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Donald G. Tipotsch Sr. (11/4/2006)
Durango native Donald G. Tipotsch Sr. died Tuesday, Oct. 31, 2006. He was 81.
Mr. Tipotsch was born to Felix and Irene Tipotsch in Durango on Feb. 26, 1925.
He and his family lived and ranched in Hesperus during his childhood.
Mr. Tipotsch attended Fort Lewis College and Colorado State University in Fort Collins, where he earned degrees in engineering.
He spent his summers surveying ski runs at the then-new Purgatory Ski Area, building the Western store fronts in downtown Silverton and fishing along the Animas River.
Mr. Tipotsch served in the Navy as an aviation machinist during World War II and was honorably discharged.
He married Betty Turner of Durango in 1951.
Mr. Tipotsch took a job with Beckman Instruments in Fullerton, Calif., and in 1965 moved his family there.
During his time with Durham Instruments, he engineered, developed and patented instrumentation for the spectroanalysis of chemical compounds and metal alloys.
Since 1987, Mr. Tipotsch had owned and operated Arizona Analytical Instruments in Tempe, Ariz.
His current work included a grading machine for utilizing the spectra for chemical analysis used by the National Aeronautical Space Agency, an ionic silver generator for bacterial and viral contamination and an air-conditioning system using water as a medium instead of Freon.
Mr. Tipotsch was preceded in death by his wife of 54 years, Betty Tipotsch.
He is survived by his brother, Thomas Tipotsch, of Phoenix; children Donald Tipotsch Jr., Carol Tipotsch and Patricia Tipotsch, all of Mesa, Ariz., and David Tipotsch of Double Oak, Texas; four grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
A service will be held at 11 a.m. Monday, Nov. 6, 2006, at Hansen Chapel of Prayer Mortuary, 108 N. 56 St., Mesa.
Visitation will be held one hour earlier at 10 a.m.
Dale James Hollingsworth (11/4/2006)
The father of Durango resident Jim Hollingsworth, Dale James Hollingsworth, died at his Grand Junction home Saturday, Oct. 28, 2006.
He was 83.
Mr. Hollingsworth was born to Carl and Ruth Hollingsworth on Nov. 22, 1922, in Duluth, Minn.
He earned a degree in business administration at Duluth Junior College and then joined the Navy in 1942.
He was commissioned as an ensign during World War II.
He served in the Naval Reserve until 1957, retiring as a lieutenant.
On July 8, 1946, Mr. Hollingsworth married Mary Phyllis Dyer in Ontario, Ore.
In February 1957, he was hired as the manager of the Grand Junction Chamber of Commerce, which his family said led to a 50-year love affair with the Grand Valley area.
Up until his 1984 retirement, Mr. Hollingsworth was involved as the executive vice president and manager of the chamber of commerce and also served for a time as a vice president of the United States Bank in Grand Junction.
He was a member of the committee for the Museum of Western Colorado; a co-founder of CrimeStoppers in Mesa County; a City Council member and a board member of Industrial Development Inc.
Mr. Hollingsworth served as the secretary/treasurer of Club 20 for 18 years, as a Lions Club member for more than 50 years, the chairman of the Hilltop Rehabilitation, a board member for Walker Field Airport and on numerous state and national chamber-association boards.
He was honored as a recipient of the Mesa State College Distinguished Service Award for helping the school go from a junior college to a four-year institution, was inducted into the Junior College Hall of Fame, was named a Rotary Paul Harris Fellow, Grand Junction Lion of the Year in 1973 and was the Museum of Western Colorado Award winner for the 1960 decade "History Picture Project by Decades."
Mr. Hollingsworth enjoyed reading, skiing, golfing, visiting with family and friends and politics.
He is survived by his wife and partner of 60 years, Phyllis Hollingsworth, of Grand Junction; daughters Joan Hollingsworth, Mary Verdieck, Anne Connolly and Janet Hollingsworth; sons Jim Hollingsworth of Durango and John Hollingsworth; six grandchildren; and one great-granddaughter.
A memorial Mass was held Thursday, Nov. 2, 2006, at St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Grand Junction.
Private burial will take place at a later date.
Memorial contributions may be sent to Mountain Valley Developmental Association, 700 Mt. Sopris Drive, Glenwood Springs, CO 81601, or to a charity of the donor's choice.
Dorsie Ruth Schaefer (11/4/2006)
Durango resident Dorsie Ruth Schaefer died at Mercy Regional Medical Center on Tuesday, Oct. 31, 2006. she was 81.
Mrs. Schaefer moved to the Durango area in July 1998.
She was born to Ernest and Jeffie Hill in Wichita Falls, Texas, on Jan. 30, 1925.
Mrs. Schaefer graduated from Wichita Falls High School in 1943.
She was a medical transcriptionist at Sheppard Air Force Base in Wichita Falls for 14½ years.
Mrs. Schaefer is survived by her husband, Alvin H. Schaefer, of Durango; son, Lyndall A. Schaefer, of Durango; one granddaughter; and one great-granddaughter.
A graveside service will be held at 1 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2006, at Crestview Memorial Park in Wichita Falls, Texas.
