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Helen L. Smith
Helen L. Smith, 80, died Monday, Feb. 2, 2004, at St. Catherine Hospital in Garden City, Kan. She died of natural causes, said a spokesman of Price & Sons Funeral Home in Garden City.
Mrs. Smith was born Oct. 13, 1923, in Haviland, Kan., the daughter of Erna Mae (Plunkett) Hecox and Glen Hecox.
She moved to Garden City in 1994 from Liberal, Kan. She owned and operated the Spudnut Shop and the Liberal Taxi Co. for several years. Mrs. Smith was a member of the First Church of God where she served as youth director. She was a Brownie and Girl Scout leader for all of Liberal.
She married the late Alvin R. Smith in Meade, Kan., on April 18,1942.
Mrs. Smith is survived by her children, Alvin Ross "Butch" Smith of Durango, Glenda May Gramling of Paragould, Ark., and Linda Lorraine Crain of Garden City; her brother, Vern Hecox of Tyrone, Okla.; 19 grandchildren; and 10 great-grandchildren.
A funeral service will be held at 10 a.m. today at Price & Sons in Garden City, Kan. Burial will follow at 2 p.m. today at the Liberal Cemetery in Liberal, Kan.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Alzheimer's Association, care of Price & Sons, 620 N. Main, Garden City, KS 67846.
Wylene Capps Norman
Wylene Capps Norman, who owned and operated the Pine River Lodge at Vallecito Lake for 15 years, died Saturday, April 10, 2004, at a nursing home in Abilene, Texas. She died at the age of 87 after declining years complicated by kidney failure and many years of arthritis, said her daughter, Barbara J. Stelding.
Mrs. Norman was born Aug. 20, 1916, in Limestone County, Texas, the daughter of Berniece and Wylie Capps. She married Paul Norman Jr. in 1937 in Amarillo, Texas, where they lived until 1951.
In that year, they moved to Colorado to the Pine River Lodge, which they owned until 1965. Then Mrs. Norman worked in the Bayfield school cafeteria for three years.
Beginning in 1968, the Normans spent the winter in Apache Junction, Ariz. After the death of her husband in 1999, Mrs. Norman moved to Abilene to be near her family.
"She was my best friend," Barbara Stedling said. "She was a fisherwoman and hunter who fed us on trout, venison and elk for many years. After she moved to Texas, her interests moved more to reading and crossword puzzles. Her main interest was the Church of Christ, to which she belonged for 48 years."
Mrs. Norman is survived by her daughter of Abilene; her grandchildren, Michelle Baccherini of Fort Worth, Texas, and Michael Stelding of Dallas, Texas; her great-grandson, Alessandro Baccherini of Fort Worth; her sisters, Dorothy Savage of Lubbock, Texas, and Ruth Thompson of Nederland, Texas; and her brother, Thomas Capps of Fort Collins.
A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. today at Woodlawn Church of Christ in Abilene. The Rev. Larry Gill and the Rev. Sonny Guild will officiate. A graveside service will be held at 2 p.m. Thursday in Bayfield. Gene Chapin and the Rev. Ian Fair will officiate.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Woodlawn Church of Christ, 3185 N. 10th St., Abilene, TX 79603, or Hospice of the Big Country, 4601 Hartford, Abilene, TX 79605.
Gordon David Hayes
Gordon David Hayes, 83, died Sunday, April 4, 2004, in Payson, Ariz.
Mr. Hayes was born in Edinburgh, Scotland. He emigrated to Canada, and then came to the United States in 1957. He became a U.S. citizen in 1962.
He worked on the Mercury space program.
He is preceded in death by his first wife, Joyce, who died in 1998.
Mr. Hayes is survived by his second wife, Audrey; his son, Roger Hayes of Durango; his stepdaughter, Teresa Centner of California; his stepson Davey Beard of California; his granddaughters, Courtney and Chelsea and his great-granddaughters, Logan and Chandler.
A private memorial service was held.
Donations may be made to RTA Hospice, 107 East Frontier St., Payson 85541.
Alice Julia Mason Vance
Alice Julia Mason Vance died on Valentine's Day, Saturday, Feb. 14, 2004. She was 101.
