William Henry "Bill" Head

WILLIAM HENRY “BILL” HEAD The family of Bill Head will be present at Ertel Funeral Home on Friday, October 8 from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. They request the presence of Bill's friends to share stories and memories of this beloved man, businessman and community member. William Henry “Bill” Head, 82, passed away at Southwest Memorial Hospital in Cortez on Saturday, October 2, 2010. Bill was born August 19, 1928 at Rocky Ford, Colo. to Henry Hobson and Ethel (Bender) Head. Bill met June (Smith) Head while attending high school in Cortez and they married October 30, 1947 in Aztec, N.M. Surviving Bill are his wife, June Head of Cortez; his son, Jim Head and Virginia Goldstein of Volcano, Hawaii; his nephews, Rick Smith and wife, Linda of Cortez, Chris Smith and wife, Michele of Columbia, Maryland, and his niece, Becky Smith of Glenwood Springs, Colo. Bill and his parents moved from the area south of Rocky Ford, Colo. from western Kansas in 1935 as the “dust bowl and tornados” caused the family to leave. Their first home was near Ute Mountain when Hank Head was one of the first farmers in the area to plant crops for seeds. When harvested, the seeds were sent to the D.V. Burrell Seed Company of Rocky Ford. The first year of grade school was at the old Aztec School below Cortez and when Bill was to start the fourth grade, the family moved northwest of Lewis in order for Bill to attend the Lewis School. There was no transportation so travel on horseback or by walking two and one half miles each way to school became a way of life. Freshman and sophomore years were at Garrett Ridge School with the remaining two years at Cortez where he met his future wife, June. In 1996, they celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in the State of Vermont. The retirement years have been spent traveling by plane and by pickup/camper. Travels have taken Bill and June to the Hawaiian Islands plus several trips to the Eastern States and the Midwest. Summers would find them enjoying their golden years at the family cabin in the mountains above Rico whenever time permitted. Many remember Bill as a member of the Cortez Volunteer Fire Department. He was proud to be with this group for 22 years before retiring. He was a member of the BPOE #1789 in Cortez, and active in the Montezuma County Historical Society. For many years Bill was a driver for Garrett Freight Lines in Cortez and later was an employee of the Montezuma County Road Department until his retirement after 20 years of service to the County. In lieu of flowers a memorial fund in Bill’s name has been set up at First National Bank, Cortez. Donations to this fund will be used for expenses incurred by the Colorado Wing of Angel Flight West. This group of volunteer pilots and non-pilots assist with free air transportation services in response to health care and human needs. The Colorado Wing transports patients to hospitals, provides transportation to loved ones in need, and transports donor tissue throughout Colorado and the surrounding states. It was the wish of Bill that no funeral services would be held and that his immediate family members take his ashes to the “High Country.” Living in this area and being organizing members of the Four Corners Jeep Club, the mountains and the desert were places frequented by the entire Head and Smith families throughout the years. During the time with the fire department and the jeep club they made many friends and have been in contact with these for over 50 years. Bill remarked just prior to his death that the phone calls to June and Jim in Albuquerque and Durango from our friends helped the family to handle the stress of hospitalization and surgery.