Memorial contributions may be made to Habitat for Humanity, 600 East Second Ave., Suite D, Durango, CO 81301.
Josephine Shafer (11/3/2006)
Josephine Shafer, a Durango resident for 65 years, died Monday Oct. 30, 2006. She was 87.
Mrs. Shafer moved to Durango on her wedding day Oct. 12, 1941.
She was born in Denver on Nov. 15, 1918.
She was preceded in death by her husband, John E. Shafer.
Mrs. Shafer is survived by her son, John J. Shafer, of Durango; daughter, Judy Dunagan, of Durango; sisters, Elsie Ash of Tucson, Helen Veretta, Eleanor Kelly and Irene Hartkopf, all of Denver; and two grandchildren.
Private services will be held at a later date.
Noel Leon Beebe (11/2/2006)
Noel Leon Beebe, a former ordained minister and deacon at the Bayfield First Baptist Church, died of natural causes Tuesday, Oct. 31, 2006, at his home on the family ranch near Bayfield.
He was 85.
Mr. Beebe was born on March 27, 1921, near Miami, Texas, to Fanny Mae Sanders Beebe and Clyde Beebe.
He served in the Air Force as a flight mechanic before moving to Manitou Springs.
He married Clara Yvonne Herring on May 25, 1941.
In Manitou Springs, he worked for Star Bakery, as well as a minister and deacon at the Manitou Springs Baptist Church.
After Manitou Springs, he moved to Fort Carson, where he worked for the civil service until he retired to live and work on the Beebe family ranch in Bayfield.
He enjoyed ranching and had a passion for hunting as well.
"He was a very caring and giving man," said his grandson Robert Beebe.
"He'd go out of his way for anyone."
He was preceded in death by his first wife, Clara Yvonne Beebe, of Bayfield; a son, Leonard Beebe; and a daughter, Lamona Tait.
He is survived by a second wife, Patricia Beebe; son Gary Beebe of Bayfield; daughter, Leona Tripp of Colorado Springs; sister Betty Beason of Arizona; 11 grandchildren; 19 great-grandchildren; and four great-great-grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Friday, Nov. 3, 2006, at the Bayfield First Baptist Church.
A burial will follow at the Bayfield Cemetery.
Visitation will be from noon to 8 p.m. today at Hood Mortuary.
In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate donations to Hospice of Mercy at 3801 Main Ave., Durango, CO 81301.
Richard G. Clark (11/2/2006)
Richard G. "Dick" Clark died Oct. 21, 2006, in Albuquerque, N.M., after suffering complications from heart surgery.
He was born Dec. 8, 1935, in Alvo, Neb., to Esther Roxanne Rosenow Clark and Raymond Desmond Clark.
Mr. Clark lived in Durango for more than 40 years.
He moved his family here in 1965.
He worked for the U.S. Soil Conservation Service for about 10 years and was transferred here from Nebraska.
After graduating from Alvo High School in May 1954, Mr. Clark earned a land-surveying degree via correspondence.
In 1967, he began his own business, Clark-Thomas Engineering and Land Surveying, which later became Dick Clark & Associates.
Mr. Clark married Betty Burgen on May 26, 1957, in Weeping Water, Neb. They had three daughters: Brenda Clark, Rhonda Messier and Beth McCormick.
The marriage later ended in divorce.
Mr. Clark's second marriage was to Karla Goff. They married on Feb. 14, 1987, in Durango.
She brought two children to the marriage, Stephen "Scott" Aber and Wendy Aber.
The family said Mr. Clark had an easy grin and a love of life.
He enjoyed boating.
He moved to Arboles near Navajo Lake 10 years ago and often boated on Navajo Lake and Lake Powell.
Mr. Clark is survived by his wife, daughters, step-children, sisters Zella Goering and Averil Gartner, brother Karl Clark, eight grandsons, three great-grandchildren, and numerous nieces and nephews.
A celebration of life will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 4, 2006, at the DoubleTree Hotel Ballroom.
The Rev. Curt Alderton will officiate.
Cremation has occurred.
Patrick Wayne Carman (11/1/2006)
Patrick Wayne Carman, a truck-driver and Harley-Davidson enthusiast died Friday, Oct. 27, 2006. He was 55.
Mr. Carman was born in Durango on June 30, 1951, to parents Neil and Marva Carman.
He resided in Durango for most of his life.
The cause of death was not disclosed.
Mr. Carman served in the U.S. Army and was Vietnam veteran.
He was honorably discharged as an E-4.
He is remembered as an avid Denver Broncos fan.
He also enjoyed camping as well as old time rock 'n' roll.
Mr. Carman is survived by a son, Sean Carman of Parachute; two daughters, Staci Latham of Durango and Shannon Massey of Cortez; four sisters, Nancy Smith of California, Melodi Gallegos of Durango, Jodi Fisher of Hesperus, and Keli Jackson of Hesperus; nine grandchildren, and numerous nieces and nephews.
Services will be held at 4 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 2, 2006, at Christ the King Lutheran Church. Joann Armstrong will officiate.
A potluck will follow the services at the church.
Burial will be at a later date.
