Sandra Rae Kelley, age 66 of Hudson, passed away Jan. 3, 2017 at the Lutheran Home in River Falls. Formerly of Gunnison and Idaho Falls, Idaho., Sandra and her brother, Scott made their home in Hudson in 2011. Sandra was born in Glendive, Mont. on July 23, 1950 to Sam and Shirley (Spencer) Beck. She graduated from Gunnison High School, the Class of 1968. “Sandi,” as she preferred to be called, worked as a realtor for Century 21 for many years. She also owned and operated her own answering service in Vail and Aspen. Sandi developed Rheumatoid Arthritis as a very young adult and battled with the disease for 44 years. As the disease continually worsened through her life, her strength and determination kept her a true fighter even at the end. Anyone who was blessed enough to know her was inspired by her love and appreciation of life.

She is survived by her daughter, Sabrina Kelley; granddaughters, Isabelle and Sterling Brintal; brother, Scott Beck; niece, Danette (Todd) Witzel; and nephews, Robbie (Pam) and Bradley (Lindsay) Williams. She is also survived by other family members including, Deborah, Brenna and Meghan McEntee; and brother-in-law, Robert Williams. Sandi was preceded in death by her sister, Sydney Williams; and her parents.

Sandi was an incredibly spirited and feisty woman who will be sorely missed by family and friends. A memorial gathering honoring Sandi’s life will take place in the coming summer months.

Dr. Ted Winchester passed away on Monday, Feb. 6, 2017 at his home in Littleton, Colo. There will be a memorial service on Saturday, Feb. 11 from 1-3 p.m. at 6443 Serengeti Place, Littleton, Colo. 80124. Ted lived and practiced as a chiropractor in the Gunnison Valley from 1990 until 2004 then he moved to Denver.

Ted was born on March 15, 1956 and is survived by his father Calvin, brothers Robert and Barry, son Craig, and wife Diane. Ted had a great love for the outdoors and in lieu of flowers please send a donation to the Colorado Division of Wildlife. http://cpw.state.co.us/aboutus/Pages/Donate.aspx.

John T. Evans, 92 years old, passed away at his home of 57 years in Buena Vista on Feb. 4, 2017 after a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease.

John was born in Canon City, Colo. on Oct. 5, 1924 to Ray & Mary Marguerite Evans. John spent his childhood years in the Arkansas Valley, living in the Howard, Coaldale, Salida, Granite and Buena Vista areas with his family moving as his father’s employment with the Colorado Highway Department demanded.

We believe John’s love of sports began as an infant, when his brother Arlo waited outside the family house with his baseball and glove, tossing the ball against the chimney wondering when John would be old enough to play ball. John participated and excelled in sports of all varieties from elementary through high school, college, military service and his employment at the Reformatory. He was the captain of the first Buena Vista High School football team, set school records as a basketball player and enjoyed baseball. John was featured as the “Meet Your Neighbor” in the Chaffee County Times, December 2012 where he recalled stories from his beloved school days, such as borrowing high school uniforms from the Leadville football team and being the quarterback on the six-man team.

John graduated from a class of 7 from Buena Vista High School in 1942 then went on to study math and physics at Western State College, graduating in 1950 where he was a member of the Kappa Delta Mu fraternity. John served in the Air Force as a pilot from 1942 to 1946 and was stationed in various states including Alaska. He graduated from the Advanced Flying School, Moore Field, Texas in November, 1944.

John was married to Betty Louise Moore on Sept. 11, 1954 in Truth or Consequences, N.M. Since he was working in Biloxi, Miss. at the time and Betty was working in New Mexico, they eloped and were married by the Justice of the Peace with a janitor and clerk as the witnesses.

The next five years John worked for General Electric as an electrician installing radar stations, which meant moving across the country. In 1959 the family moved back to Colorado to be close to family where John spent over 25 years at the Colorado Department of Corrections.

John retired from the Colorado Department of Corrections in 1985 after years of service starting as an Electrical Instructor then moving to the Director of the Vocational Department. John and Betty enjoyed many years of working on the family ranch in the Gunnison Valley. Favorite activities include spending time with his grandchildren, fishing, especially fly fishing, hunting trips, preparing for hunting camp with his brother and long-time friends, woodworking and tinkering in the garage, playing the guitar and harmonica, camping and hiking with his family and friends as well as watching his grandchildren’s sporting and school events.

