Deaths

• Patrick Belone
• John Davis
• Julian Fowler
• Elsie Fred
• Velma C. Ortega
• Donald Ruff
• Lillie Ramone

Patrick Belone

FORT DEFIANCE — Funeral services for Patrick Ray Balone, 40, will be 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 11 at Silver Creek Mortuary Chapel. Pastor Kenneth Cleveland will officiate. Interment will follow on a family plot in Fort Defiance.

Belone died Jan. 4 in Fort Defiance. He was born Sept. 11, 1965 in Fort Defiance into the Edge Water People Clan for the Mexican People Clan.

Belone attended Hunters Point Elementary and Tohatchi High School. He worked for Frazier Show of America in Phoenix, Ariz. He was a self-employed kachina carver at the time of his death. Belone enjoyed wood hauling, carpentry, ranch work and mechanical work.

Survivors include his son, Tyler Watts; daughter, Genea Watts; mother, Mabel Belone; brothers, Ricky Yazzie, Sr., Ferdinand Belone, Julian Belone; sisters, Sylvia Belone, Julie Belone.

Belone was preceded in death by his father, Julius Belone, Sr.; brothers, Fredrick Belone, Julius Belone, Jr.; paternal grandparents, Young and Yebah Belone; maternal grandparents, Junior and Priscilla Harlowe.

Pallbearers will be Alfred Goodman, Ricky Yazzie, Sr., Jefferson Shorty, Dennis Mitchell, Sr., Louie Begay and Cecil Henry, Jr.

The family will receive relatives and friends at the Fort Defiance Chapter House.

John Davis

LOS LUNAS — Funeral services for John Kimball Davis, 57, will be 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 11 at the Los Lunas Baptist Church.

A viewing will be held today, Jan. 10 at 5:30 p.m. at Romero Funeral Home, Los Lunas. A final viewing will be held on Wedneday at 10:30 a.m. prior to services.

Davis died Jan. 8. He was born in 1948.

Davis formerly of Gallup worked for the US Postal Office for 30 years and was the Union Stewart and State Vice President of the APWU. He was raised in Zuni and graduated from Zuni High School in 1967. He then attended Northern Arizona University where he graduated with a BS of Parks and Recreation Land Management. He enlisted in the US Navy in 1971, serving in Vietnam on the USS Marvin Shield during the Vietnam Conflict. He was a member of the Los Lunas Baptist Church. Davis enjoyed running, and was an avid bird watcher.

Survivors include wife, Brenda Davis of Los Lunas; son, Ryan Davis of Flagstaff; mother, Jean Davis of Mesa, Ariz.; sister, Gayle Lynn Marra of Inverness, Fla.; brother, Jeff Davis of Bartlett, Ill.

Davis was preceded in death by his father, John Allard Davis.

Pallbearers will be Jeff Davis, Bob Marra, Charles Maurar, Gummie Garcia, Andrew Dominquez, Limuel Norris, Stanley Grey, Charles Drake and Doug Sievers.

Julian Fowler

AZTEC — Memorial services for Julian "Larry" Fowler, 70, were at 10 a.m. today, Tuesday, Jan. 10 at Cope Memorial Chapel, Farmington. Interment will be held on Saturday, Jan. 13 at 1p.m. at Mays Family Cemetery in Marietta, Ga.

Fowler died Jan. 6 in Farmington. He was born Nov. 13, 1935 in Summerville, Ga.

Fowler attended Clinton High School in Clinton, SC and joined the US Air Force in 1953. While serving in the USAF he earned a BS in Electrical Engineering and an MS in Physics at the University of Colorado at Boulder, and served in the 1st Air Commando Squadron at Pleiku, Vietnam in 1966-67, earning the Bronze Star.He recieved a J.D. at the University of South Carolina. Fowler and his family moved to New Mexico in 1978, where he entered private practice until becoming a Deputy District Attorney in Gallup in 1980. He served various positions with the District Attorney's Offices in San Juan, McKinley, and Taos counties until retierment. Fowler was assistant professor, teaching at UNM-Gallup, San Juan College, and UNM-Taos. He was a member of the I.E.E.E., State Bar of New Mexico. He enjoyed amateur (HAM) radio, electronics, computer science, history, reading, acoustic guitar, running, photography, bluegrass, jazz and blues music.

