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Gertrude Anna Cornell
Gertrude Anna Cornell, 81, died Friday, Oct. 1, 2004, at Mercy Medical Center in Durango.
Mrs. Cornell was born March 17, 1923, in Hamburg, Germany, the daughter of Walter and Freda Schulz. She married Mark W. Cornell on March 17, 1950, in Landschut, Germany. She has lived in Durango since 1966. Her family and friends called her "Gert."
Mrs. Cornell loved to travel to see new places and experience new people. She also enjoyed sitting on her back porch watching the hummingbirds, deer and wildlife, and viewing the beautiful Durango vistas. She always looked forward to playing cards, especially bridge, with her German and non-German friends. She was very outgoing, touched many lives and will be missed, said her family. "My dad and mom were very much soul partners and friends for over 55 years of marriage," said her son, Wayne.
She is survived by her husband, Mark W. Cornell of Durango; her son, Wayne Cornell of Kalispell, Mont.; and one cousin.
No services are planned at this time.
Charles J. Marston
A World War II veteran, Charles J. Marston, 83, died Saturday, Sept. 18, 2004, at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Grand Junction.
Mr. Marston was born May 21, 1921, to Charles N. and Edna (Burns) Marston in Groton, S.D. Born in the days before modern medicine, it was remarkable that he survived at all as he weighed only 1� pounds at birth.
Mr. Marston was in a National Guard unit from Huron, S.D., and was activated in February 1941. He served in the European theater of operations during World War II and was discharged in March 1946. In January of that year, he married Rose Julie Mika of New Britain, Conn., who he had met while she was serving as a Women's Army Corps.
Mr. Marson had a varied work experience, working as a brakeman with the Chicago Northwestern Railroad until a work-related injury forced him to seek other employment. He moved his family to Durango, where he owned the Narrow Gauge Motel on Main Street. Later, he worked for the Pinkerton Agency on the Fort Lewis College campus and the Durango Police Department.
Mr. Marston probably is best known in the Grand Junction area for having been a driver's license examiner. While there, he unintentionally intimidated more than a few teenage drivers with his gruff voice and stern demeanor.
He was preceded in death by his son, Bruce, and his wife, Rose.
Sherline A. Murphy
Sherline A. Murphy, a lifelong teacher who loved children, died Thursday, Sept. 16, 2004, at Northwest Medical Center in Bentonville, Ark. She was 63.
She was born on Aug. 2, 1941, the only child of Sherman "Shorty" and Reba "Kitty" Tuttle. She married Dennis M. Johnson, of Durango, on Feb. 2, 1961. While in Durango, she and her husband performed at the Strater Hotel's Diamond Circle Theatre, and worked at Stuart's of Durango. They subsequently divorced, and she married Wayne Murphy, of Foreman, Ark., in 1971.
Mrs. Murphy received her bachelor's degree in education from Southern Arkansas University in 1973, and she was in the first graduating class of the master's program for gifted and talented education from the University of Arkansas, Little Rock, in 1983. She then taught in K-12 classrooms in Arkansas and Oklahoma.
Mrs. Murphy is survived by her daughters Martine Smith of Newcastle, Okla., and Nicole Johnson of Bucks County, Penn.; and six grandchildren.
Memorial services were held in Fayetteville, Ark., on Sept. 20. A fund in her memory has been created at the Foreman Public Library, 216 Schuman St., Foreman, AR 71836 to honor her devotion to children's education.
Bonnie Hyler Teller
Bonnie Hyler Teller died on Saturday, Sept. 11, 2004, at the age of 85.
Her family described her as a loving person who devoted her life to her family and friends. She will be missed by all who knew her, they said.
Mrs. Teller was born to Morris Hyler and Dolly (Confar) Hyler on May 25, 1919, in Denver. She was a descendent of some of the earliest pioneer families in Archuleta County. Her grandfather Welch Hyler and Great Uncle Welch Nossaman were two of the earliest white settlers and businessmen in Archuleta County, and the Confars were some of the earliest settlers in the Chromo area.
Mrs. Teller lived her early years in and around Pagosa Springs, and then moved to San Diego where she graduated from high school.
On Feb. 13, 1939, Mrs. Teller married Frank George Teller in San Diego. During World War II, her home was a home away from home for many of the young men in the service from Pagosa Springs. Later she went to work for Consolidated Aircraft Industries. After the war, she and Mr. Teller moved back to Pagosa Springs to ranch, and later, to the San Luis Valley where they ranched in Monte Vista and Del Norte. Eventually they moved to Arizona, where she retired from managing a cafeteria in the Oracle, Ariz., school district.
