James Allen Davis, 89, of Cañon City (formerly of rural Westcliffe and rural Villegreen), went to be with the Lord on Thursday, October 21st in Cañon City, Colorado. He was born October 4th, 1932 in Tobe, Colorado, to Earl and Pearl (Montgomery) Davis. He attended school through 8th grade at the Tobe one-room schoolhouse, and attended Kim High School through the 10th grade. He went to work at an early age, working for a local ranch and joining harvest crews in Oklahoma. He joined the Army in 1952, obtaining his GED and finishing his training at Fort Smith, Arkansas. He completed his military service after two years in post-war Germany, returning to Colorado in the fall of 1955. He married Ina Jo Reagan on November 18, 1955.
The couple moved to Pueblo, Colorado, where he worked as an electrician’s assistant at the CF&I Steel Mill. They purchased their mountain ranch near Ilse in Custer County in 1957, moving there in 1959 and raising their family there. Allen (as he was known to his friends and family) took up full time ranching in 1961. Through the years he supplemented ranch income with other jobs. He worked with dear neighbor Rich Hardin at his saw mill, dug trees with another good friend and neighbor, Gene Griffin, put up hay in the valley with friend, Harry Hanssen, and worked with reclamation workers at the Ilse Mine. In 1975, he formed a partnership with dear friend Hugh Munson in construction, completing many projects for Wet Mountain Valley residents. He and Hugh had many stories about putting up the big barns at McKenzie Junction for Oklahoma oilman Gale Turney. He and Ina Jo began dividing their time between their mountain home and their ranch at Villegreen in 1991. Allen continued to actively raise cattle until the fall of 2002. They sold the Villegreen ranch to family members and moved permanently to their home in north Cañon City in the fall of 2015.
Survivors include two daughters: Amy (Rick) Perschbacher and Gayla
(Kevin) Day, five grand-children: Monty (Kara) Wood, Cody (Candie) Day, Brittany (Aaron) Young, Casey (Stephanie) Day, and Kelly (Zach) Kruis, two step-grandchildren: Tate (Melani) Perschbacher and Charity Perschbacher, ten great-grand-children: Taylor Brown, Mason Wood, Jack Ryan Tryon, Daniel Day, Alivia Day, Renae Day, Cohen Kruis, Zoe Kruis, Abel Kruis, and Levi Kruis; four step-great grand-
children: Vyctoria Pratt, Angelina Atencio, Adrianna Atencio, and Aaliyah Atencio; one great-great-grandchild, Ava Corbett, one brother Jim (Shirley) Davis and one sister,
Lois Smith.
He is also survived by numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his wife, his parents, two brothers: Lloyd Davis and Roy Davis, two sisters: Syble Glover and Jean Dykstra, infant son, Jason Cleve Davis, and granddaughter Mandy Wood Tryon.
Allen loved his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and enjoyed his times of worship at the Wetmore Community Church.
He was known for his generosity, always willing to lend a hand to someone in need. Allen loved his family and his country and was a true patriot Some of his favorite things to do included playing card and domino games with friends and family. He enjoyed gospel and country music and was blessed by it in many ways through the years. He was a devoted and loving Christian son, brother, husband, uncle, father, grandfather and friend and will be greatly missed by many.
A joint memorial service for him and his wife, Ina Jo Davis, who passed away on January 22, 2021, will be held at the Wetmore Community Center on Saturday, November 13th at 10 a.m.
Any memorial contributions will be donated or can be directed to Sangre de Cristo Hospice.
Category Archives: Uncategorized
New Justice Center Voted Down 2 to 1
by George Gramlich,
News and Notations
Considering it is an off election year, Custer County registered voters came out in decent numbers with 2,490 ballots cast out of 4,308 active voters. Continue reading New Justice Center Voted Down 2 to 1
Lynn LaGree Service
March 25, 1954 – October 27, 2021
Lynn Doyle LaGree of Westcliffe, Colorado, went to be with the Lord on October 27, 2021. Lynn was born in Cañon City, Colorado, to Douglas Nolan and Rosalie Ruth (Nielsen) LaGree on March 25, 1954. Lynn grew up in Cañon City where he enjoyed playing football in high school and later took business classes at the College of the Canyons. Lynn worked at his parent’s owned and operated grocery store, Cañon Market, from the age of 15 until 1997. He often joked he was born in aisle 10 at the store. Continue reading Lynn LaGree Service
Don Crow Passes
Don Crow, 78, of Wray, Colorado, died Friday, October 15, 2021, at his home following a hard-fought battle with cancer.
