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Philbert Larry Medina
Lifelong Durango resident Philbert Larry Medina, 49, died Wednesday, July 13, 2005, at Mercy Medical Center. The cause of death was kidney failure.
He was born to Presentacion and Clotilde (Martinez) Medina in Durango on Sept. 25, 1955. He attended school in Durango and worked for San Juan Lumber until its closing in the early 1980s. In 1986, he went to work for the city of Durango, where he was a crew leader in the water department for 19 years.
Mr. Medina married Marie G
onzalez in Durango on July 6, 1985.
In his spare time, he enjoyed four-wheeling and riding his motorcycle.
"He was friendly and outgoing," said his wife. "He was a great practical joker. He got away with it because he was always so serious."
He is survived by his wife Marie Medina of Durango; sons Lawrence Medina and Steven Medina, both of Durango; daughters Malissa Medina of Durango and Nicole Martinez of Grand Junction; sisters Genevieve Quintana of Montrose, Sally Martinez of Tuelle, Utah, Francis Martinez, Angie Mestas and Vangie Mayes, all of Salt Lake City; brother Johnny Medina of Durango; and numerous nieces, nephews, cousins and other extended family.
Visitation will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday at Hood Mortuary. A rosary will be said at 5 p.m. Sunday at Sacred Heart Catholic Church. A Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated at 2 p.m. Monday at Sacred Heart Catholic Church. The Rev. Joseph L. Gallegos will officiate. Burial will follow at Greenmount Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be sent to the Philbert Larry Medina Memorial Fund, c/o The First National Bank of Durango, P.O. Box 2910, Durango, CO 81302.
Theodore "Ted" Rudolph Manzanares
Durango native Theodore "Ted" Rudolph Manzanares, 68, died on Friday, July 8, 2005 at his home in Oak Harbor, Wash. The cause of death was cancer.
Mr. Manzanares was born in Durango on Jan. 7, 1937, to Victor and Sinforia Manzanares. He attended Durango schools and was a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps.
He married his wife Coral Manzanares in Nevada in about 1971.
Mr. Manzanares worked for the civil service, and was stationed in Nevada and Washington.
He is survived by his wife Coral Manzanares of Oak Harbor, Wash.; son Kit Manzanares of Seattle; sister Rosalie Lister of Durango; two grandsons; and numerous nieces and nephews.
Cremation has occurred. Memorial services were held on Monday in Oak Harbor, Wash.
Helen Louise Knickerbocker Campbell
A woman who enjoyed active and hard work, Helen Louise Knickerbocker Campbell died Tuesday, July 12, 2005, at Four Corners Health Care Center. The cause of death was cancer.
She was born to Lloyd and Opal Knickerbocker on Jan. 8, 1926, in Burbank, Calif. Her family said she was an adventurous tot, leashed to a clothesline at times and wandering down the street to the home of a lady who always had a cookie for her.
During a shopping expedition with her mother, she dashed out in front of a train and was rescued by a bystander.
The Knickerbocker family moved to Bayfield in 1931. She graduated from Bayfield High School in 1944.
She played the piano in her father's band. And throughout her life, she played the piano, the organ or the accordion at weddings, funerals and other celebrations.
She married David Campbell at her parents' home on Oct. 27, 1946. The newlyweds lived on the Campbell homestead in Spring Creek, working the farm and raising cattle, horses, sheep, pigs and chickens. During the farming season, Mrs. Campbell mowed the fields.
When it was time to stack the hay, she was the cook for crews of around seven people. Her usual day was making homemade rolls, homemade cakes and pies, peeling and cooking 20 pounds of potatoes and other menu needs.
"She had a wonderful sense of humor and she was always laughing," said her daughter Davylou Beaty.
Mrs. Campbell was active in the Spring Creek Dinner Club, Spring Creek Dance Club, Pep Club sponsor, Neighbors of Woodcraft and Pine River Grange.
For more than 50 years, she was a member and served on boards of the Spring Creek Community Association and the Ignacio Community Church.
She was the secretary at the Ignacio Elementary School for seven years. Her longtime favorite job was as bookkeeper with the family business at Hi Country Cattle Co.
She was preceded in death by her husband, David Campbell.
Mrs. Campbell is survived by her daughters Davylou Beaty of Allison and Kathy Kent of Ignacio; six grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren; and numerous cousins and extended family.
Visitation will be held from 2 to 5 p.m. on Sunday at Hood Mortuary.