Ms. Vance was born in Chicago, Aug. 20, 1902, and, two years later, moved to Seattle with her family. "Aunt Alice," as her family called her, saw major changes during her long life, from indoor plumbing to miniature cell phones and space travel.
An unusually tall woman, Ms. Vance was elegant, gracious and, at times, sassy, said her relative, Mary Kurt-Mason. Among her adventures was a trip from Seattle to the Pendleton Oregon Roundup on horseback that included an unintentional midnight swim in the Columbia River.
She was winked at by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt in Seattle, stalked by a cougar in British Columbia and rode on cargo steamships to San Francisco.
Her favorite job was in retail at the Woodland Park Zoo. She spent much of her free time making toys to donate to the Children's Hospital in Seattle.
She lived in Durango from 1998 to around 2001.
In later years, Ms. Vance gave up her love of travel to take care of her sister who was stricken with Alzheimer's disease.
Ms. Vance is survived by her nephew, Lindsey Kurt-Mason, his wife, Mary Kurt-Mason, and their sons, Seth and Jordan.
Orlando V. 'Orlie' Duran
Orlando V. "Orlie" Duran, 67, died Wednesday, April 7, 2004, at his home in Bayfield. He died of natural causes, said his daughter Linda Barnes.
Mr. Duran was born March 2, 1937, in Ignacio, the son of Lucy (Valdez) Duran and Andy Duran. He graduated from high school in Ignacio in 1956. He then served in the U.S. Navy from 1956 to 1961.
He married Noemi Herrera on January 20, 1962, in Ignacio.
Mr. Duran drove a delivery truck for Pepsi Cola and repaired machines for the Xerox Corporation. He also worked on electronics and mechanics as a hobby and could fix many things, including his cars.
He enjoyed camping, fishing and all outdoor sports. One of his passions was his guitar. He played in Spanish/country western bands and with the church choir.
"He was a loving man to everybody," Barnes said. "There wasn't a person who met him who didn't love him like a brother or father or grandfather. All our friends' children called him 'dad' or 'granddad.'"
He was a member of Sacred Heart Catholic Church and a grandfather who raised one of his grandsons, Eric Duran.
He was preceded in death by his son Toby Duran.
Mr. Duran is survived by his wife, Noemi Duran, of Bayfield; his daughter, Linda Barnes of Bayfield; his sons: Joseph Duran of Albuquerque and Nick Duran of Bayfield; his 12 grandchildren; his brothers: Andres Duran Jr. of Port Angeles, Wash., Chris Duran, Jack Duran, Rudy Duran and Mick Duran, all of Ignacio; his sisters: Lillian Duran of Durango, Eileen Candeleria and Yolanda Rodriguez, both of Ignacio, Corinne Trujillo of Colorado Springs and Martha Palomino of Moreno Valley, Calif.; and his aunts, nieces, nephews and cousins.
A rosary will be said at 6 p.m. Sunday at Sacred Heart Catholic Church. A Mass of Christian burial will celebrated at 10 a.m. Monday, also at Sacred Heart. The Rev. Joseph L. Gallegos will officiate. Burial will take place at Greenmount Cemetery in Durango.
Contributions may be made to the Sacred Heart Catholic Church Youth Fund, 254 East Fifth Ave. or Hospice of Mercy, 3801 Main Ave., Durango 81301.
Ray Mathias Reeder
Ray Mathias Reeder, who taught history at Fort Lewis College for 14 years, died Monday, April 5, 2004, at Memorial Hospital in Colorado Springs. He died at the age of 89 of natural causes, said his granddaughter Amy Barrett.
Mr. Reeder was born May 16, 1914, in Brigham City, Utah, the son of Ada Mathias and Adolph Reeder. The family lived on a farm where they grew alfalfa and sugar beets.
After carrying out a three-year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in France, Mr. Reeder married Phyllis Johnson on May 29, 1941. The marriage was solemnized in the Latter-day Saints Temple in Logan, Utah.
Mr. Reeder taught religious studies at Bear River High School in Tremonton, Utah, for 12 years. During that time, he earned his master's degree from Utah State University.
