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Virginia ‘Ginger’ Lee
Virginia "Ginger" Lee, lifelong area resident, died Saturday, Jan. 25, 2003, at home in Ignacio of cancer. She was 63.
Ms. Lee was born April 14, 1939, in Cahone to Arthur and Orral (Neely) Searcy. She was a Christian who enjoyed nature, hiking on trails and hills and being a caregiver.
She is survived by her daughter, Lisa Wagner of Ignacio; her son, Allen Fosnot of Mesa, Ariz.; her father, Arthur Searcy of Cahone; her stepmother, Doris "Dolly" Searcy of Cahone; five sisters, Mary Ladner, Eileen Markheim, Nila Padilla, Edna McLain and Doris Leach; two brothers, Wayne Searcy of Cahone and George Searcy of Denver; eight grandchildren, Joshua Wagner, Jared Wagner and Jacob Wagner, all of Ignacio, and Anna Fosnot, Phillip Fosnot, Rachel Fosnot, Ruth Fosnot and Grant Fosnot, all of Mesa, Ariz.
A funeral will be at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Ertel Memorial Chapel, 42 N. Market St., Cortez. Pastor Bob Ross, of the Durango Baptist Church, will officiate. Interment will follow at the Cahone Cemetery.
Memorial contributions may be made to in Virginia Lee’s name to Hospice of Mercy, 3801 Main Ave., Durango, CO 81301.
Oran W. Short
Oran W. Short, a lifelong Florida Mesa resident, died at home on Jan. 24, 2003. He was 92.
Mr. Short was born Jan. 26, 1911. He was one of 12 children of early La Plata County pioneers, W. Alva and Belle Constance Short. He married Vera Sybil Cline, a well-known local schoolteacher, on June 7, 1941. The couple resided near his parents’ homestead, where Mr. Short devoted his life to farming and ranching.
"Oran just liked the simplicity of life," said his nephew, Steve Short, of Durango.
His wife preceded him in death.
He is survived by his son, Vern W. Short of Florida Mesa; one sister, Mary E. Beaston; two brothers, Merl E. Short and Lyle R. Short, all of the Durango area; and numerous nieces and nephews.
A graveside service will be at 2 p.m. Friday at Greenmount Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of Mercy, 375 E. Park Avenue, Durango, CO 81301.
Loyd Fay Lunsford
Loyd Fay Lunsford died Sunday, Jan. 26, 2003, at his home in Ignacio of natural causes. He was 95.
Mr. Lunsford was born April 12, 1907, in Fairview, Okla., to Junie Ardena Spear Lunsford and William Homer Lunsford. The family moved from Fairview when he was 5 years old. He has resided in the Ignacio-Bayfield area for the past 77 years.
"He knew more (about) handling horses and irrigating a field than most people can learn in three lifetimes," said his son, Ronald H. Lunsford, of Peoria, Ariz.
He is survived by his wife of 73 years, Alice Frahm Lunsford of Ignacio; a son, Ronald H. Lunsford of Ignacio; a brother, Paul Lunsford of Peoria; three sisters, Ardena Figgins of Ontario, Calif., Davidena Flack of Montrose and Catharine Dickey of Bloomfield; and numerous nieces and nephews.
A memorial service will be announced at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of Mercy, 3801 N. Main Ave., Durango, CO 81301.
Ernest Filson Day
Ernest Filson Day died with his family by his side in Roswell, N.M., on Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2003, from cancer. He was 73.
Mr. Day was born March 20, 1929, in Arkansas City, Kan., to Lotus Merle Day and Minnie Mabel Filson Day. He married Irene Quintanar in Mexico City, Mexico, in 1991. Ernest Day was a 1951 graduate of Oklahoma Baptist University and was a Kansas state DeMolay officer and Kiwanis Club member. He served in the Southern Baptist Missionary from 1956 to 1973.
"He was a man with a pastor’s heart," his son Louis Day said. "He never met a stranger, never cared about the upper crust or lower crust of society. He grew up helping everybody."
He moved to Roswell, N.M., in 1972.
"He loved to travel around the world," Louis Day said. "He liked to hunt around the Durango area a lot."
He is survived by his wife, Irene, of Roswell, N.M.; two sons, Stephen Day of Cortez, and Louis Day of Pagosa Springs; three daughters, Deborah Oaks of Baily; Omega Lawrence of Roswell, N.M., and Paloma Leach of Bailey; a former wife, Dolores Day of Bailey; and numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Thursday at First Baptist Church in Roswell, N.M. A funeral service was held Saturday in Pagosa Springs.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in memory of Ernest Day to the American Bible Society, 300 N.W. 82nd Ave., Suite 505A, Plantation, FL 33324, Attn. Evette Rogers.
Adina Ellen Harris
Adina Ellen Harris died Saturday, January 25, 2003, in Walsenburg . She was 75.