A funeral will take place at 10 a.m. Monday at the 3 'C' Ranch, 169 County Road 320 (behind the Ignacio Intermediate School). The Rev. Curtis J. Alderton and the Rev. Randall Haynes of the Ignacio Community Church will officiate. Burial will follow at the Crestview Cemetery at Elmore's Corner.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Spring Creek Community Association, c/o Valerie Borge, P.O. Box 1308, Bayfield, CO 81122; or the Ignacio Community Church, 400 Burns Ave., Ignacio, CO 81137.
Richard Winston Repert
Former Durango resident Dr. Richard Winston Repert, 84, died on June 14, 2005 in Marble Falls, Texas. He had suffered several months of declining health after surgery to find an unidentified carcinoma.
Dr. Repert was born to Walter and Gladys Repert on Dec. 30, 1920, in Dunkirk, N.Y. After growing up there, he attended Alfred University in Alfred, N.Y., where he earned his medical degree.
He served his residency in general surgery in Grand Rapids, Mich., before moving to Durango.
Dr. Repert married Marcia Wiley in 1942 . The marriage was later dissolved.
In Durango, he joined a practice and worked here from 1953 to 1967. Dr. Repert went on to direct the Student Health Care Center at the University of Texas in Austin, Texas, and finished his medical career in industrial medicine with IBM, also in Austin.
"He was very dedicated, conscientious and focused on the thing that he loved, and that was medicine," said his daughter Judy Lund-Green.
Even after his retirement, Dr. Repert was still involved in medicine, attending workshops and seminars and reading various medical books and publications.
He also counseled fellow members of the Marble Falls Episcopal Church about medical matters.
He later married Marian Collins Martin. The couple lived in Marble Falls, Texas during his retirement.
When he wasn't pursuing his passion of medicine, Mr. Repert enjoyed fishing.
Dr. Repert is survived by his wife Marian Collins Repert of Marble Falls, Texas; daughter Judy Lund-Green of Farmington; son Dr. William Repert of Fort Collins; sister Virginia Repert of Durango; four grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren, with another on the way.
Cremation has occurred. The family will hold a private service at a later date.
Neilan Duane Schmidt
Former La Plata County resident Neilan Duane Schmidt died on Thursday, July 7, 2005, in Humble, Texas. He was 76. The cause of death was metastatic cancer.
He was born to Gustav Wilhelm and Fern Gertrude Schmidt on Dec. 7, 1928, in Huron, S.D.
Mr. Schmidt served his country as a pilot in the U.S. Air Force for 23 years. At various times he was stationed in France, Morocco, Lebanon and Germany, where he flew visiting dignitaries on tours. During the early years of the Vietnam War, he flew C-124s back and forth to Southeast Asia.
Mr. Schmidt received many awards and medals during his time in the service. He retired in October 1969.
He married Alice Beverly on August 17, 1949, at the base chapel at Chanute Air Force Base in Rantoul, Ill.
Mr. Schmidt went on to work for Simuflight, retiring in 1993.
The Schmidts moved to Forest Lakes at that time, and lived there until early 2002. While in Colorado, he was the president of the Forest Lakes Homeowners Association, was active in St. Bartholomew Catholic Church and was a member of the Lions Club of Bayfield. He also enjoyed a weekly game of poker with friends.
"He was a neat guy, always on top of things," said his wife. "He was very well-loved and well-respected, and many people will miss him."
Mr. Schmidt was preceded in death by his son Robert Schmidt.
He is survived by his wife Alice Beverly Schmidt of Kingwood, Texas; daughters Kathleen Campbell of Snead, Ala., Patricia McQueen of Kingwood, Texas, Laura Schmidt of Friendswood, Texas, and Janet Schmidt of Snead, Ala.; son Neil Schmidt of Fort Hood, Texas; nine grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; and numerous nieces and nephews.
A memorial service was held on Monday in Kingwood, Texas.
Memorial contributions may be made to Northeast Hospice Services, 18951 Memorial North, Humble, TX 77338.
Alton K. 'Casey' Brown
The funeral for Alton K. "Casey" Brown, who died on July 9, 2005, will be held at 10 a.m. July 16 at the Bayfield Church of Christ. Interment will follow at the Ignacio East Cemetery. Following the interment, there will be a community gathering at the Buck Pat-Way Ranch, 2943 County Road 321. Meat will be provided by the La Plata-Archuleta Cattlemen's Association and guests are asked to bring a dish to share.
Sara Moody Lupton
On the 4th of July, 2005, Sara Moody Lupton, 47, passed away peacefully in her home in the mountains outside Durango, Colorado, in the loving care of her devoted husband and son. Anyone fortunate enough to have known this spirited businesswoman will always miss her sweetness and grace. Sara truly made our world a better place.
