Roger Jose Peña, Sr. died from a heart attack on July 28, 2020 at his home in Barstow, California. He was the husband of Claudia Peña, with whom he shared 41 years of marriage. He is survived by his sons Roger Jose Peña Jr. and Walter Antonio Peña, his daughter-in-law Charlotte Kraenzle Peña, and his grandsons Maximilian (9), Leonardo (7), Sebastian (4) and Anthony (2).

Roger Sr. was born in Managua, Nicaragua on November 9, 1939. At the age of 18, he immigrated to the United States in hopes of greater opportunity for himself and his family. His mother, father, and three of his four sisters joined him in Los Angeles within the year. Roger Sr. lost his beloved father when he was only 20.

At 18, Roger Sr. began working for Tootsie Roll on the production line, and continued to work for Tootsie Roll and Dolly Madison (bakery owned by Hostess brands) for 34 years, retiring as a Supervisor. He was also appointed and served as his factory’s representative to the Bakery, Confectionery and Tobacco Workers’ International Union, headquartered in Kensington, Maryland.

A devoted father, Roger Sr. shared his love of soccer with his two young sons. His eldest son Roger Jr. had dreams of pursuing soccer as a career, and Roger Sr. did all he could to support those dreams, driving him across California and state lines to practices and games. He never missed a game. Roger Jr. ultimately earned a college scholarship to play goalkeeper at Pacific Christian College. His youngest son, Walter, graduated from California State University Long Beach and is currently a photographer and filmmaker. Roger Sr. unequivocally encouraged and supported Walter’s artistic and creative endeavors - he watched every film that he worked on and loved hearing about the different photoshoots.

Roger Sr. met the love of his life, Claudia, in the summer of 1978. Claudia was visiting her sister in Los Angeles from Nicaragua, and her Aunt Marta Alicia had insisted she call and meet Roger Sr. They say it was love at first sight, and they saw each other nearly every night for the three weeks Claudia was in the United States, and then they communicated regularly by post. Claudia left her position as a middle school principal in Nicaragua to return to the United States in October, and they were married in January 1979. Roger Sr. and Claudia were soulmates whose eternal love radiated for all to see. Their hearts are forever fused.

Roger Sr. was proud to be an American citizen. He was a true patriot – proud of America and all the opportunities and liberties it had to offer. A firm believer in generational progress, Roger Sr. was the embodiment of the “American Dream” – he worked hard for his family so his children would have opportunities he did not. He was a true gentleman, fiercely devoted to his family and had tremendous faith in God. Honest and always willing to listen, he became a father figure to many family members who sought his counsel and encouragement.

Roger Sr. was a hero to his sons and a quintessential man of character. He was a sincere, generous, kind, and courageous human being. His sons will always be proud to have had Roger Sr. as their father and forever grateful for his unconditional love and support.

In addition to his children and grandchildren, he is survived by two sisters, Wilma and Thelma. He was preceded in death by his sisters Norma and Lillian. It was his sisters who taught him to dance when he was little, and it was the beginning of a lifelong love of music and dancing. He danced beautifully, with rhythm and joy. Roger Sr. was also a lifelong fan of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Lakers.

In early 2019, Roger Sr. was diagnosed with Guillian-Barre Syndrome, a rare auto-immune condition that causes temporary and sometimes permanent paralysis. With the love and support of his family, especially his nephew Carlos Cruz and brother-in-law Fabrizio Martinez, he worked extremely hard to regain his ability to walk, and made a full recovery in less than half the time his doctors expected. A testament to his faith and his perseverance in the face of adversity, Roger Sr. walked through Disneyland in August 2019 with his grandchildren.