Donald George Crow was born in Pueblo, CO, on June 24th, 1943, the son of George and Lois (Geroux) Crow. He grew up in Westcliffe, CO, attending school and graduating from Custer County High School in 1961. Continue reading Don Crow Passes
Tommy Walker Passes
Thomas (Tommy) William Walker, 64 passed away peacefully in the arms of his family October 24, 2021, at his home in Westcliffe, Colorado after a courageous battle with cancer.
Tommy was born in Huntsville, TX, on June 16, 1957, to Rev. Billy Gene and Gay Nell Walker. Tommy graduated from Hemphill High School in 1975, where he met his high school sweetheart Cindy Kay Greer, and later married June 4, 1977, at the First Baptist Church in Hemphill, TX. Tommy worked and supported his family as an oilfield welder for many years. He would always say, “If you love what you are doing, you never work a day in your life.” He took many young welders under his wing and taught them the industry, including his son, Colt, who has taken over the welding and oilfield legacy. Continue reading Tommy Walker Passes
Services for Frank Moran Sr.
Francis (Frank) William Moran Sr., age 84, of Lakewood, Colorado passed away on October 11, 2021, at St. Anthony Hospital.
Frank was born in Williston, North Dakota, to Robert (Bob) William and Frances (Fritzi) Moran on August 17th 1937. He attended Williston High School graduating in 1955. After high school Frank attended the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota, before enlisting in the U.S. Army in 1958. After many years, he earned his Bachelor in Business at Regis University the age of 63. Throughout his adult life, he was a jack of all trades, finally settling on a career as a printer and retiring in his 70s. Frank had a lot of hobbies but his favorites were being an avid gun collector, Ham radio operator, gems and minerals and veracious reader. Continue reading Services for Frank Moran Sr.
WMV Saddle Club Announces Buckle Series Results
Press Release
The final of four gymkhanas in the Wet Mountain Valley Saddle Club (WMVSC) Buckle Series was held October 3rd at the WMVSC arena. Contestants had to compete in three of the four gymkhanas held August 29th, September 12th and 26th and October 3rd to be eligible for prizes. Winners of each age group received a belt buckle; 2nd place, a leather embossed backpack; 3rd and 4th places; a custom-made photo frame, courtesy of sponsors River Valley Ranches, Shy Fencing, Valley Feeds, Jim and Lin Ward, and
Wyoming Blanton Ent. LLC.
The WMVSC hosted a burger and hot dog dinner after the event and awards were presented.
Award winners
Leadline: 1. Mikayla Martinez Penrose, CO 2. Everleigh Jennings, Elizabeth, CO 3. Jentry Jennings Elizabeth, CO 4. Charlie Wood, Westcliffe, CO
8 & Under: 1. Allie Martin Avondale, CO 2. Sage Shy Silver Cliff, CO 3. Stormi Clausen Florence, CO .
9-13: 1. MacKenna Handy Franktown, CO 2. Jesse Lenard Penrose CO 3. Lacey Valdez 4. Courtnee Palmer Nathrop, CO.
14-18: 1. Kaylee Simahusier, Florence , CO 2. Brylee Shy Silverc Cliff, CO 3. Aspen Trotti Florence, CO 4. Ally McKissack Penrose, CO
Adult: 1. Keely Smith Wetmore, CO 2. Amber Wood Westcliffe, CO 3. Marci WommackWestcliffe, CO 4. Katlyn Wommack Cotopaxi, CO
Special Awards:
High Money: Kaylee Simahusier Florence, CO
Hard Luck: Haley Frazier, Pueblo , CO
Most Determined: Cadence Palmer, Nathrop, CO
Most Improved: Calli Quintana Salida, CO
Leadline Winners: Jentry Jennings, Everleigh Jennings, Mikayla Martinez, Sponsor, Dawn Ramsdell
Special thanks to Keely Smith for photos.
