Lillian Grace "Billie" Swope

LILLIAN GRACE "BILLIE" SWOPE Memorial services for longtime Cortez resident Lillian Grace "Billie" Swope will be held at 10 a.m. on Thursday, December 23 at St. Barnabas Episcopal Church. A private family interment will be held. Billie was born August 15, 1925 in Fowler, Colo. to Christian Jensen and Belle (Weeks) Sinding. She passed away at Vista Grande Inn on Sunday, December 19, 2010 at the age of 85. Billie married Quinten Leroy Swope on September 21, 1946 in Fowler, Colo. They shared 61 years of marriage before Quinten's death in 2007. Billie held many memberships including St. Barnabas Church, BSP Sorority, Retired Teachers Association, League of Women Voters, and was an Elks widow. She spent 31 years in the teaching profession. In her free time, Billie enjoyed traveling, walking, and reading. Billie had a deep affection for her dogs. Surviving Billie are her daughter, Kathleen Swope of Cortez; two sons, Quinn Swope and wife, Ann of Dolores and Kirk Swope and wife, Ginger Black also of Dolores; by five grandchildren, Andy and Christina Swope of Dolores, Tristen Black of Dolores, and Grace and Neiko Martinez of Las Vegas, Nev.; and by one great grandson, Avery Swope of Dolores. Preceding Billie in death were her parents; her husband, Quinten Swope; and several siblings. Memorial contributions can be made in memory of Lillian Grace "Billie" Swope with the Cortez Animal Shelter.