, and Charles Edward Boyd of Tok, Alaska; two daughters, Becky Lovelace of Shiprock, N.M., and Carol Ann Layborne of Dallas, Texas; 12 grandchildren, Kendall and Kelly Boyd of Laramie, Jessica and Joshua Lovelace of Breen, Amanda and Josh Boyd of Hotchkiss, Ryan and Matthew Boyd of Nitro, W.Va., Rhyan and Cody Boyd of Elkton, Ky., and Kyrie and Sierra Layborne of Dallas; two brothers, Gilbert Boyd of Fruita and Willis Boyd of Lakewood; and three sisters, Gladys Barnes of Ignacio, Joyce Hogue of Ada, Okla., and Barbara Happenstall of Cedar Ridge.
A funeral will be at 10 a.m. Saturday at Hood Mortuary. The Rev. Myron Darmour will officiate. Cremation will occur at Hood Mortuary Crematory.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the charity of the donor’s choice.
Charles Boyles
Charles Boyles, of Cherokee, Okla., died Friday, Feb. 7, 2003, at his home. He was 76.
Mr. Boyles was born March 30, 1926, in Breckenridge, Texas, the son of Skillern Dean and Vera Leone Yager Boyles.
He served four years in the United States Navy in World War II. He married Beatrice Kennamer on Dec. 18, 1946. He was listed in Who’s Who in American Colleges and Universities. He was an athlete, competing in organized sports in junior and senior high school in Pampa, Texas, Texas A&M University and Sul Ross University, where he was voted All-American. He competed in college and professional rodeo for many years.
He was active in the First Methodist Church. He worked with Methodist youth groups, and taught and coached at junior high, senior high and college levels.
He was preceded in death by a son, Charles Gibson, and a nephew.
He is survived by his wife, of Cherokee; two daughters, Ann Retherford of Bayfield and Martha Royster of Cherokee; five grandchildren, Lydia Clem, Jenny Regier, K.C. Barnes, Jacob Royster and Jilisa Royster; five great-grandchildren; and two brothers, Ray L. Boyles and Bobby Joe Boyles, both of El Paso, Texas.
A memorial service will be at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Aztec First Baptist Church, 700 Navajo St. in Aztec.
Annetta ‘Pauline’ Cobb-Rice
A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday at First United Methodist Church of Durango, 2917 Aspen Drive, for Annetta "Pauline" Cobb-Rice, who died Jan. 2, 2003, in Tucson, Ariz.
After working in La Plata County as a case worker for seven years, Mrs. Cobb-Rice became head of the La Plata County Welfare Department in 1957. She retired from the department in 1973.
Wallace Lee ‘Wally’ Warren
Wallace Lee "Wally" Warren, a Durango native, died Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2003, at his home in Durango after a brief battle with cancer. He was 71.
Mr. Warren was born Feb. 24, 1931, in Durango to Albert and Olive Warren. He married Helene Harrington on April 23, 1955, at St. Columba Catholic Church in Durango.
He worked as a breadman for Holsum Bakers for 41 years. Many Durangoans knew him as "the breadman." After retirement, he enjoyed fishing and target shooting.
"He has a lot of friends in the Durango area growing up here," said his son, Gerald Warren. "He was very well-liked and got along with everybody."
"Everybody knew him," added his daughter Cynthia Roberts. "You couldn’t go anywhere in town without someone knowing him."
Mr. Warren loved the outdoors, his animals and the time he spent with his grandchildren. "He loved fly fishing," Gerald Warren said. "He loved tying flies."
He was preceded in death by his wife.
He is survived by three daughters, Cynthia Roberts of Highlands Ranch, Lisa Johnson of Seattle and Ellen Iaquinto of Seattle; his son, Gerald Warren of Durango; five grandchildren, Zach and Alex Roberts of Highlands Ranch, Jordan and Hailey Warren of Durango, and Elizabeth Iaquinto of Visalia, Calif.; and three sisters, Dena Lang of Durango, Sara Rosa of Oklahoma City and Darla Emmons of Billings, Mont.
A memorial Mass will be at 10 a.m. Saturday at St. Columba Catholic Church. The Rev. Paul Montez will officiate. Cremation will occur at Hood Mortuary Crematory. Visitation will be from noon to 8 p.m. Thursday at Hood Mortuary.
Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of Mercy, 375 E. Park Ave., Durango, CO 81301, or to the American Cancer Society, 3801 N. Main Ave., Durango, CO 81301.
Joyce McKibben McEntire
Durango resident Joyce McKibben McEntire, a 4-H leader for 20 years, died Friday, Feb. 7, 2003, at Mercy Medical Center of natural causes. She was 75.