In 1960, the family moved to Provo, Utah, where Mr. Reeder taught religious studies at Farrer Junior High for six years while he earned his Ph.D. in history from Brigham Young University.
The Reeders moved to Durango in 1966 where Mr. Reeder taught history at FLC until he retired in 1980.
He served in many callings for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
During their time in Durango, Mr. and Mrs. Reeder extracted more than 200,000 names from microfiche records for the Latter-day Saints Family History Center in Salt Lake City.
In his free time, Mr. Reeder enjoyed fishing, hunting, camping, practicing photography and reading.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Phyllis, and his infant son, David.
Mr. Reeder is survived by his daughters: Marilyn Asay of Denver, Carol Ebright of Chicago, Kathleen Steed of Mapleton, Utah, and Jean Burns of Colorado Springs; his brother, Dawn Reeder of Corinne, Utah; his 20 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren, with two on the way.
Graveside services will be held at 1 p.m. today at the City Cemetery in Brigham City.
The Rev. Gary Dean MacDonald
The Rev. Gary Dean MacDonald, 46, pastor of Durango's New Life Chapel, died Tuesday, April 6, 2004, at Mercy Medical Center. He died of a heart attack, said the La Plata County coroner, Dr. Carol Huser.
The Rev. MacDonald was born March 1, 1958, in Barstow, Calif., the son of Ethlyn and Howard MacDonald. He was raised in Southern California.
The Rev. MacDonald was married to Tammy MacDonald for 24 years. They had three children.
He worked in full-time ministry of the Foursquare denomination for 24 years.
The Rev. MacDonald has been senior pastor at New Life Chapel since 1998. In April 2000, he was appointed the divisional superintendent of the Western Slope Division of Foursquare Churches and most recently served as divisional superintendent at large.
Before he moved to Durango, the Rev. MacDonald was senior pastor of the Lubbock First Foursquare Church in Lubbock, Texas.
The Rev. MacDonald's colleagues characterized him as a pastor, evangelist and worship leader who has spoken in youth camps, retreats, conferences and churches across the country.
He wrote many worship songs. One of his songs "Break Through the Chains," was published and recorded by Integrity Music.
The Rev. MacDonald is survived by his wife of Durango; his children: Matthew Howard MacDonald, Jinny Arlene MacDonald and Joshua Lawrence MacDonald, all of Durango; his parents of Azusa, Calif.; his brothers: Rick MacDonald and Luke MacDonald, both of Azusa; his sisters: Linda Kinslow of Apple Valley, Calif. and Kathy Chaney of Carson City, Nev.; and his many nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews.
Visitation will be from noon to 8 p.m. today at Hood Mortuary.
A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. Friday at New Life Chapel, 860 Plymouth Drive. The Rev. Rick MacDonald will officiate.
Raymond George Ledford
Raymond George Ledford, 77, a Four Corners native, died Saturday, April 3, 2004. He died peacefully at home, south of Durango, surrounded by his family, after a long struggle with pancreatic cancer.
Mr. Ledford was born March 27, 1927, in Waterflow, N.M., one of many children of Ruth Parker Ledford and Charlie Ledford.
He married Margaret Brown on June 28, 1952, in Durango. They had six children.
Mr. Ledford served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. He was a Seaman 2nd Class on the USS Salt Lake City. He was honorably discharged on May 31, 1946.
He worked for the Colorado Department of Transportation from 1963 until 1984, which included 10 years of plowing snow on Red Mountain Pass. He loved the mountains and spent a lot of time camping and hunting, his family said.
During retirement, he enjoyed farming and raising quarter horses. He was honored by the American Quarter Horse Association for 30 years of breeding quarter horses.
"Dad lived his life in the cowboy way where his word was as good as his handshake and his greatest reward was his friends and family. He will be greatly missed by his family and friends," a member of his family said.
He is survived by his wife, Margaret Ledford; his children, Sherrie Catalano, David Ledford, Marshall "Hoss" Ledford and Kim Wacondo, all of Durango, Raymond Greg Ledford of Montrose and Richard Ledford of Vista, Calif.; and 12 grandchildren.
There will be a gathering in his memory this summer.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Basin Rodeo Club at the First National Bank of Durango.