John loved to share stories and one of the family favorites occurred when he returned to Colorado after being stationed in Alaska. John had just purchased a new Ford. He and his buddies celebrated his return and the new car purchase by attending the local dance on Friday night. The next Saturday morning he was apprehended by the police for taking home the wrong Ford. In those days, Fords all had the same key so the mistake was quickly recognized and straightened out.

John loved to travel with his family and friends including travels to nearly all 50 states, Canada and Mexico. Special memories include his trip to Las Vegas with his brother Nick, traveling to Arizona with his fifth wheel trailer with Betty and his sister Millie, hunting camps with old friends and his brother and son.

Survivors include his wife Betty, daughter Mary (Harley) Lewallen, daughter Alice (Mark) Wolters, grandsons Brady and Cameron Wolters, son Tom Evans, daughter Brenda (Steve) Miles, granddaughters Mallie and Catelin, daughter Julie (Lon) Kersting, granddaughter Maryll (Rob) Betzold, granddaughter Lauren (Nate) Huffman, grandson Lane Kersting. Other survivors include many nieces, nephews and close friends.

John was preceded in death by his parents, sister Mildred Crymble, and brothers Private 1st Class Arlo Evans and Donald Evans.

Private burial for family members is Sunday morning with a Celebration of Life, Sunday, Feb. 12, 2017 at 1 p.m. at the Congregation United Church of Christ, 217 Crossman Avenue, Buena Vista, Colo.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Buena Vista Heritage Museum (www.BuenaVistaHeritage.org), Buena Vista High School Athletic Department, PO Box 2027, Buena Vista, CO 81211 noting John Evans donation to the Athletic Dept. or the Alzheimer's Association Colorado, 455 Sherman Street, Suite 500, Denver, CO 80203.

Our family wants to express our heartfelt gratitude to all of John’s loving and devoted care providers including Dr. Gibb & staff, Premier Home Care and our in-home caregivers. We are so blessed to have had them in our home.

Arrangements through Lewis and Glenn Funeral Home, and online condolences can be made at www.LewisandGlenn.com.

Fritz Yaklich left all his cares behind when he left this world peacefully on Jan. 31, 2017. A Crested Butte native, Fritz was the son of Fred and Leola Yaklich, grandson of Phillip and Frances Yaklich and great grandson of Jacob and Marija Kochevar. As a child, he wandered wild and free as Crested Butte children do, riding horses, building snow caves in winter and "forts" in Ruby Bend in the summer. He helped with the milk cows and with haying at the family homestead, now Meridian Lake development. He attended Crested Butte Schools, graduating as Valedictorian in 1963, in a class of four. For two of his school years, after the mine closed, he was the only student in his grade level. He played basketball, was on Student Council and the Yearbook. At that time in Crested Butte, if you wanted a team (or a yearbook) you had to be on it. He had fun in high school, tearing through the hills in the old army jeep and "hunting" at the dump with Paul, Freddy and Tony. After graduation he attended the University of Colorado, enlisted in the army, later worked at Keystone Mine and eventually attended Forestry school in Oregon. Fritz later returned to Crested Butte as an adult, with two great loves in his life, acting and the outdoors. He was a superb athlete; climbing every peak in the valley, doing day hikes that lasted for 10 hours and riding his bike great distances over the highest mountain passes. He loved all of nature, animals, trees and the forests of Oregon and Colorado. He was a tireless champion for the environment. Fritz loved the gym and constantly challenged himself with weightlifting. He had success as an actor in movies (Joe Dirt, The Addams Family and others); in national commercials (for Zippo, Vitamin Water, Chevy and Vote); on stage he appeared in "Romeo and Juliet", "Midsummer Night's Dream", and "The Cherry Orchard" for the Crested Butte Mountain Theater. He did stand up comedy in Los Angeles as "The Atomic Comic." Fritz was a good and loyal friend. Tuck, Bill Wheeler, Steve Griggs and Igor were special friends in Crested Butte. He had a good and kind heart for those less fortunate than he and would spend an hour picking out the perfect card to make you happy or a gift for a grandchild. His greatest gift was his amazingly bright mind. You just could not have a boring, small talk, conversation with Fritz; nor could you not laugh along with his sharp wit and wordplay. He wrote many challenging, thoughtful and humorous letters to the Crested Butte paper as "Fritz the Cat" or the "Atomic Comic." His greatest pride and joy were his sons: Zeb (Angie), Zach (now deceased), Ian (Nikki) and the grandkids (who called him "Timer) Austin, Preston, Kesley, Aiden, Sophia and Brady. His son's mother and his former wife, Margaret Horn, provided Fritz with friendship and support through his nine year battle with Leukemia. He appreciated and treasured Margaret. Fritz is also survived by sister Trudy, Mari (Jeff), Cindi (Dave) and nephew Collin; as well as beloved cousins, aunts, back-in-the-day Crested Butte friends and special California friends (Jeff , Dave and Terza). We are grateful to Pam and Bee, who provided friendship and care in his final months. His son's words best express our feelings: "Love you dad and thanks for the memories, for being one of the wildest, kindest and most fun dudes to ever walk the face of the planet. From King Crab fishing in the Bering Sea, hard rock mining in Colorado, Being in the movies and on tv; logging and then replanting the same forests of the Pacific Northwest, you survived almost half of the deadliest jobs on the planet and survived longer than anyone else on the treatment you were on. You were larger than life. Your absence in our lives leaves a huge void that we will try to fill by telling the amazing stories that made up your life." A memorial service to celebrate an extraordinary life of true adventure will be held in Crested Butte on July 8.

