Darlene May (Pease) Spurlock

DARLENE MAY (PEASE) SPURLOCK Funeral services for longtime Cortez resident Darlene May (Pease) Spurlock will be held at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, December 14 at Ertel Memorial Chapel. Interment will follow at Cortez Cemetery. Darlene was born March 4, 1933 to the late Stephen and Elma Pease in Hertel, Wisconsin. She graduated from high school in Siren, Wisconsin in 1951. She was a beautiful and talented young lady. Upon graduation, she spent some time playing lead guitar and singing in a western band. Darlene learned independence and responsibility early on as she grew up in Wisconsin during some very difficult times with very little money. Darlene, and both of her brothers, Steve and Roger, learned the value of hard work and the need to be self reliant. She was an extremely hard worker and those attributes became valuable as she later found herself to be a single mom due to a husband's lack of responsibility. Darlene found herself alone, struggling to feed and support two daughters, Linda and Tammy. Undaunted, Darlene pressed forward and worked hard to support herself and her daughters. Her desire to make things better for her family pushed her to continue working and also pursue a college degree. She wouldn't stop trying or praying, and God answered the need. God intervened mightily as He brought Darlene and her present husband, Jim Spurlock, together through the church they were both attending. Jim Spurlock was in need of a family, and Darlene and her precious daughters were in need of a husband and a father. It was truly a match made in heaven. Jim and Darlene were married at the Baptist Chapel in Cortez on December 21, 1967. To that union was born their son, Tad. Darlene had a desire and ministry to help other people. Every week, she fed several elderly neighbors and acquaintances. It was not uncommon to have eight or ten extra people at her supper table! One elderly man was brought in and became part of the family for 25 years! She also opened her home to a small group for Bible studies and that small group grew to almost 50 before they ran out of room. That small group eventually formed their own church in Mancos, Colorado. Darlene was small in stature but big in every other way! She stored groceries big, gathered wood big, shopped big, hunted big, cooked big, gave big, and loved even bigger. She was a "mother bear" that made sure everything was done and in proper order. She loved her family and always protected them, making sure all of her "babies" were warm and well fed. Darlene passed away peacefully at her home surrounded by her husband and "babies" on December 9, 2016. She missed her 49th anniversary by just a little over one week. She was a special wife, mother, grandmother, and great grandmother, who will be truly missed. Darlene was preceded in death by her mother, father, and older brother, Steve. Her younger brother, Roger, currently lives in Las Vegas, Nevada. She is survived by her husband, Jim Spurlock of 49 years, and her three children, Linda Ord (David), Tammy Sturdevant (Miles) and Tad Spurlock (Brenda). In addition, she is survived by seven grandchildren and five great grandchildren.