Gary Brooks Earl, a Colorado farmer and rancher, died in Porter Hospital on April 7, 2020. He died of kidney failure, after a few weeks in the hospital.
Gary was born in Lamar, CO on April 12, 1939, to Thelma Lee Miller Earl and Kenneth Brooks. Gary’s father past away when he was six months old. When Gary was three years old, his mother married Carl Earl. Carl adopted Gary and his name became Gary Brooks Earl.
He grew up in the small community of McClave, CO, where he exceled in sports and FFA. He also loved farming on the family ranch.
He received an associate’s degree in Animal Science at Lamar Community College, where he participated on the livestock judging team. He continued judging livestock when he went to Colorado State University. Here, he met Nancy Pickering of Kremmling, CO. They were married in December of 1962. Six months later, Gary joined the National Guard and trained at Fort Sill, OK for six months; he completed six years of service. He joined the Guard because two uncles were offering farms to rent. While he regretted not serving the country in active service, we feel that he left the legacy God intended by pursuing his passion of starting his own farming and ranching operation. The Guard was a large sacrifice to him as he lost access to precious water and struggled to plant and harvest crops on time. Even through this, he was proud to serve his country.
When he returned from his training, Gary and Nancy began their own farming/ranching operation in McClave. Monty was born in 1965, Brenda in 1967, Mindy in 1971. The family worked together to support the farm, which Gary loved. He built a cattle feedlot, raised and fattened lambs, and farmed alfalfa, wheat, milo and corn. Gary was also active in the community, serving on the school board, ASC committee and others. During these years, he loved supporting his kids with their 4-H and FFA projects. He loved helping his children select their show steers, sometimes from his own herd. After several county champions and good showings at the state fair, we knew he was pretty good at selecting the right ones. His passion may have gone too far when Gary removed the air conditioning unit from the house to put in the barn for the 4-H steers!
Another highlight for Gary was that he got to travel nation-wide to watch Monty wrestle in college; he was very proud of Monty and the determination it took to get to that level in wrestling.
John Roesch and Dad were life-long friends and talked on the phone every week. Later in retirement, John and Trudy travelled with Mom and Dad to Hawaii and Branson and took several bus trips with other folks from Southeastern Colorado. He spoke less often to his friend, Dick Yates, but was so proud of the Yates’s success in the rodeo and proud to call Dick a friend. There are so many friends in McClave that Dad held dear. These are friendships that stood the test of time.
In 1993, Gary and Nancy sold the farm in McClave and moved to Wray, CO. Sadly, also in 1993, they lost their daughter, Brenda Earl MacLennan, in a horse accident. Brenda had gotten married to Scot MacLennan in August of 1993, then died a few months later. The MacLennan family is still dear to our family. Obviously, this was a life changing event; Mom and Dad relied on faith and family to get through the tragedy.
In Wray, he ranched and farmed for the next 27 years. After the sale of that property, Gary kept active helping other farmers; he even bought a tractor that he could use or help others with. He loved driving Steve Akey’s swather and help with the Brophy corn harvest; when he was in the hospital, he hoped that he would be able to do that again. He was active in the Wray Lion’s Club. He loved cooking hamburgers and pancakes for community events and fundraisers; he also loved helping with the local health fair. The local Lions Club nominated him for a humanitarian service award, which the National Lions awarded him. He made many friends and very much enjoyed the Wray community. Mom’s nephew, Rance, lives in Wray. Dad was close to Rance all his life and living close to him was one of the big bonuses of moving to Wray. Rance was always good to help in so many ways, not to mention bringing food like his amazing posole, potato soup and green chili.
He loved teaching his grandchildren to drive and various things on the farm like feeding bottle calves. Later, he very much enjoyed traveling to Denver to watch them play hockey. Linnea and Lars have made him very proud and are amazing in their accomplishments. Both were very close to him and loved to come visit during summers and holidays. Though not his blood, he also welcomed Mindy’s stepson, Bailey, with open arms. Bailey is carrying on Grandpa’s legacy as he is always inviting new kids to youth group and is currently working on a ranch. He was very proud of his grandchildren.
Gary loved and enjoyed his family and was an amazing friend, husband, father, uncle, and grandpa. He is survived by his wife, Nancy; son Monty (Camilla), their children (Lars and Linnea); Mindy (Alec), their son (Bailey); his sisters, Carla Boettcher and Sharon Goldman and their families; numerous cousins, nieces and nephews.