Chase Johnson Cook was born in Gunnison Sept. 9, 1989. He grew up here surrounded by friends and family and graduated from Gunnison High School. He was a smart, strong young man who naturally drew a crowd around him. Although he was not very keen on sports he did love the outdoors and was active. Chase moved to Medford, Oregon in 2010 to be close to his mother and sister, Soren. He had a good job opportunity there and wanted to see another part of the world outside of Gunnison. For some reason, once Chase left home, making friends did not come so easily anymore. Chase took his own life June 23, 2012. He chose a pretty quiet secluded spot on the side of a mountain not far from his Medford home. Chase left this world and those who loved him with many unanswered questions at the very young age of 22 years old. Th e privacy and seclusion of the spot Chase chose eluded all of us until now. Although he is no longer with us in a physical sense, Chase will always be part of our lives. We are so happy to have shared the time we did with him. Chase will continue on through us and in the love we have for him. We are grateful he is no longer suffering and we miss him everyday. Chase is survived by Brenda Johnson (mother); Todd Cook (father); his sister Soren; his grandparents and so many friends from Gunnison. Thank you all for your well wishes, support and prayers.

Roger was born Dec. 5, 1943. He passed away Feb. 7, 2017 at the San Juan Living Center after a short bout with cancer. Roger was born and raised in Gunnison County. He grew up on the family homestead at the base of Ohio Pass, better known as the Kunze place. As a young man, he went on to work for Otis Moore and several other ranches in the valley before becoming a permanent hand for John Wilson and Adams Ranch where he spent the next 25 years raising his family and teaching his children how to handle livestock and break horses. He taught his children that ranching was truly a way of life to be admired. Later on in life, he also worked for Ochs Brothers Ranch and spent time through the years helping a local guide service first owned by Wallace Hildreth and later bought by Paul and Steve Pike. He loved hunting and anything to do with the outdoors. His last few jobs were riding for Howard Funk in Saguache Park and helping his nephew Tracy Hildreth on Moncrief Ranch. Roger loved spending time watching his children and grandkids with their 4H projects and rodeoing. He was preceded in death by his son Tommy. He is survived by his three sons Jimmy, Roger, and J.D., six grandkids and 7 great grandchildren. Services will be held on Feb. 18 at 11 a.m. at the Fred Field Memorial building at the fairgrounds. A huge thanks to Cindy West and all of the members of the Cattle Women's Association for providing lunch after the service. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the 4H Forever Fund, Gunnison County Extension, 275 S. Spruce Street, Gunnison, Colorado 81230.

