Obituaries

Paul Eugene Hughes

Paul Eugene Hughes

Mar 1, 2026

Paul Eugene Hughes of Montrose, Colorado, passed peacefully at home on Sunday, March 1, 2026, following a brief battle with cancer. Born on June 4, 1941, in Colorado Springs, Colorado, Paul spent his childhood in Elbert, where he graduated from Falcon High School in 1959. Shortly thereafter, he moved to Pearl, Colorado, and began his career in the logging industry,...

Sharon Kay Bingham

Sharon Kay Bingham

Jun 15, 2026

Sharon Kay Bingham passed away on June 15, 2026 in Montrose, Colorado.

Darshon Walker

Darshon Walker

Jun 12, 2026

Darshon Walker was born in Lovell, Wyoming January 14, 1982 to Terry Sawyer Walker and Sharleen Rowley. Her family moved to Montrose, Colorado in July 1983. Darshon attended Olathe and Montrose Schools. She was chosen as the Montrose FFA Sweetheart and selected as the Montrose County Fair and Rodeo Queen in 2000. She was active in 4-H and FFA. She...

Kent Struble

Kent Struble

Jun 10, 2026

Kent Struble, 63, of Montrose, Colorado, passed away peacefully at home on June 10, 2026, after a short battle with cancer. 

Kent was born on September 21, 1962, in Denver, Colorado, to Donald and Lee Struble. He spent his childhood in Lakewood, Colorado, and graduated from Bear Creek High School. He later attended Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado. 

Kent built a...

Bret Gunar Brachman-Goldstein

Bret Gunar Brachman-Goldstein

Jun 10, 2026

Bret was born in Summit NJ and spent his formative years in Maplewood, NJ where he grew up in a happy home with mother Dina Brachman, father Neil Goldstein, sister Lara and brother Seth. Bret and Lara were close to their maternal uncles, Erik and Armand. Bret attended St. Peter’s Prep High School in Jersey City and went on to...

Suzanne Schottel

Suzanne Schottel

Jun 10, 2026

Loving Mother, Grandmother, and Great Grandmother

Suzanne Blacke was born on April 18, 1954, in Denver, Colorado, to William Railey Blacke and Frances Irene Hinkle, who later remarried and became Frances Irene Clapper. She attended school in the Denver area and enjoyed a lively childhood with her brothers Stephen, William, and Reginald, later welcoming her sister Julia.

Suzanne was the proud mother...

Phoebe Jean (Miller) Kirk

Phoebe Jean (Miller) Kirk

Jun 10, 2026

Phoebe Kirk has been a resident of Montrose, Colorado since 1992. She is pre-deceased by her husband Robert E. Kirk in 2018. She was born and raised in Wichita Falls, Texas and eventually resided in the Fort Worth, Texas area where she worked as an Office Administrator for the railroad and various construction companies all while raising “four” children.

She is...

Vernon "Vern" Bennigsdorf

Vernon "Vern" Bennigsdorf

Jun 5, 2026

Vernon (Vern as he was known to family and friends) Bennigsdorf, 92, of Montrose, Colorado passed away at his home on June 5, 2026.

Vern was born on April 1, 1934, in Dow City, Iowa. He was one of ten children born to Herbert and M. Lucille (Carlson) Bennigsdorf. He grew up in West Central Iowa. He attended a country school....

Mary Jean Bower

Mary Jean Bower

2026

Mary Jean Bower

1933-2026

Teacher, student, poet, painter, and friend. Jean died peacefully at her home in Montrose, Colorado. There will be a family memorial at a later date.

Mary Margaret Holzmeister

Mary Margaret Holzmeister

Jun 3, 2026

Mary Margaret Holzmeister, beloved mother, grandmother, sister, and friend, passed away unexpectedly on June 3, 2026, at St. Mary’s Regional Hospital in Grand Junction, CO. She was born on September 22, 1947, in St. Paul, Minnesota, to Rosemary and George Heavers.

Mary attended Montrose High School and married Robert Holzmeister in 1964. Together, they dedicated much of their lives to managing...

Bettie Joyce Weaver

Bettie Joyce Weaver

Jun 2, 2026

Bettie Joyce Weaver passed away peacefully on June 2, 2026, in Montrose, Colorado, at the age of 93.