Mrs. Harris was born May 23, 1947, in Demonia, Texas, the daughter of Joseph and Emma Kirk. She married Richard L. "Dick" Harris on Jan. 30, 1946, in Clovis, N.M. They moved to Allison in 1947 to an 80-acre farm. On March 21, 1951, their first child, Ronald Wayne, was born. In August 1951, the Harris family moved to Forest, N.M. In 1954, they moved back to Colorado to live in Arboles. On March 19, 1956, their second child, Diane Kay, was born. The family moved to Ignacio in 1960, and in 1963 bought a 160-acre ranch. The family moved to LaVeta in 1989.
Mrs. Harris was a farmer, rancher and gardener. At each of her homes, she kept flower and vegetable gardens. Mrs. Harris also enjoyed baking and cake decorating, especially for birthday, holiday or wedding celebrations. She enjoyed crafts and molding ceramics. She enjoyed fishing. She often played practical jokes.
She is survived by her husband, Richard L. Harris of LaVeta; a son, Ronald W. Harris of Ignacio; a daughter, Diane K. Harris Keeling of LaVeta; four grandchildren, Jeanie Ellen Borrego of LaVeta, Joshua C. Keeling of Hutchinson, Kan., Robert W. Harris of Bayfield and Danny B. Harris of Durango; a sister, Grace Messenger of Gallup, N.M., four great-granddaughters; three sisters-in-law; and numerous nieces and nephews.
A funeral will be at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at Bayfield Christian Church. Jack Brown will officiate. Burial will occur at Ignacio Cemetery-East in Ignacio. Visitation will be held 10 a.m. at the church prior to the service.
Helen Jane Pingrey
Helen Jane Pingrey died Sunday, Jan. 19, 2003, in Beaverton, Ore., of natural causes. She was 85.
Mrs. Pingrey was born Oct. 22, 1916, in Telluride to Philip C. "P.C." and Ida Mabel (Hughes) Schools. She grew up in Durango. Her father was the superintendent of the Western Colorado Power Co.
She graduated from nursing school at Mercy Hospital in Denver in 1938. A civilian during World War II, she worked at Amache, a Japanese relocation camp in Lamar, Colo. She married Dr. Fergus R. Pingrey in 1950.
She worked as an office nurse for her husband in Durango. They moved to Newport, Ore., in 1952.
She was a long-time member of the First Presbyterian Church in Newport, and active in the Republican Party. She enjoyed traveling and music of all kinds.
"Mom loved the high country. Every summer while P.C. and the Pingreys were living she’d drive to Durango. These trips were a highlight of her life," said her daughter, Pepi Pingrey, of Beaverton, Ore.
She was preceded in death by her husband in September 1979; and a stepdaughter, Suzanne Pingrey Riemer.
She is survived by two daughters, Kathryn Jean Fanslan of Grand Junction and Pepi Pingrey of Beaverton, Ore.; a stepdaughter, Elizabeth A. Pingrey Clark of Greenfield, Wis.; a sister, Phyllis Jean Case of Albany, Ore.; and six grandchildren, Toli Galanopoulos of Salem, Ore., Philip Galanopoulos of Portland, Ore., Morgana Spake and Rowan Spake, both of Beaverton, Ore., and Samantha Black and Tiffany Clark, both of Greenfield, Wisc.; and one niece.
Arrangements for the memorial service are pending.
Mary Magdalene Foster
Mary Magdalene Foster, a Bayfield High School graduate, died Thursday, Jan. 23, 2003, at the Valley Inn Nursing Home in Mancos from natural causes. She was 82.
"She was a loving mother," said her son, Oliver Foster.
Mrs. Foster was born Feb. 1, 1920, in Fame, Okla., to Emory and Nancy Hardin. She and her family moved to the Vallecito area by covered wagon. She attended Columbus School in Bayfield. She attended high school in Dyke, Colo., before attending Bayfield High School from 11th to 12th grade.
She married Fred Foster on May 31, 1940, in Durango. Mrs. Foster was a homemaker. She also took care of the elderly in her home in Durango.
She is survived by two daughters, Siecke "Carolyn" Grush, of Durango, and Margaret Ellen Navarro, of Monte Vista; a son, Oliver Foster, of Hermosa; ten grandchildren, Kevin and Terry Grush, both of Bayfield, Bryan Foster, of Woodstock, Ill., Brent and Karl Foster, both of Aurora, Colo., John Navarro, Mary Ellen LaRocca, Daniel Patrick and Wesley Patrick, all of Monte Vista, and James Navarro, of Hawaii; 11 great-grandchildren; and many nieces, nephews and cousins.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Fred, on Oct. 30, 1955.
Visitation will be from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday at Hood Mortuary. A funeral service will be at 2 p.m. Wednesday at Durango Baptist Church. The Rev. Bob Ross will officiate. Burial will occur at Crestview Cemetery in Durango.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Valley Inn Nursing Home, 211 W. Third Ave., Mancos, CO 81328.
Dena Annette Blohm
Dena Annette Blohm died Thursday, Jan. 23, 2003, in Durango from natural causes. She was 94.
