|
|
Click here for more articles
 Times sweeps Colorado Press awards
2/27/2010 By: Times staff report
An obituary for Elsie Phelps is below.
The Colorado Press Association on Saturday recognized the Pine River Times as the best among small-circulation newspapers in the state.
The Times won the General Excellence and the Advertising Sweepstakes awards from the CPA.
"I'm thrilled that our hard work has been recognized by our peers," said Melanie Brubaker Mazur, the Times editor and publisher. "When we purchased the Times in 2002, I said I wanted to make it the best small newspaper in Colorado, and I think we have succeeded."
Denise Hess, advertising manager at the Times, won four advertising awards, as well as taking second place in the serious column writing category.
Times staffers Connie Mason Bennett and Carole McWilliams also won awards for their work.
The Times won the honors in Class I of the press association's awards, given to newspapers with circulations of 1,750 or less. It is the most competitive category of the press association's competition, with more than 30 newspapers from around the state competing in that division.
"I'm very excited for the Times and for what the future brings for us," Hess said.
The awards were particularly rewarding for the staff after Mazur announced the newspaper was closing in October.
Community support and advertising has helped save the paper, and Mazur said she's hoping to keep the little newspaper going.
"Our community has invested in us, and I hope we can continue to keep publishing," she said. "These awards are a step in that direction."
Obituary Notice for Elsie L. Phelps
Elsie Lillian Phelps died on Feb. 25, 2010, at the age of 97, while being cared for at the Four Corners Health Care Center. She was born in Kline, Colo., on Aug. 15, 1912, to John and Mary Phelps. She married Archie George Phelps on Dec. 26, 1930 in Durango, Colo. After they were married they moved to White Water, N. M., where they planned on finding employment. The times were hard and they had to move back to La Plata County where for several years they lived in a tent, while Archie worked on the Vallecito Dam. Archie and Elsie had five boys all born at home with the help of a friend or family member. Once the dam was finished, Archie and Elsie moved to California where Elsie worked as a riveter for World War II airplanes.
Elsie and Archie bought a cabin at Ben Springs (between Bayfield and Durango), a place Elsie always referred to the cabin as her Home Place. The cabin has been well cared for and continues to be a Phelps family landmark to this day. Elsie always enjoyed driving out to the cabin where she and her family had been so happy. In 1947, the Phelps family bought and moved to a ranch in Allison, Colo., but they were unable to maintain the ranch when Archie broke his leg in a logging accident. Archie had several operations to help repair the damaged limb, but they were unsuccessful. His injuries made it difficult for Archie to perform his normal day-to-day duties, and Elsie and Archie traded their cows from their ranch in Alison for their home on US Highway 160B in Bayfield, Colo., a home at which Elsie lived until her death.
To maintain the family Elsie took any job she could find. Her jobs included working and Gambles and Levine's in Durango and cleaning homes for $1 an hour. She also assisted many of the ranchers in the Pine River Valley by bucking bales, driving tractors, cooking for ranch hands and cleaning out stalls. She helped deliver babies as well as livestock, if needed. One of her favorite stories was the doctoring of a sick cow using whiskey as its medicine. Elsie believed that whiskey was a cure-all for all ills. Archie later found a job working as a custodian for the Bayfield School District. Elsie and Arvin would help him finish cleaning in the evenings due to the pain suffered from the injured leg.
Elsie was known for her hunting, and then the cleaning and skinning of the animals. The family relied on the meat from hunting to survive. Elsie was a canning fanatic; she would can everything from vegetables grown in her garden, to deer, elk, or fish. One of Elsie's favorite pastimes was maintaining her immaculate garden; she also loved God, friends, and family with a passion matched by few.
Elsie is preceded in death by father John, mother Mary, husband Archie, and all five of her sons (Archie Jr., Bill, Dave, Arvin, and Orval), brothers James and Wesley, sisters Elzora and Lila, and two great-grandsons (Richard and Kevin Mullenberg).
Elsie is survived by daughters-in-law Kay Phelps of Bayfield and Margaret Phelps of Alaska; sisters Sadie Robertshaw and Mildred Borders of Phoenix, Ariz.; nephews Ernie Phelps of Aztec, N.M.; Ralph Phelps and Cecil Phelps of Allison, Colo.; Art Cable of Nucla, Colo.; Earl Cable of Buena Vista, Colo.; nieces Cherry Newcom of Westminster, Colo.; Triva Allen of Missouri, and Violet Campbell; 19 grandchildren, 42 great-grandchildren and 21 great-great grandchildren.
Her family said that Elsie was an inspiration to many and will be missed by all.
Services will be held at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, March 3, 2010, at Hood Mortuary Chapel in Durango. Burial will follow at Florida Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the Pine River Seniors, c/o Bayfield Town Hall, 11 W. Mill, Bayfield, CO 81122.
|
| Other
News ... |
9/10/2010 Read more about Ignacio Bike Week in this week's Pine River Times!
9/3/2010 Bikers rumbling in to Ignacio
8/26/2010 Hunting season starts soon
8/20/2010 Calab Sapa and chicken win costume contest
8/13/2010 Crash, bang, it’s fun at the fair
First Page | Previous Page | Next Page | Last Page
|
| Sports
News ... |
9/4/2010 Wolverine football trounces Dolores
5/22/2010 Bayfield boys 7th, girls 9 at state track
4/9/2010 Garcia stops Said in Round 3
more sports ...
|
|
|