Mrs. Teller had been in ill health the last few years, and resided in the Desert Treasure Residence.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Frank Teller, who died in 1991.
Mrs. Teller is survived by her son James Dennis Teller of Oracle, Ariz.; her grandson, her nephew CDR Frankling Anderson of Allison, her niece Myrtle Snow of Pagosa Springs, a second niece and two great-grandchildren.
Following Mrs. Teller's request, there will be no services.
Doris Ann Mason Ferguson
A longtime teacher at Durango High School, Doris Ann Mason Ferguson, 79, died at her home on Sunday, Oct. 3, 2004. The cause of death was bone cancer.
She was born on March 7, 1925, to Arthur "Bill" and Marie Christy Mason, in the same house where her father was born. After graduating from Durango High School in 1942, she attended Fort Lewis College at the Hesperus campus from 1942 to 1945. She served as the college librarian from 1945 to 1948. Mrs. Ferguson also attended the George Peabody School for Teachers in Nashville, Tenn., in 1945.
She received her bachelor's degree from Fort Lewis College in 1964, in the first class to graduate at the current campus. Mrs. Ferguson went on to earn her master's in secondary education from Adams State College in 1978. She taught English and literature of the West, among other subjects, at DHS from 1964 to 1984.
She married Ward Duane Ferguson on Nov. 3, 1945. They divorced in 1976.
Mrs. Ferguson loved roses and gardening and was a charter member of the Four Corners Rose Society. She was also a member of the Garden Club of Durango and worked on city park beautification through the years.
She was a member of the First Presbyterian Church of Durango for 65 years. In her retirement, she enjoyed working with the adult-literacy program and volunteering for the Southwest Colorado Credit Union, her church and the Animas Museum. She enjoyed reading and traveling.
"She loved gardens and her roses," said her family. "She doted on her grandsons. The sun rose and set on Will and Casey."
Mrs. Ferguson is survived by her son David Ferguson of Durango; her daughter Susan Ferguson Slone of Durango; three grandchildren, including twins Casey Ferguson and Will Ferguson, both of Durango; her sister Francie Tate of Enid, Okla.; and her brother Allen Mason of Susanville, Calif.
Services will be held at 2 p.m. Thursday at the First Presbyterian Church in Durango. Burial services for family only will be in Greenmount Cemetery.
In her memory, donations of roses for planting in the rose gardens at Santa Rita Park or School District 9-R Administration Building may be made to either the Four Corners Rose Society or the Garden Club of Durango and sent to Shirley Spangsberg, 2910 Cedar Ave., Durango, CO 81301.
Donations may also be made to the Animas Museum or Fort Lewis Alumni Scholarship Program.
Cathie Patcheck Wilson
Cathie Patcheck Wilson, an elementary school teacher who was born in Durango, died Thursday, September 30, 2004, at home in Austin, Texas. Mrs. Patcheck Wilson was active both in her church and in the lives of her children.
She died after battling colon cancer for a year and a half. She was 46.
Family and friends of Mrs. Patcheck Wilson said they relished in her big heartedness and her love for others.
Mrs. Patcheck Wilson was born Cathie Patcheck on March 29, 1958, to Bob and Georgia Patcheck of Durango. She graduated from Cortez High School and went on to attend Fort Lewis College, where she earned a degree in elementary education.
She worked for 21 years in classrooms in a number of different states, most recently in Nampa, Idaho, where she taught for seven years.
Mrs. Patcheck Wilson is survived by her husband, Jim Wilson; her sons, Patrick and Kevin, both of Austin, Texas; mother Georgia Patcheck of Durango; her sister, Cindy Morgan of Austin, Texas; her brothers, Robert Patcheck of Lubbock, Texas, and Michael Patcheck of Durango; and seven nephews and nieces.
A memorial was held Monday in Austin, Texas. An additional service will be held Thursday in Nampa, Idaho.
Contributions can be made to Bethany Lutheran Church, 3701 W. Slaughter Lane, Austin, TX 78748 or to Vistacare Hospice, 7800 Shoal Creek Blvd., Austin, TX 78704.
Robert N. Johnson
Denton resident Robert N. Johnson died Sunday, Oct. 3, 2004, at Denton Regional Medical Center after a long illness. He was 70.
He was born on March 5, 1934, in Pilot Point, Texas, to Travis J. and Emma Lee (Routon) Johnson. He married Georgia Ruth Linton in Denton on Jan. 29, 1955. He was a retired leadman for Victor Equipment Co.