Robert S. Chien (Bob), 84 of Leawood, passed away peacefully in his home on February 6. After leaving mainland China for Taiwan in 1949 where he met his wife, Teresa, they moved to the U.S. in the early 1950s. When living in Gunnison they were members of the Community Church. They purchased The Little Art Studio, located on North Main in a former building that had Ideal Cleaner at the side street. They moved to Kansas City and built up a printing shop with three or four branches. He was active with Xi’an Sister City. Bob created their own web page for Xi'an Sister City. He also had involvement with the Annual Kansas City Dragon Boat races. He arranged teams from other U.S. cities and international cities to come to Kansas City. Bob is survived by his wife, Teresa, and son, Bobby. Daughter, Beverly, preceded him in death in 2006. He is also survived by grandsons Michael and Mathew Graham; Jackson, Dawson, and Roman Chien, and son-in-law, Christopher Graham. He was a true leader within the Chinese-American community, receiving many civic honors, was President of the Society for Friendship with China, and President of Xi'an Sister City. Donations to Society for Friendship with China, Leawood, Kan. 66209. Please offer condolences at www.mcgilleystatelinechapel.com.

Margarett W. “Peg” Furey, a former Gunnison municipal judge whose love of animals, friends, and adventure inspired many over the course of a long and colorful life, died Saturday, Jan. 28, at her home in Port Townsend, Wash. She was 76. Born in Coronado, Calif., she majored in French at the University of Colorado, studied and traveled throughout Europe and the Middle East, and received a Master’s in Education from Stanford University before marrying Jim Furey in 1966. He died in 1998. Peg received a J.D. from the University of Wyoming in 1978, and worked for many years as a lawyer and then judge in Gunnison, where she received several awards for her pro bono work on behalf of children. After retirement, in 2005, she moved to Port Townsend. Peg is survived by her brother, Dick Johnson and his wife Sarah; nephew Steve, his wife Karen, and children Emily, Hunter, and Rebecca; niece Lynn Gallagher, her husband Mike, and children Noah, Sam, and Lily; daughter Constance Furey, son-in-law, Jason Fickel, granddaughter Veronica Furey Fickel, and countless friends. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Olympic Neighbors, Olympic Mountain Pet Pals, or any of the many other organizations Peg supported during her Gunnison years.

Elmer Roy Dunbar passed away peacefully in Gunnison on February 8, at the age of 91. He was born in Gunnison on Sept. 18, 1925 to Alta and Roy (Sandy) Dunbar and made his home in Gunnison his entire life. Elmer moved with his parents to the family ranch in the Tomichi valley at the age of two and grew up learning the ranching way of life. He attended Gunnison Schools, was active in FFA and 4-H, graduating from high school in 1943. Elmer met the love of his life Alva May Gray in 1948 and they were married June 15, 1949 shortly after she completed high school. For 64 years the soulmates shared a love of dancing and spending time with friends and family. He and Alva May lived on and operated the Dunbar Family Ranch from the time they were married until they sold the ranch and moved to town in 1991. He enjoyed his retirement by spending his days driving in his pickup truck through the mountains. He loved spending time on the family properties at Spring Creek and Taylor River. Elmer enjoyed exploring many backcountry roads and locations throughout Gunnison County and stopping occasionally to visit with life-long friends. He especially enjoyed elk hunting, fishing and rock collecting in what he called “his” mountains. Elmer was a lifetime member of the Elks Lodge, the IOOF Lodge and Gunnison County Pioneer and Historical Society. He served as President of the Spring Creek Cattle Association and Cattlemen’s Days Board of Directors. Elmer was a strong, silent man with a kind and giving heart who lived a simple life. He loved his family first and foremost and his home was filled with love and laughter, where he enjoyed countless family gatherings and holidays. He was preceded in death by his parents, his wife Alva May and daughter Carol Ann. He is survived by his brother Donald Dunbar (Marilyn); children Jolene Sherer (Jeff ), Donalee Dunbar, Larry Dunbar (Debbie) and Greg Dunbar (Christina); grandchildren Cynthia and Vicki Dunbar, Lindsay Thurman (Robert), Eric Dunbar, Nikki Herrera (Mario) and Chelsey Tesky (Kyle); four great-grandchildren and many nieces and nephews. There will be a memorial service Friday, Feb. 24 at 10 a.m. at the Elks Lodge in Gunnison. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the Gunnison BPOE Elks Lodge #1623, 123 S. Main Street, Gunnison, CO 81230.