Bettie was born October 3, 1932, to John Aubrey and Ethel Marcella (Hilton) McKelvy in Elkhart, Kansas. They moved to Chickasha, Oklahoma in 1933. She was raised in Chickasha and graduated from Chickasha High School in 1950. Bettie enjoyed 12 years of piano,...

Judy K. DeVincentis (nee Wilson)

Judy K. DeVincentis (nee Wilson)

Jun 1, 2026

Judy passed away peacefully on June 1, 2026. She was surrounded by the love of her family, whose presence brought her comfort in the final months and days of her life.



Judy was born on October 13, 1956, in Pierre, South Dakota to JoAnn and Jack Wilson. Following the tragic loss of her dad, Judy moved to Montrose with her mother...

Sherry Aline Kitsmiller

Sherry Aline Kitsmiller

May 27, 2026

Sherry Aline Kitsmiller, 76, went home to be with her Lord and Savior on May 27, 2026, under the care of hospice in the home she cherished and lived in for the past 30 years. She was surrounded by the love of her daughter, Tanya Hawk, and granddaughter, Markie Hawk.

Sherry was born on March 5, 1950, in New Mexico to...

Dr. Howard F. Sauer

Dr. Howard F. Sauer

May 23, 2026

Howard F Sauer peacefully passed away surrounded by his sons on May 23, 2026

He is survived by his two brothers, Bob and Jim, His three sons, Daniel, David and Dale, his grandson Zane Sauer, and ex-wife Bonnie Sauer.

He was proceeded in death by his parents, William Conrad Sauer and Lois V Bunger, his brother William Sauer, the mother of his...

Karen Sue (Kidd) Deeds

Karen Sue (Kidd) Deeds

May 22, 2026

Karen Sue (Kidd) Deeds, 84, passed away peacefully on the afternoon of Friday, May 22nd at her home in Montrose, CO surrounded from near and far with love from her beloved friends and family. She was born on April 18, 1942, in Beech Grove, IN, and was the youngest of four children born to Florence Lucille (Fetters) and Harold Ethan...

Ramonia "Monie" Christine Howard

Ramonia "Monie" Christine Howard

May 22, 2026

The force that was Monie Howard was, perhaps, a little untraditional, but also a whole lot of wonderful. She valued family, tradition, and community, and she spent her life investing in all three.

Someone recently said, “If you weren’t touched by Monie, you probably didn’t live.” Although hyperbolic, there is a nugget of truth there. And if you knew Monie Howard,...

Jose Leondro Archuleta

Jose Leondro Archuleta

May 22, 2026

Jose Leondro Archuleta of Montrose, Colorado, passed away peacefully on May 22, 2026, at the age of 80. He was born on March 7, 1946, in Pitkin, Colorado to Arsenio Archuleta and Marie Espinoza. He spent his childhood in Pitkin and graduated from Gunnison High School; Class of 1964. After high school, Leon proceeded to honorably serve his country with...

Sharon Kay Eshelman

Sharon Kay Eshelman

May 20, 2026

Sharon Kay Eshelman, 77, of Olathe, Colorado, passed away on May 20, 2026, after a courageous battle with colon cancer. Born on January 25, 1949, in Denver, Colorado, Sharon lived a life defined by her unwavering dedication to others, her pursuit of excellence, and her deep and abiding faith.

Sharon demonstrated exceptional academic commitment from an early age, maintaining a 4.0...

Dale M. Kleeves

Dale M. Kleeves

May 20, 2026

Dale M. Kleeves, 74, of Montrose, Colorado, went home to be with the Lord on May 20, 2026 at his home west of Montrose.

Dale was born January 31, 1952, in Covington, Kentucky, to Joel F. Kleeves and Jean Ann (Kidd) Kleeves. He spent his early childhood in Covington before his parents moved to the Denver area when he was 6....

Michael Roy Walker Jr.

Michael Roy Walker Jr.

May 16, 2026

Michael Roy Walker Jr., age 50, of Montrose Colorado passed away unexpectedly on May 16, 2026. 

Mike was born on August 18, 1975 to Mike and Vicki Walker. He lived in Montrose for the majority of his life. This is where he met and married his wife, Jennifer and they built a life together.

 Mike started working around 12 years of age,...