Western Slope Obituaries 10-8-12
John Bertroch
John Bertroch, 99, of Palisade, Colo., passed away September 30, 2012.
He was born in Oak Creek, Colo., to Jesse and Maude Bertroch. John grew up in the Gypsum, Colo., area.
John and Alveda were married on September 9, 1951, in Gypsum, Colo.
John’s occupations were farming and carpentry. He worked many years with his brothers. John’s life was family-oriented, and he enjoyed outdoor activities such as picnicking, camping and prospecting. He was a wonderful gardener. He and Alveda built a cabin on Glade Park for the entire family to enjoy.
John and Alveda raised four children, Alveda (Jerry) Mayne of Palisade, Colo., Alexis Anne Struble of Clifton, Colo., Alden (Susan) Bertroch of Glade Park, Colo., and Loyette Bertroch of Palisade, Colo. The family includes eight grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Alveda Challis Bertroch and his siblings: Juanita, Garland, Durward, Clair, Virgil, Virginia and Purley.
Memorial services were held October 3, 2012 at the Palisade Funeral Home Chapel in Palisade, Colo.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Glade Park Fire Department, P.O. Box 23119, Glade Park, Colo., 81523, or Alpine Home Health and Hospice, 2764 Compass Drive Suite 110, Grand Junction, Colo., 81506. ❖
Joseph Blair Brown
Joseph Blair Brown, 91, of Topeka, Kan., passed away September 28, 2012.
He was born January 28, 1921 in Greeley, Colo., the son of Harry and Eva (Daniels) Brown.
Joe was the grandson of pioneers who settled in the San Miguel Valley of Colorado. Joe was raised in Telluride, Colo., and Redvale, Colo., where he met his childhood sweetheart, Elsie Ross, whom he would eventually marry.
Joe served four years in the Army Air Corps during WWII. After the war, he graduated from Colorado State University (Aggies) in 1949 with a bachelor’s degree in agronomy. Joe married Elsie immediately following his graduation, and they were married for 62 years, until Elsie’s death in December of 2011.
They lived and raised their family in the Denver, Colo., area beginning in 1949. Joe was a soil scientist for the federal government, and his work was instrumental in the development of state parks in the western region of the U.S. After his retirement at age 55, Joe farmed 160 acres of winter wheat in Adams County, Colo. Elsie and Joe moved to Topeka, Kan., in 1998 in order to be closer to their family.
He is survived by his son, Tim (Anita) Brown and their family, Brian (Bree), David and Cassie; daughter, Melinda (Bill) Donovan and their family, Rosie (Pat) Rourke, Kerry (Spencer) Norton, Chuck Donovan, great-granddaughter, Maisie Rourke, and a great-grandchild Norton expected in Feb. 2013; daughter, Eva (Lynn) Curtis and their family, Lucy and Leah Curtis, Alex (Becca) Jamrozek and great-grandchild Brandon.
He was preceded in death by his parents; six siblings; and his wife, Elsie.
Memorial services were held October 6, at First United Methodist Church-Klasse Chapel.
As were his wishes, Joe was cremated. He will be inurned with his wife at Lone Tree Cemetery in Telluride, Colo.
Memorial contributions may be made in memory of Joseph B. Brown, to the Colorado State University Foundation, PO Box 1870, Ft. Collins, Colo., 80522.
To leave a message for the family online, please visit http://www.DoveCremation.com. ❖
Ruth Louise Ukele Pittenger
Ruth Louise Ukele Pittenger, 90, passed away September 28, 2012.
She was born January 2, 1922, in a cabin along Government Creek just north of Rifle, Colo., to Vera Catherine Kirkham and Clarence Christian Ukele. Her parents and her oldest sibling, Mark, migrated from western Kansas by train in 1913, to the Rifle, Colo., area where they farmed on acreage just north of the current location of Valley Lumber. The Ukele family relocated to what is now known as Ukele Lane west of Silt, Colo., in 1928. Ruth was educated in the Silt schools, graduating as Valedictorian from Silt High School in 1940, and then attended Ross Business College in Grand Junction, Colo. After completing her classes, she became an accountant and partner in the Mile High Seed Company, in Grand Junction, Colo., from 1945-1951.
On October 7, 1951, she married Nicholas Paul Pittenger. They lived in Rifle, Colo., purchasing a small ranch in 1956, that was later incorporated into the City of Rifle, as the Palomino Park subdivision in the 1980s. Nick was employed at the Bureau of Mines operation at Anvil Points for several years. Three children were born to this union, C. Fred, Connie Ruth, and Paula Sue.
Ruth was very active in the lives of her children as they were growing up as well as the United Methodist-Presbyterian Church of Rifle, Colo., Jewel Chapter No. 77 Order of Eastern Star, Rifle Creek Homemaker Extension Club, the Rifle Creek Museum, the Rifle Senior Center and VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance). She was a lifelong Democrat, serving many times as an election judge and precinct chairperson.
She was an avid gardener for both flowers and vegetables. Her breads and jams won numerous ribbons at the Garfield County Fair.
In December, 2004, due to declining health, she moved to Grand Junction, Colo., to be closer to her children. In November, 2009, she moved to Montrose, Colo., to live with her surviving daughter.
She is survived by her son, Fred (Pam) of North Carolina; daughter, Connie of Montrose, Colo.; two sisters, Mary Jane Propernick of Buena Vista, Colo., and Anna (Merle) Lloyd of Hamilton, Mont.; many nieces and nephews, and grand-dogs, Molly Spot, MaeBella, Glory, and Maddie.
She was preceded in death by her infant daughter, Paula Sue, in 1957; her husband, Nick, in 1986; three brothers, Mark, John, and Arthur; and three sisters, Effie Ukele, Catherine Williams, and Della Griffin.
Memorial services were held October 2, 2012 at the United Methodist-Presbyterian Church in Rifle, Colo.
Private family inurnment preceded the service at Rose Hill Cemetery in Rifle, Colo.
Memorial contributions may be made to the United Methodist-Presbyterian Church, 200 E. 4th St., Rifle, Colo., 81650 or the Rifle Creek Museum, 337 East Ave., Rifle, Colo., 81650. ❖