Dr. Ted Winchester passed away on Monday, Feb. 6, 2017 at his home in Littleton, Colo. There will be a memorial service on Saturday, Feb. 11 from 1-3 p.m. at 6443 Serengeti Place, Littleton, Colo. 80124. Ted lived and practiced as a chiropractor in the Gunnison Valley from 1990 until 2004 then he moved to Denver.

Ted was born on March 15, 1956 and is survived by his father Calvin, brothers Robert and Barry, son Craig, and wife Diane. Ted had a great love for the outdoors and in lieu of flowers please send a donation to the Colorado Division of Wildlife. http://cpw.state.co.us/aboutus/Pages/Donate.aspx.

John T. Evans, 92 years old, passed away at his home of 57 years in Buena Vista on Feb. 4, 2017 after a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease.

John was born in Canon City, Colo. on Oct. 5, 1924 to Ray & Mary Marguerite Evans. John spent his childhood years in the Arkansas Valley, living in the Howard, Coaldale, Salida, Granite and Buena Vista areas with his family moving as his father’s employment with the Colorado Highway Department demanded.

We believe John’s love of sports began as an infant, when his brother Arlo waited outside the family house with his baseball and glove, tossing the ball against the chimney wondering when John would be old enough to play ball. John participated and excelled in sports of all varieties from elementary through high school, college, military service and his employment at the Reformatory. He was the captain of the first Buena Vista High School football team, set school records as a basketball player and enjoyed baseball. John was featured as the “Meet Your Neighbor” in the Chaffee County Times, December 2012 where he recalled stories from his beloved school days, such as borrowing high school uniforms from the Leadville football team and being the quarterback on the six-man team.

John graduated from a class of 7 from Buena Vista High School in 1942 then went on to study math and physics at Western State College, graduating in 1950 where he was a member of the Kappa Delta Mu fraternity. John served in the Air Force as a pilot from 1942 to 1946 and was stationed in various states including Alaska. He graduated from the Advanced Flying School, Moore Field, Texas in November, 1944.

John was married to Betty Louise Moore on Sept. 11, 1954 in Truth or Consequences, N.M. Since he was working in Biloxi, Miss. at the time and Betty was working in New Mexico, they eloped and were married by the Justice of the Peace with a janitor and clerk as the witnesses.

The next five years John worked for General Electric as an electrician installing radar stations, which meant moving across the country. In 1959 the family moved back to Colorado to be close to family where John spent over 25 years at the Colorado Department of Corrections.

John retired from the Colorado Department of Corrections in 1985 after years of service starting as an Electrical Instructor then moving to the Director of the Vocational Department. John and Betty enjoyed many years of working on the family ranch in the Gunnison Valley. Favorite activities include spending time with his grandchildren, fishing, especially fly fishing, hunting trips, preparing for hunting camp with his brother and long-time friends, woodworking and tinkering in the garage, playing the guitar and harmonica, camping and hiking with his family and friends as well as watching his grandchildren’s sporting and school events.

John loved to share stories and one of the family favorites occurred when he returned to Colorado after being stationed in Alaska. John had just purchased a new Ford. He and his buddies celebrated his return and the new car purchase by attending the local dance on Friday night. The next Saturday morning he was apprehended by the police for taking home the wrong Ford. In those days, Fords all had the same key so the mistake was quickly recognized and straightened out.

John loved to travel with his family and friends including travels to nearly all 50 states, Canada and Mexico. Special memories include his trip to Las Vegas with his brother Nick, traveling to Arizona with his fifth wheel trailer with Betty and his sister Millie, hunting camps with old friends and his brother and son.

Survivors include his wife Betty, daughter Mary (Harley) Lewallen, daughter Alice (Mark) Wolters, grandsons Brady and Cameron Wolters, son Tom Evans, daughter Brenda (Steve) Miles, granddaughters Mallie and Catelin, daughter Julie (Lon) Kersting, granddaughter Maryll (Rob) Betzold, granddaughter Lauren (Nate) Huffman, grandson Lane Kersting. Other survivors include many nieces, nephews and close friends.