Survivors include his wife, Albertine Fowler of Aztec; daughters, Stefanee Fowler, Amanda Fowler, Juli Fowler of Albuquerque, Jay Fowler of Denver, Colo.; sons, Matthew Fowler of Roswell, Will Fowler of Las Vegas, Nev.; brothers, Malcolm Fowler of Laurens, SC; and three grandchildren.

Elsie Fred

RED ROCK, NM — Funeral Mass for Elsie Jane Fred, 73, will be 10 a.m. on Thursday, Jan. 12 at Sacred Heart Cathedral, Gallup. Father Cormac Antram, OFM will officiate. Interment will follow in Sunset Memorial Park.
A rosary will be recited on Wednesday, Jan. 11 at 7 p.m. at Cope Memorial Chapel.

Fred died Jan. 9 in Gallup. She was born Oct. 6, 1933 in Red Rock into the Black Streak Wood People Clan for the Mexican People Clan.

Fred enjoyed weaving, shopping, attending Navajo fairs, ceremonials, tending to her sheep, traveling and being with family and grandchildren. She was a medicine woman who enjoyed helping others.

Survivors inlcude her sons, Richard Sherman, Jr., Amos Fred Johnson, Ernest Fred, Ernie Fred, Fernie Fred; daughters, Marie Dean, Cecelia Fred, Laquata Mazur, Starletta Fred; brothers, Harry John, James Johnson, David KeeMann, Tom Begay; sisters, Helen Plummer, Thelma Johnson, Alice Begay, Irene Begay; 30 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.

Fred was preceded in death by her mother, Minnie John; father, John Fred; grandfather, Jack Johnson; sister, Pearl John; brothers, John Begay, Tom Kee Johnson, Tom Kee John, Alfred Kee John; one granddaughter and one great-grandson.

Pallbearers will be Fernie Fred, John Brieno, Eramus Dean, Gerald Johnson, Marcus Teseny and Brian Teseny.

The family will receive relatives and friends at the Red Rock Chapter House following services.

Cope Memorial Chapel is in charge of arrangements.

Velma C. Ortega

SAN MATEO — Funeral services for Velma C. Ortega, 73, were 2 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 9 at the Immanuel Baptist Church. Pastor Garland Moore officiated. Interment followed at in the San Mateo Cemetery.

Visitation was held on Sunday, Jan. 8 from 4-6 p.m. at the San Mateo Baptist Mission.

Ortega died Jan. 6 in San Mateo. She was born June 30, 1932 in San Mateo.

Ortega was a lifelong resident of San Mateo and a member of the San Mateo Baptist Church. She married in 1958 and was a homemaker.

Survivors include her husband, Lloyd G. Ortega, Sr. of San Mateo; sons, Lloyd Ortega, Jr., Charles Ortega both of San Mateo; daughters, Shelia Grant of San Mateo, Veda Ortega of Albuquerque; brother, Arturo Candelaria of San Mateo; and six grandchildren.

Ortega was preceded in death by her parents, Prajeres and Virginia Candelaria; brothers, Eucario Candelaria, Gabriel Candelaria; sister, Viola Marquez.

Pallbearers were Derek Candelaria, Arsenio Salazar, Benny Lucero, Melvin Marquez, Lil' Joe Chavez and Gabriel S. Candelaria.

Donald Ruff

GRANTS — Memorial services for Donald Dale Ruff, 71, will be 2 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 12 at Grants Mortuary Chapel. Rev. Toby Jenkins will officiate. Military honors will be provided by Grants/Milan VFW Post #3221. Cremation will take place.

Ruff died Jan. 5 in Grants. He was born July 2, 1934 in Flint, Mich.

Ruff had beed a resident of Grants since 1993. He served in the US Army in the Michigan National Guard. Ruff was an insurance salesman most of his life and was self employed for a time working in the construction business.

Survivors include his sons, Bruce Ruff of Grants, Chris Ruff of Panama City, Fa.; sisters, Elsie V. Ruff Ealy of Flint, Mich., Doris A. Ruff Whittaker of Grand Blanc, Mich.; and five grandchildren.

Ruff was preceded in death by his parents, Francis Eugene Ruff and Bertha Wright Ruff; brothers, Aaron Ruff, Harold Ruff, Royas Winford "Wink" Ruff; and sister, Clorah Ruff Daveport.

Lillie Ramone

GRANTS — Funeral services for Lillie Mary Cowboy Ramone, 85, are pending.

Ramone died Jan. 8 in Farmington. She was born Feb. 5, 1920 in Smith Lake.

Compassion Mortuary is in charge of arrangements.