Mrs. Blohm was born July 4, 1908, in Tyndall, S.D., to John and Barbara Gretschmann. She and her family moved to Oregon in 1937.
She married Lyle H. Blohm in South Dakota.
Mrs. Blohm moved to Durango in 1998 to be closer to her family. She spent the last two years of her life at Four Corners Health Care Center in Durango, where she had many friends.
"She was a well-loved person, and she was really popular in the rest home where she was," said her son, Leslie G. Blohm.
Mrs. Blohm enjoyed writing letters and corresponding with many friends across the country.
She is survived by a son, Leslie G. Blohm, of Durango; two granddaughters, Beverly Lopez, of Henderson, Nev., and Carol Aguilar, of Durango; and two great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Lyle H. Blohm, on Jan. 21, 1998.
A graveside service will be at 1 p.m. Wednesday at St. James Acre Catholic Cemetery in Vancouver, Wash.
Memorial contributions may be made to a charity of choice.
Margaret Locke Punches
Margaret Locke Punches, of Santa Maria, Calif., died Saturday, Dec. 14, 2002, at her home of natural causes. She was 84.
Mrs. Punches was born in June 1918 in Durango. She attended Pasadena Junior College in California. She received her teaching degree at Colorado State College in Greeley, at what is now the University of Northern Colorado. Upon completing one year of teaching in Denver, she met and married Joel Punches. They lived in Delta for two years, where she and her husband taught school. Her husband enlisted in the Air Force and shortly thereafter his plane was shot down over Holland. He was missing in action for nine months.
After her husband returned, the couple moved to Santa Maria, where she worked as a substitute teacher at Santa Maria Bonita Elementary School for many years. She wrote songs for many occasions and sang them with the children.
Upon their retirement, she and her husband traveled the world. Some of the places they visited were Australia, New Zealand, Russia and Alaska, and many trips back to Colorado.
Her hobbies included garage sales, both attending and staging them, and reading English literature.
She is survived by her husband of 62 years; two sons, Joel Punches of Nipomo, Calif., and Bryan Punches, of Grass Valley, Calif.; two brothers, Donald and Bill Locke, both of Rifle; a sister, Susan Locke, of Rifle; and two grandchildren, Marcelo Punches of Nipomo and Kolby Punches of Grass Valley.
A memorial service has been held.
Verna M. Horsley
Verna M. Horsley, a resident of Albuquerque, died Monday, Jan. 20, 2003, in Albuquerque from a long illness. She was 72.
Mrs. Horsley was born May 10, 1930, to Fred and Velma Robinson, in Durango. She married Brian K. Horsley in 1951.
Mrs. Horsley lived the majority of her life in Durango and Cortez, and has friends and family throughout the Four Corners.
Mrs. Horsley was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
"She just loved to crochet," said her husband, Brian. "That was her main hobby."
Mrs. Horsley is survived by her husband, of Albuquerque; a son, Robert B. Horsley, of Gallup, N.M.; two sisters, Shirley Reinhardt and Jackie Robinson, both of Ignacio; two grandsons, William Horsley and Pat Horsley, both of Gallup; and four great-grandchildren.
Graveside services will be at 1 p.m. Saturday at Crestview Cemetery near Durango. Visitation will be at French Mortuary, 1111 University Blvd., in Albuquerque from 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday.
Mercedes ‘Mert’ Oldfield
Mercedes "Mert" Oldfield, of Farmington, died Saturday, Jan. 18, 2003, at San Juan Regional Medical Center in Farmington, N.M., of natural causes. She was 78.
Mrs. Oldfield was born Jan. 17, 1925, in Farmington to Raymond and Gladys Funk. She graduated from Farmington High School in 1944. She married Jack Hughes Oldfield, of Marvel, on April 14, 1946. The couple moved to Silverton and lived in Silverton and Howardsville for the next six years.
They have lived in Farmington since 1952. She worked at the Farmington Public Library for more than 14 years, meeting and visiting people there. Her hobbies included needlepoint, crocheting and reading.
"She was head-over-heels for Scottish terriers," said her grandson, Brian Dellinger, of Farmington. "She had several Scotties: Scott, Kelly, Sean, Mack and the one that’s still around, Tiger."
She is survived by her husband of 56 years; three children, Barney Oldfield of Farmington, Linda Bingham of Bloomfield, N.M., and Connie Pilon of Cortez; six grandchildren, Casey Oldfield of Minneapolis, Minn., Sherilyn Oldfield of Funabashi, Japan, David Dellinger of Lubbock, Texas, Brian Dellinger of Farmington, Jared Kaime of Colorado Springs and Kevin Kaime of Boulder; four great-grandchildren; four nieces; and three nephews.
Cremation has taken place. A memorial service will be at 2 p.m. Thursday at First Presbyterian Church of Farmington, 865 N. Dustin St., Farmington. The Rev. Frank Hayes will officiate.
Memorial contributions may be made to Farmington Public Library, 100 W. Broadway, Farmington, NM 87401.