John was preceded in death by his parents, sister Mildred Crymble, and brothers Private 1st Class Arlo Evans and Donald Evans.

Private burial for family members is Sunday morning with a Celebration of Life, Sunday, Feb. 12, 2017 at 1 p.m. at the Congregation United Church of Christ, 217 Crossman Avenue, Buena Vista, Colo.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Buena Vista Heritage Museum (www.BuenaVistaHeritage.org), Buena Vista High School Athletic Department, PO Box 2027, Buena Vista, CO 81211 noting John Evans donation to the Athletic Dept. or the Alzheimer's Association Colorado, 455 Sherman Street, Suite 500, Denver, CO 80203.

Our family wants to express our heartfelt gratitude to all of John’s loving and devoted care providers including Dr. Gibb & staff, Premier Home Care and our in-home caregivers. We are so blessed to have had them in our home.

Arrangements through Lewis and Glenn Funeral Home, and online condolences can be made at www.LewisandGlenn.com.

Fritz Yaklich left all his cares behind when he left this world peacefully on Jan. 31, 2017. A Crested Butte native, Fritz was the son of Fred and Leola Yaklich, grandson of Phillip and Frances Yaklich and great grandson of Jacob and Marija Kochevar. As a child, he wandered wild and free as Crested Butte children do, riding horses, building snow caves in winter and "forts" in Ruby Bend in the summer. He helped with the milk cows and with haying at the family homestead, now Meridian Lake development. He attended Crested Butte Schools, graduating as Valedictorian in 1963, in a class of four. For two of his school years, after the mine closed, he was the only student in his grade level. He played basketball, was on Student Council and the Yearbook. At that time in Crested Butte, if you wanted a team (or a yearbook) you had to be on it. He had fun in high school, tearing through the hills in the old army jeep and "hunting" at the dump with Paul, Freddy and Tony. After graduation he attended the University of Colorado, enlisted in the army, later worked at Keystone Mine and eventually attended Forestry school in Oregon. Fritz later returned to Crested Butte as an adult, with two great loves in his life, acting and the outdoors. He was a superb athlete; climbing every peak in the valley, doing day hikes that lasted for 10 hours and riding his bike great distances over the highest mountain passes. He loved all of nature, animals, trees and the forests of Oregon and Colorado. He was a tireless champion for the environment. Fritz loved the gym and constantly challenged himself with weightlifting. He had success as an actor in movies (Joe Dirt, The Addams Family and others); in national commercials (for Zippo, Vitamin Water, Chevy and Vote); on stage he appeared in "Romeo and Juliet", "Midsummer Night's Dream", and "The Cherry Orchard" for the Crested Butte Mountain Theater. He did stand up comedy in Los Angeles as "The Atomic Comic." Fritz was a good and loyal friend. Tuck, Bill Wheeler, Steve Griggs and Igor were special friends in Crested Butte. He had a good and kind heart for those less fortunate than he and would spend an hour picking out the perfect card to make you happy or a gift for a grandchild. His greatest gift was his amazingly bright mind. You just could not have a boring, small talk, conversation with Fritz; nor could you not laugh along with his sharp wit and wordplay. He wrote many challenging, thoughtful and humorous letters to the Crested Butte paper as "Fritz the Cat" or the "Atomic Comic." His greatest pride and joy were his sons: Zeb (Angie), Zach (now deceased), Ian (Nikki) and the grandkids (who called him "Timer) Austin, Preston, Kesley, Aiden, Sophia and Brady. His son's mother and his former wife, Margaret Horn, provided Fritz with friendship and support through his nine year battle with Leukemia. He appreciated and treasured Margaret. Fritz is also survived by sister Trudy, Mari (Jeff), Cindi (Dave) and nephew Collin; as well as beloved cousins, aunts, back-in-the-day Crested Butte friends and special California friends (Jeff , Dave and Terza). We are grateful to Pam and Bee, who provided friendship and care in his final months. His son's words best express our feelings: "Love you dad and thanks for the memories, for being one of the wildest, kindest and most fun dudes to ever walk the face of the planet. From King Crab fishing in the Bering Sea, hard rock mining in Colorado, Being in the movies and on tv; logging and then replanting the same forests of the Pacific Northwest, you survived almost half of the deadliest jobs on the planet and survived longer than anyone else on the treatment you were on. You were larger than life. Your absence in our lives leaves a huge void that we will try to fill by telling the amazing stories that made up your life." A memorial service to celebrate an extraordinary life of true adventure will be held in Crested Butte on July 8.