Mrs. McEntire was born Feb. 7, 1928, in Cortez, the daughter of Frank Lee and Mildred Helen (Lewy) McKibben. She married Jack T. McEntire on Nov. 2, 1947, in Aztec. After graduating from Cortez High School she attended Compton Junior College in California.
She moved to Durango in 1960 from Monticello, Utah. Her grandfather, Adam Lewy, was the first U.S. Marshall of the Southwest Territory. Her father was a sheriff in Dolores County, and was responsible for the prosecution of the first group of individuals who seized artifacts from Mesa Verde National Park.
She was a 4-H leader for 20 years, a member of the Youth Bowling Alliance and a winner of the Special Olympics 2002 Family of the Year award. She also was a member of the Eastern Star, the Eureka Grange No. 311 and the American Legion Auxiliary. Mrs. McEntire was employed with Durango School District 9-R for 27½ years as a bus driver. She enjoyed playing cards and fishing.
She is survived by one son, Jack Lee McEntire of Durango; three daughters, Patricia Elaine McEntire of Hutchinson, Kan., Pamela Kay Kinslow of Bloomfield, and Peggy Sue McEntire Bellino of Durango; four sisters, Frances Larimore of Murray, Utah, Aileen Hamilton of Topah, Ariz., Marjorie Gore of Cortez and Patricia Lorenzini of Riverside, Calif.; four granddaughters, Charlotte Bost, Catherine McEntire and Janice McEntire, all of Durango, and Victoria Tyler of Hutchinson, Kan.; six grandsons, Wayne Jefferson of Lawrence, Kan., Adam Jefferson of Hutchinson, Kan., Robert McEntire of Phoenix, Tracy Kinslow and Sean Kinslow, both of Bloomfield, and Troy McEntire of Durango; seven great-grandchildren; and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.
Mrs. McEntire was preceded in death by her husband, Jack McEntire, in 1995.
A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Thursday at the Seventh Day Adventist Church in Durango with the Rev. Aaron Hatfield, of the Seventh Day Adventist Church, and the Rev. Myron Darmour, of Mercy Medical Center, officiating. Cremation will take place at Hood Mortuary in Durango.
Memorial contributions may be made to Special Olympics, P.O. Box 236, Durango, CO 81302 or YABA, 14768 U.S. Highway 550, Durango, CO 81303.
Lucille Ann Gare
Lucille Ann Gare, a Cortez resident and former Durango resident, died Friday, Feb. 7, 2003, at Southwest Memorial Hospital in Cortez after a short illness. She was 78 years old.
Lucille Ann Gare was born Dec. 13, 1923, in Chicago, Ill., to Joseph and Frances (Daugin) Plekevic.
Mrs. Gare received both a musical and an academic scholarship to college, but she gave them up to become one of World War II’s many "Rosie the Riveters." She studied to be an anesthesiologist, and she took some flying lessons.
Lucille married Alfred Edward Gare in Chicago in 1945. "She loved the outdoors," said her daughter Barbara Stock. "She had a servant’s heart."
Preceding her in death are her husband, Alfred Gare, and her brother, Frank Plekevic.
Mrs. Gare is survived by her sister, Betty Phillips of Snellville, Ga.; her children, Robert Gare of Lancaster, Calif., and Barbara Stock of Dolores; four grandchildren, Matthew Gare of Lancaster, Calif., Bonnie Cano of Georgia, Mark Gare of Lancaster, Calif., and Tracey Jones of Dolores, and two great-grandchildren.
Private family services will be held at a later date.
Gary Dale Polk
Gary Dale Polk, a Bayfield resident, died Saturday, Feb. 8, 2003, at his home in Bayfield.
Mr. Polk was born in Bradenton, Fla. He married Angela Loyd in Florida. Mr. Polk graduated from Ohio State University and moved to Tucson, Ariz., where he furthered his nursing education. After marriage, he fulfilled his wife’s lifelong dream by moving to Durango in 1999. He later fulfilled his own dream of becoming a licensed pilot.
Mr. Polk is survived by his wife, Angela Loyd; his mother, Shirley Foutch of Cortez; his father, Roger Morin of Miami, Fla.; a son, Andrew Polk of Bradenton, Fla.; and two sisters, Alice Margaret Johnson and Charlene Gross. A memorial service will be held at 10 a.m. Wednesday at Hood Mortuary Chapel. Theresa Leaming will officiate.
Cremation will occur at Hood Mortuary Crematory in Durango.
John ‘Jack’ Bergl
Jack Bergl died Friday, Feb. 7, 2003, at Mercy Medical Center in Durango after a long battle with leukemia. He was 67.
