Daisy Mae King

Daisy Mae Duncan was born on August 31, 1930 in Lewis, Colorado to Eva Elizabeth and Lee Curtis Duncan. She passed away on February 11, 2021 in Cortez, Colorado.
Daisy grew up on the family farm at Lewis, Colorado in an adobe house with eight siblings. She attended school in the Lewis area and attended Garrett Ridge for her 8th and 9th grade years. Her class was the first to graduate from the newly built Montezuma Cortez High School in 1948. She then attended college in Alamosa, Colorado. She started teaching school in Prospect but the school was closed due to bad roads and families moving out.
In October 1948 she married Dean Ives. They spent their first summer in her childhood house at Lewis. Rodger was born in June of 1949 and they moved to Cortez. In 1950 they moved to Yellow Jacket and built the family home on land that was homesteaded by Dean’s Grandfather Leonard Payne.
Susan was born on Easter Sunday in April of 1952 and Sheryl was born in April of 1959. There were many years of hard work farming and trying to improve the farm. Daisy drove the grain truck during threshing season with the help of a pillow so she could reach the accelerator, clutch and brake. She also drove the John Deere 435 tractor and helped with bean piling and hay stacking. Between helping farm, canning, managing the bookkeeping and raising kids her days were full.
There were many years of school activities and 4-H that kept the family busy. Daisy was a leader in the 4-H Club and helped start the Kalvin’s Kids 4-H Club. She was very involved in 4-H and was voted Outstanding Leader multiple times. She helped many young girls in the community with their sewing projects and was an excellent seamstress herself. She enjoyed playing bridge with her bridge club and other card games with family and friends. If you were ever looking for something to do she would pull out a deck of cards and start playing Canasta, Cribbage or Gin Rummy. The grandchildren looked forward to a rousing game of Uno when visiting Grandma Daisy.
Family was everything to Daisy. Daisy was very close with her siblings and loved spending time with them. Her family has many cherished memories of camping at Fish Creek, picnics and holiday celebrations with aunts, uncles and cousins. Daisy and her sisters would get together with Grandma Duncan and have long days of canning. Family made the hard work easy. This large close knit family gave everyone a lifelong support system, close friendships and an exceptional childhood rich with memories and love. Daisy loved her nieces and nephews like they were her own children and enjoyed spending time with them even as adults.
Dean passed away in an auto accident in 1980. Daisy married John Reed in 1982 and later moved to Cortez in 1991. She enjoyed her backyard full of flowers and raised raspberries by the gallons. Her grandkids and neighbors always enjoyed treats and desserts made with the fresh raspberries. She loved visits from her grandkids and was always there to support them, cheer them on or just love them with all of her heart.
In 1996 Daisy married Bill King and they continued to live in Cortez. Bill passed away in 2009. Daisy was a resident of BeeHive Homes at the Cortez Homestead in Cortez, Colorado for the last few years.
She is survived by her children, Rodger Ives of Yellow Jacket, Colorado, Susan and Ralph Peters of Albuquerque, New Mexico and Sheryl White of Fruita, Colorado. She is also remembered by her grandchildren, Kristin (Brian) Gustafson of Adele, Iowa, Dean (Sheldona) Ives and Luke (Maygen) Ives of Yellow Jacket, Colorado, Paul (Desiree) Ives of Cheyenne, Wyoming, Jason Peters, Curtis Peters, and Tanya Peters of Albuquerque, New Mexico, Jake (Jessica) White and Alyssa (Rick) Barreras of Grand Junction, Colorado; as well as 16 great grandchildren; many nieces and nephews; her dear friend Jeri Winkles and her family; and daughter-in-law Cathe Ives. She is proceded in death by her parents, Eva Elizabeth and Lee Curtis Duncan; her husbands, Dean Ives and Bill King; her grandson, Randal Howe; siblings and their spouses, Tom and Dorothy Gilliland, Richard (Dick) Duncan, June and Jack McCalley, Jeanne and Jack Reed, John and Helen Duncan, Bill and Berniece Duncan, Peggy and Darrel Roe, Patty and Lloyd Ashbaugh.
A memorial service will be announced at a later date. Daisy’s family requests memorial contributions be made in Daisy’s name to BeeHive Homes at the Cortez Homestead, 694 Cottonwood St, Cortez, CO 81321.