Chase Johnson Cook was born in Gunnison Sept. 9, 1989. He grew up here surrounded by friends and family and graduated from Gunnison High School. He was a smart, strong young man who naturally drew a crowd around him. Although he was not very keen on sports he did love the outdoors and was active. Chase moved to Medford, Oregon in 2010 to be close to his mother and sister, Soren. He had a good job opportunity there and wanted to see another part of the world outside of Gunnison. For some reason, once Chase left home, making friends did not come so easily anymore. Chase took his own life June 23, 2012. He chose a pretty quiet secluded spot on the side of a mountain not far from his Medford home. Chase left this world and those who loved him with many unanswered questions at the very young age of 22 years old. Th e privacy and seclusion of the spot Chase chose eluded all of us until now. Although he is no longer with us in a physical sense, Chase will always be part of our lives. We are so happy to have shared the time we did with him. Chase will continue on through us and in the love we have for him. We are grateful he is no longer suffering and we miss him everyday. Chase is survived by Brenda Johnson (mother); Todd Cook (father); his sister Soren; his grandparents and so many friends from Gunnison. Thank you all for your well wishes, support and prayers.

Roger was born Dec. 5, 1943. He passed away Feb. 7, 2017 at the San Juan Living Center after a short bout with cancer. Roger was born and raised in Gunnison County. He grew up on the family homestead at the base of Ohio Pass, better known as the Kunze place. As a young man, he went on to work for Otis Moore and several other ranches in the valley before becoming a permanent hand for John Wilson and Adams Ranch where he spent the next 25 years raising his family and teaching his children how to handle livestock and break horses. He taught his children that ranching was truly a way of life to be admired. Later on in life, he also worked for Ochs Brothers Ranch and spent time through the years helping a local guide service first owned by Wallace Hildreth and later bought by Paul and Steve Pike. He loved hunting and anything to do with the outdoors. His last few jobs were riding for Howard Funk in Saguache Park and helping his nephew Tracy Hildreth on Moncrief Ranch. Roger loved spending time watching his children and grandkids with their 4H projects and rodeoing. He was preceded in death by his son Tommy. He is survived by his three sons Jimmy, Roger, and J.D., six grandkids and 7 great grandchildren. Services will be held on Feb. 18 at 11 a.m. at the Fred Field Memorial building at the fairgrounds. A huge thanks to Cindy West and all of the members of the Cattle Women's Association for providing lunch after the service. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the 4H Forever Fund, Gunnison County Extension, 275 S. Spruce Street, Gunnison, Colorado 81230.

Robert S. Chien (Bob), 84 of Leawood, passed away peacefully in his home on February 6. After leaving mainland China for Taiwan in 1949 where he met his wife, Teresa, they moved to the U.S. in the early 1950s. When living in Gunnison they were members of the Community Church. They purchased The Little Art Studio, located on North Main in a former building that had Ideal Cleaner at the side street. They moved to Kansas City and built up a printing shop with three or four branches. He was active with Xi’an Sister City. Bob created their own web page for Xi'an Sister City. He also had involvement with the Annual Kansas City Dragon Boat races. He arranged teams from other U.S. cities and international cities to come to Kansas City. Bob is survived by his wife, Teresa, and son, Bobby. Daughter, Beverly, preceded him in death in 2006. He is also survived by grandsons Michael and Mathew Graham; Jackson, Dawson, and Roman Chien, and son-in-law, Christopher Graham. He was a true leader within the Chinese-American community, receiving many civic honors, was President of the Society for Friendship with China, and President of Xi'an Sister City. Donations to Society for Friendship with China, Leawood, Kan. 66209. Please offer condolences at www.mcgilleystatelinechapel.com.