Birger lived life to the fullest with vigor and generosity. Hardworking, full of humor and non-judgmental, he had a unique perspective on the world around him. He loved to go fast, laugh a lot and travel the world. What he loved most though, was his wife Bari. They met in Morrison, Colorado – it was the beginning of a beautiful life together full of love, respect and patience.

Birger, an extreme and passionate skier valued speed and thrill on the slopes. Chopping endless wood around his much-loved home in Genesee, Birger waited patiently for the snow to fly, while he and Bari prepared for winter. If he wasn’t skiing, Leeds United football (soccer) was on the agenda, he had a perfect spot at home to direct the game! The Cure was Birger’s favorite 80s rock band, he and Bari never hesitated to find a live performance – he was a Cure groupie and a loud blast of Robert Smith was the perfect capstone to a good night out.

Birger passed away on July 17, 2020 succumbing to a valiant 9-month battle with Glioblastoma 4. His immediate family, Bari Elizabeth Hahn (wife), Harald Eriksen(father), Edmund and Otto Eriksen (brothers) and Helena Eriksen (sister-in-law) with numerous nephews and nieces, invite you to join them by posting your comments and photos in celebration of Birger’s life both in his Colorado home and in his native Norway.

Birger’s family in Colorado and Norway, his extensive network of friends around the world and colleagues at Xcel will miss his curious intellect and his full embrace of life. Thank you, Birger, for bringing such honor, integrity and laugher to our lives. We will remember and celebrate you in our daily lives; and most especially when we hear The Cure on the radio. You are a gent and will be missed.

DeAdera Deshena Gardner, 40, of Irving, TX. died Saturday July 18, 2020. 
Daughter of Willie Clide Gardner and Sarah Lee Owens Gardner, born in Wichita Falls, TX. August 9, 1979. She was an Honor roll graduate of Hirschi High School and UT of Arlington Campus in 2002, completing with a Bachelor of Psychology Degree. DeAdera worked as an Allstate Claims Rep and was a longtime faithful member of Kingdom Living Ministries, where she was a part of the finance committee. DeAdera was a 2-year volunteer basketball coach for the YMCA Regulators. She was a great lover of God, children, reading, art and poetry.
She leaves behind a son Bryce K. McGlothin of Irving, TX., her father Willie Clide Gardner of Wichita Falls, TX., sisters Rachelle Langston-Blyther, & Kimmecha Smith of Irving, TX. and Amanda Wade Gardner & LeWanda Chatman of Wichita Falls, TX., along with 14 nieces/nephews and 5 great nieces/nephews, an Aunt Janell Owens of Denver, CO, and Uncle Jimmy Gardner of Detroit, MI., and many other cousins.

She is preceded in death by her mother Sarah Lee Owens Gardner of Wichita Falls, TX., & brothers Rhamie Dayon Gardner of Wichita Falls, TX., Willie Clide Harris of Center, TX. & a great nephew Michael Ervin Harris JR. of Wichita Falls, TX.

This virtual memorial is held in her honor.

Reginald (Ripp) Hatcher Smith, 80, died peacefully in his sleep on June 21 in Asheville, NC. He is survived by his daughter Rachel Carter Pope and her daughter Reya Celeste Pope, and by his brother Furman Smith Jr. and his sister Lucy Smith Allouchery. He is also survived by his sister-in-law Junice Kulick and step-daughter Nicole Mischler. Ripp was a well known sculptor and painter and a moving spirit of the "I Am Home Art Project" bringing art to the homeless of Asheville. He will be missed by his family and many friends. Donations in Ripp's memory to I Am Home Art Project would be appreciated. (www.iamhomeartproject.com)

The loss of Butsoy, who is the member of our family is extremely painful for the family members and especially for the wife who has to live all her life alone.
Our heart is filled with sadness at the loss of you Choy. May your soul rest in peace.

One of the most difficult things to deal with in life is the death of a loved one. Even for the Christian, death is a part of life. Unlike they that do not believe, the Christian has a blessed hope – that is the return of the Savior Jesus to catch up His Church and bring them to eternal life with Him and God the Father in Heaven.