TWAW: Tips to Avoid Getting Abducted
Tips to Avoid Getting Abducted
By Andrea Stump
TWAW Chapter Leader
Sterling, Colorado
On a Sunday in late March 1970, 22-year-old Kathleen Johns packed her infant daughter into a station wagon and left San Bernardino, California to visit her sick mother. Kathleen was also seven months pregnant with the child of her long-time boyfriend. As she travelled on Highway 132 near Modesto, another vehicle pulled alongside the station wagon and the driver appeared to signal that Kathleen should pull over. On the side of the road, the driver explained that the back wheel of Kathleen’s station wagon was loose, but he promised to fix the problem. Instead, unbeknownst to her, he loosened the lug nuts and the wheel fell off as Kathleen tried to drive away. The man then offered to drive Kathleen to a gas station, but she climbed into his car and discovered he appeared to have other plans. She claimed he also made veiled threats to harm her child. Eventually, Kathleen grabbed her daughter and jumped from the car. A passing driver took Kathleen to a nearby police station where she identified the stranger from a police sketch of the Zodiac Killer.
Kathleen was lucky. Unfortunately, there are many people who are not so lucky. According to the National Crime Information Center, there were 543,000 people who were reported missing in 2020. Not all of these cases were abductions, but abductions still represented a significant portion of the cases. The majority of these missing people were females under the age of 21.
Fortunately, there are many strategies you can use to reduce your chances of being abducted. Here are just a few tips to keep yourself protected:
- Trust your gut. If something feels suspicious, it probably is.
- Don’t be complacent. No one thinks they could ever be a victim until they become one. Don’t get lost in your daily routines and ignore your surroundings. Use situational awareness at all times, especially in public places. The three most common places that abductions occur are grocery store parking lots, office parking lots/garages, and public restrooms.
- Stay off of your phone while in public. Phones impair your ability to pay attention to your surroundings and often can place a target on your back.
- Walk with a purpose and look confident. Attackers don’t want to attack someone who they think might put up a fight.
- Be wary of vans, especially ones parked in odd places or ones parked by your car.
- Don’t pull over on the side of the road if someone is flagging you down. If you feel like there is a valid reason someone is trying to get your attention and you feel like you need to stop, go to a highly populated area to do so and be very cautious.
There are many other things you can do to avoid becoming a victim. At our monthly meeting this weekend we will be discussing some of these things as well as discussing real-life examples of crimes and what we can learn from them. Please join us for The Well Armed Women (TWAW) Sterling chapter meeting on October 16th from 9 am to 11 am at Logan County Shooting Sports complex, 12515 Highway 61/2nd Amendment Way off Highway 61 Sterling, CO.
TWAW Shooting Chapters exists to educate and empower women in a safe and non-threatening environment for their effective and responsible self-defense with a firearm. Prospective members are welcome to attend their first meeting before joining. If you would like to become a member, you can join online at www.twawshootingchapters.org.
Women over 18 interested in learning more can contact Jennifer Everhart at twawsterling@gmail.com or visit TWAW Shooting Chapters, Inc. website at www.twawshootingchapters.org. You can also like us on Facebook @twawsterlingcolorado or stop by Boondocks Army Surplus at 324 N 4th Street in Sterling and pick up a flyer.
Ballot 2021 Candidate Ads and Issues
Colorado State Rep. Ron Hanks Launches Campaign for U.S. Senate
Penrose, Colorado – Today, Colorado State Representative Ron Hanks, a Republican serving State House District 60, announced his campaign for U.S. Senate to unseat incumbent Democrat Michael Bennet, who was appointed in 2009. Continue reading Colorado State Rep. Ron Hanks Launches Campaign for U.S. Senate