Sara was diagnosed with liver cancer nine years ago, and she faced this challenge in her own way--by seeing the beauty in every day. She especially made traveling with her husband and son a priority, savoring each adventure, and then planning for the next, right to the end, with trips last year to Europe and Costa Rica.
She saw herself as a survivor, not a victim, and she kept smiling as she endured painful treatments and surgeries. Because of her enormous optimism and grit, her husband's resolve to find medical answers, her son's endless snuggles, the love of her parents, and her Uncle George Finley's ready contacts and resources, Sara lived far longer than anyone could have imagined.
Sara was born on July 8, l957, in Aurora, Illinois, always proud to be the daughter of William F. Moody and Sue Finley Moody.
As a little girl, she lived on a quarterhorse farm in Big Rock, Illinois (pop. 600), with her three big brothers and baby sister. She was bright, confident, and the whole town thought she was beautiful -- both inside and out. She rode horses, baked gingerbread to enter in the county fair, and attended Sunday School at Big Rock's Congregation-al Church.
When she became a teenager, Sara's life changed when the Moody family moved to Safford, Arizona. She was dropped off in front of her new high school in the moving van, but, with her signature poise, she walked right in and made a big splash.
At Safford High School, Sara's future business career began to take shape. She joined the Distributive Educational Clubs of American (DECA), an elite association of students planning careers in marketing, management, and entrepreneurship. She took first in a state-wide contest, went on to place fifth in the nation, and was one of two students in her high school selected to attend Arizona Girl's State prestigious week-long conference at the University of Arizona.
Sara worked sales in a dress boutique while still in high school. After graduation, and a year of college in Illinois, she moved to Mesa, Arizona, where she took an entry-level teller position at Valley National Bank. She was quickly promoted to training tellers and then operations manager.
During this time, she met the love of her life, her future husband, Kelly Lupton.
After Valley National, Sara worked as a sales manager for a fiberglass manufacturer, traveling the country to trade shows to promote their products. In l978, Sara was 2l, and, like Kelly, her grandfather, father, and mother before her, she took to the skies and soloed her first airplane.
In l984, Kelly convinced her to take a leap of faith and become a partner in his construction company, building custom homes throughout the Phoenix area. She was a huge asset and the company flourished. The customers were captivated with her charm as she helped decorate and colorize their homes, talents that would serve her well in Durango. Sara and Kelly sealed their relationship on March 24, 1984, when they were married in Tempe, Arizona.
Four years later, seeking a change in scenery and lifestyle, they moved to Durango. In early 1991, they started a new enterprise, Quality House Interiors, in their home. With Sara's fresh style, keen pricing ability, and attention to excellent service, it grew quickly, necessitating the construction of a showroom and warehouse in town.
Sara was proud that QHI contributed to the economic vitality of Durango and created numerous well-paying jobs. Community minded and thankful for their success, Sara made certain that QHI regularly made donations to numerous worthwhile causes and provided flooring and window treatments, at cost, to many charities, including The Humane Society and Habitat for Humanity.
Although she thrived on working, and loved traveling, hiking, skiing, camping, and flying with Kelly, Sara became her most passionate, in 1990, when she gave birth to the son she adored, Wyatt Tyler. The two were inseparable; when Wyatt was six weeks old, Sara was taking him along on nature hikes and at six months, to business meetings.
When her little boy was only five, Sara was diagnosed with cancer. Despite her daunting treatments, she pressed on, putting Wyatt first, exposing him to as many of life's joys as she could. She also continued to guide QHI's consistent growth, but, in 2004, they sold the business to employees, with Sara's wish that her legacy continue. Her time in retirement was short-lived, however, as her disease took its toll.
Sara Moody Lupton will be forever remembered for her love of family, friends, and work, how bravely she fought to live, the angelic way she saw the goodness in everyone she met, and the effortless way she held malice toward none.
She is survived by her unwavering support system: her husband, Kelly, their son, Wyatt, her father William and his wife Jane, of Scottsdale, Arizona, her mother, Sue, of Mesa, Arizona, three brothers, David (Melody) Moody of Lander, Wyoming, John (Laurie) Moody of Safford, Arizona, Michael (Elma) Moody of Corpus Christi, Texas, one sister Anne (Michael) Tansy, of Phoenix, Arizona, and long-time family friend Rebecca Williamson, of Mesa, Arizona, She is also survived by several nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, cousins, and a multitude of friends.
She was preceded in death by her step-mother, Norma June Moody in November of 2002.
A service to celebrate the beautiful life of Sara Moody Lupton will be held on Friday, July 15 at 10:30am at St. Marks Episcopal Church in Durango. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Habitat for Humanity.
