Obituaries

May 1, 2022

Apr 30, 2022

Beth Norton Partner of Cortez, CO was born on May 11, 1927 in Panguitch, UT the daughter of Wm. Taylor and Elsie Dean Norton. She passed away on April 30, 2022 at Vista Grande in Cortez, CO at the age of 94. Beth and Alfred were married on February 18, 1946 in Panguitch, UT. Three years later, they were sealed...

Apr 29, 2022

JOEL DEAN GRAUBERGER

Joel Dean Grauberger was born November 7, 1943 to Wesley William and Bessie Lucita Elliott Grauberger in Sterling, CO. He was 5th of 8 children who grew up on the family farm. He helped with the chores and raised the crops. He graduated in 1961 at Sterling High School. Shortly after October 20, 1963 he married Judy Medlan....

Apr 24, 2022

John Lewis Kelly was born May 16, 1925 in Chicago, Illinois to Lewis Aaron Kelly and Ora Mae (Ambrose) Kelly and passed away in Cortez, Colorado on April 24, 2022 just shy of his 97th birthday. John grew up in Chicago and in Shelby, Michigan where he graduated from High School. The extent of John’s legendary spirit of adventure, and...

Apr 22, 2022

Christa Elsbeth (Riemann) Burpee 5/24/1933 – 4/22/2022 Christa Elsbeth (Riemann) Burpee was born on May 24, 1933 in Magdeburg, East Germany. She had one older brother, Klaus, and a younger sister, Renate, both predeceased her. Christa successfully escaped from East Germany to Berlin, where she worked as a waitress, met and married a U.S. soldier, and then moved to the...

Apr 17, 2022

Carolyn Lea Hausen was born March 25, 1932 to Charles and Marie (Loy) Shepherd in Thayer, Iowa and passed away on Easter, April 17, 2022 at her residence in Cortez, Colorado surrounded by family. She proudly met her goal of living to celebrate her 90th birthday. Carolyn grew up in various towns in Iowa but spent the latter years of...

Apr 16, 2022

Funeral services for Cortez resident Mary Y. Oldman will be held at 10 a.m. Friday, April 22, 2022 at Victory World Outreach Church. Pastor John Bland will officiate. Interment will follow at Cortez Cemetery. Mary was born March 17, 1933 in Tuba City, AZ the daughter Phoebe Yazzie. She passed away on Saturday, April 16, 2022 at her residence at...

Apr 15, 2022

Doris Elizabeth Dove was born May 22, 1930 in Long Branch, NJ the daughter of Thomas Fisher and Marie Elizabeth (Scridlow) Dunphy. She passed away on Friday, April 15, 2022 at Southwest Memorial Hospital in Cortez CO. Surviving Doris are her sons, Donald Dove of Ivins, UT, Daniel Dove of Phoenix, AZ, and David Dove of Cortez, CO; nine grandchildren;...

Apr 13, 2022

Ronald (“Ronnie,” “Ron”) Charles Lucas checked in with the Lord on the 13th of April and checked out of his earthly body, after 78 years of adventure across the United States and around the world. He began his life in Fresno, California, on the 15th of November in 1943 to Charles and Frances Lucas, joining his older sister Charliene. He...

Apr 12, 2022

Shirley Marie Fisher was born April 9, 1926 in Oakley, KS the daughter of John and Gladys (North) Alley. She passed away on Tuesday, April 12, 2022 at her residence in Mancos, CO at the age of 96. Surviving Shirley are her children, Tim Vander Veer (Renee) of Huntsville, AL, and Dana Vander Veer (JoAnn Riffel) of Mancos, CO; her...

Apr 10, 2022

Graveside services for Cortez resident Virginia Lynn Reed will be held at 3 p.m. Thursday, April 14, 2022 at Goodman Point Cemetery. Mr. John Bland will officiate. Virginia was born October 4, 1941 in Cortez, CO the daughter of Lloyd Horton and Virginia Marie (Jessup) Fulks. She passed away on Sunday, April 10, 2022 at her residence at the age...

Apr 7, 2022

Everett Dean Sperry was born March 4, 1939 in Atwood, CO the son of Arnold and Mary (Wagoner) Sperry. He passed away on Thursday, April 7, 2022 at Vista Grande in Cortez, CO at the age of 83. Surviving Everett are his loving wife, Barbara Jan Sperry of Cortez, CO; his children, Arlene Curtis of Cortez, CO, Terry Markham of...

Apr 5, 2022

Heather Lois (Morton) (Fury) Ridling passed away at Mercy Hospital in Durango, CO, on Tuesday, April 5, 2022, at 55 years old. Heather was born in Ely, NV on May 29, 1966, to Linda (Gerlach) (Morton) Mahaffy and Duain Morton. At an early age they moved to Cortez, CO where Heather attended Cortez High School. She later transferred to Dove...

Apr 4, 2022

Graveside services for Cortez resident Larry Lee Sparks will be held at 3 p.m. Tuesday, April 12, 2022 at Cortez Cemetery. Larry passed away on April 3, 2022 at Vista Grande Nursing home in Cortez, CO. He was 71 years old. Larry lived in a Community Connections host home with his loving family Michael Gabrel, Steven Goff and Derrick Melgoza....

Apr 3, 2022

Sherilyn “Sheri” McDaniel, age 64, of Cortez, Colorado, passed away on April 3, 2022 after a long and courageous battle with cancer. Sheri was born on September 24, 1957 in Delta, Colorado to Harlan and Shirley McDaniel, who preceded her in death. She is survived by her brothers, Lance McDaniel and Kent McDaniel; nieces, Megan McDaniel and Cayla McDaniel Boese;...

Apr 2, 2022

Lillian Janet (May) Buffington, “G-Ma”, passed from this earth on April 2, 2022. Mom was born in Reynolds County, Missouri on November 27, 1934, to Willard May and Agnes (Sanders) Bucher and passed at the Vista Mesa Assisted Living home in Cortez, Colorado, surrounded by loved ones. Mom married George Buffington on December 24, 1954 and enjoyed 40 years of...

Apr 2, 2022

Gary Lynn Nicholas was born December 25, 1940 in Blue, OK the son of Roy Elmer and Esther (Horn) Nicholas. He passed away on Saturday, April 2, 2022 at Vista Grande in Cortez, CO at the age of 81. Surviving Gary are his children, Tammy Sue Lopez (Raymond) of Cortez, CO, Zita Marie, and Wendy Joan; his sister, Sharon Armes...

Apr 1, 2022

Graveside services for Mancos resident Jerry Carl Hurst will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, April 8, 2022 at Cedar Grove Cemetery in Mancos, CO. Pastor Marvin Graves will officiate. Visitation will take place from 5-7 p.m. Thursday, April 7, 2022 at Ertel Memorial Chapel. Jerry was born April 12, 1941 to Junial and Ocie Hurst at the Hurst Ranch...

Mar 31, 2022

Dorothy Ann Lepley Spitzer, age 94, passed away March 31, 2022 at Vista Grande Nursing Home. Dorothy was born in Rainelle, WV, one of twelve children, and the last surviving of all her siblings. She grew up in WV, the daughter of a Baptist preacher and a mother “who could do anything.” She met her husband, Wm Paul Spitzer, at...

Mar 31, 2022

Memorial services with Military Honors will be held at a future date for Cortez resident David Scott Johnson. David was born August 25, 1947 in Bartlesville, OK the son of Charles Leon Johnson Jr. and Betty Lou (Baldwin) Johnson. He passed away on Thursday, March 31, 2022 in Cortez, CO.