John Stephen "Jack" Bergl was born on Sept. 9, 1935, in Duluth, Minn., to Carl and Clarice (Stevens) Bergl. He graduated from Cathedral High School in Duluth and joined the U.S. Army, serving in Okinawa, Japan. He married Kathy Flynn on July 19, 1958, in Duluth.
Mr. Bergl moved to Fort Collins in 1970 and worked at the Coors Brewery in Golden before moving to Durango in 1983. He worked at A & L Coors in marketing until retiring in 2002. He enjoyed the outdoors and his golden retrievers. He traveled much of his life and met many friends around the country.
"He just knew lots of people and was a very outgoing man," said Kathy Bergl. "He was a great father and a wonderful husband. He’s the kind of guy who would talk to everybody."
He is survived by his wife, Kathy, of Durango; two sons, Michael Bergl of Denver and Patrick Bergl of Durango; one daughter, Mary Bergl-Dozier of Durango; two grandsons, Brad Knapp of Durango and Austin Preller of Monmouth, Ore.; two granddaughters, Katelyn Bergl, Emilee Bergl and Darby Bergl, all of Durango; one brother, Anthony Bergl of Duluth, Minn.; and many aunts and uncles in Canada, and several nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his son Jon in 1995.
Cremation will take place at Hood Mortuary in Durango. A memorial service celebrating his life will be held at a later date. Contributions can be made to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, 5353 W. Dartmouth St., Denver, CO 80227; the American Cancer Society, La Plata County Unit, 2255 S. Oneida St., Denver, CO 80224; or The Humane Society of La Plata County.
Ethel Mae Ritter
Ethel Mae Ritter, a longtime Durango resident, died Thursday, Feb. 6, 2003, at Four Corners Health Care Center in Durango from natural causes. She was 91.
Mrs. Ritter was born Feb. 27, 1911, in Buckeye, Ariz., to George and Angeline Harer. She married Robert Harold Ritter in September 1929 in California.
She moved from Dallas to the Durango area in 1946 and bought Durango Frozen Foods. She was a gifted painter and enjoyed doing art. She was a seamstress, liked to crochet and was a wonderful cook. She was sociable and played bridge until she was 89.
"She was a real social person," said Lyn Lichliter, her granddaughter. "She was a wonderful artist and she made a living doing that."
She is survived by her granddaughter, Lyn Lichliter of Cortez; two grandsons, Bill and Scott Sherwood of Durango; a great grandson, Jackson Lichliter of Cortez; a great granddaughter, Amy Lichliter of Cortez; and many nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Robert Harold Ritter, in 1978, and a daughter, Dolores Ritter Sherwood.
A memorial service will be at 1 p.m. Wednesday at Hood Mortuary. The Rev. Myron Darmour of Mercy Medical Center will officiate. Cremation will occur at Hood Mortuary Crematory in Durango.
William Edward Semler
William Edward "Bill" Semler, a member of the Oxford Grange, died Friday, Feb. 7, 2003, at his home in Bayfield after a lengthy illness. He was 74.
Mr. Semler was born Sept. 6, 1928, in Durango, to Gustav and Martha Semler. He married Lydia E. Kennedy on May 31, 1960, in Durango.
As a young man, Mr. Semler worked on pipelines and drilling rigs in Northern New Mexico. Mr. Semler worked in the winters at the sawmill in Bayfield. He worked for Basin Livestock for many years and later for High Country Cattle. Mr. Semler served in the U.S. Marines.
"He wasn’t afraid to work," said his son, Wayne Semler. "Even when he was sick he had to get up to go outside. You couldn’t keep him in the house. He enjoyed working."
Mr. Semler enjoyed fishing, bailing hay, hunting and guns. He was very opinionated and believed in the saying, "If you’re going to do something, do it right." He was an innovator in farming techniques. Shortly before he died, Mr. Semler bought his grandson a BB gun over the objections of his daughter-in-law.
"He loved his grandkids," Wayne Semler said. "He thought they were real special."
He is survived by his wife, Lydia E. Semler, of Bayfield; two sons, Wayne and Jack Semler of Bayfield; three grandchildren, Megan and Michael Semler of Bayfield, and Lyndsey Jefferson of Bayfield; a sister, Betty Louise Bishop of Olathe; a brother, Michael D. Semler of Sheridan, Wyo.; and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.
Visitation will be from noon to 8 p.m. Wednesday at Hood Mortuary. A funeral service will be at 1 p.m. Thursday at Pine River Valley Baptist Church. Frank Kihn will officiate. Burial will occur at Ignacio Cemetery-East in Ignacio.
Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of Mercy, 375 E. Park Ave., Durango, CO 81301, or to Ignacio Young Farmers Scholarship Fund, c/o Larry Baird, 1495 County Road 321, Ignacio, CO 81137.