Mr. Johnson is survived by his wife, Georgia Ruth Linton; his daughters, Sharon Lynn Melville Wright of Durango and Debra Ann Johnson of Irving; his sister, Barbara Jean Yarbrough of Pilot Point; his brother, Billy Jack Johnson of Denton; and a grandson, Brent Melville of Durango.
Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. today in the Mulkey-Mason Jack Schmitz and Son Chapel with the Rev. Jesse Cook officiating. Burial will follow in Roselawn Memorial Park.
Memorial contributions may be made to the charity of your choice.
Robert Frank Grosley
Robert Frank Grosley died Oct. 2, 2004, at his home in Hampton, Va., after an eight-year fight with cancer. He was 66.
A memorial service will be held for Mr. Grosley at 2 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 4, at St. Mark's Episcopal Church. Afterward, friends are invited to a reception in the church hall.
Mr. Grosley's mother, Viola Kees, lives in Durango, and his family will be visiting from Virginia.
For eight years, Mr. Grosley fought against cancer. He was diagnosed in 1995 with multiple mycloma and then in 2003 with lung cancer, but his family said his determination to fight never wavered.
Mr. Grosley was born Sept. 26, 1938, in Durango. He grew up loving to fish and hunt in the mountains surrounding his home. Immediately after graduation, he joined the U.S. Air Force and served in Okinawa, Japan, Hawaii, Vietnam and Germany. Mr. Grosley was most proud of the three years he spent with the Air Commandoes at England Air Force Base, La., where he and Judy Mancini were married on Sept. 16, 1967. Together, they spent two years in Turkey, where he was assigned to NATO, followed by seven years with Joint Combat Support Element. Mr. Grosley retired in 1979 after 22 years of service.
Mr. Grosley began a new career with Warner Cable, during which time he attended Thomas Nelson Community College and earned a degree in Occupational Safety. He continued to work for Cox Communications until September 2000.
Mr. Grosley is survived by his wife of 37 years, Judy Grosley; his daughter, Johanna Carpenter; his son, Robert Grosley; his mother, Viola Kees of Durango; his sister, Mary Louise Koch of Hemet, Calif.; and four grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held in Durango at the end of October.
Memorial contributions may be made to Bethany United Methodist Church Sound System fund, 1509 Todds Lane, Hampton, VA 23666. Friends are encouraged to visit www.mem.com to share words of comfort with the family.
Lucille W. Brown
A Farmington resident, Lucille W. Brown died Friday, Nov. 26, 2004, in Ignacio. She was 88.
Mrs. Brown was born on June 30, 1916, in Miramonte, Ariz., to Warren and Adelaide Whetten.
She is survived by one son, David Antonio Brown of Battle Mountain, Nev.; four daughters, Addie Lou Garey of Ignacio, Frances Waite of Farmington, Elizabeth Schiess of Smithfield, Utah, and Karen Walker of Farmington; a sister, Ruthie Hancock of Utah; three brothers, Leon Whetten of Utah, Ernest "Bud" Whetten of New Mexico and John Whetten of Idaho; 22 grandchildren; and 43 great-grandchildren.
Visitation will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday at Brewer, Lee & Larkin Funeral Home in Farmington. Bishop Seth Bingham will preside over services at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Apache Street in Farmington.
Paul Lee Baker
A lifelong Mancos resident, Paul Lee Baker died of lung cancer on Friday, Nov. 26, 2004, at his home in Mancos at the age of 26.
Mr. Baker was born on May 23, 1978, in Durango, the son of Douglas L. and Debbie S. (Dean) Baker.
After graduating from Mancos High School in 1996, Mr. Baker worked for San Juan Copy Systems.
He was an avid sportsman who never missed a sporting event on television. Mr. Baker was a Denver Broncos fan. He excelled in basketball and enjoyed playing other sports. This past summer, he enjoyed four-wheeling in the mountains. He was a hunter.
Surviving Mr. Baker are his parents, Doug and Debbie Baker of Mancos; his brothers, Gary Baker and Bill Baker, both of Phoenix; grandparents Paul and Jeanette Dean of Crawford; and two great-grandmothers, Easter Baker of Cortez and Mae Dean of Crawford; as well as a host of other family members and friends.
Memorial services will be held at 1 p.m. Friday at the Mancos Community Center. Pastor LeRoy Cowart of Oregon will officiate.
Memorial contributions can be made in Mr. Baker's name to the Paul Baker Cancer Fund at Mancos State Bank. Funds will go to benefit uninsured and less fortunate families who have a family member suffering from cancer.
