Cortland Childs Jr.
ST. GEORGE – Our cherished and beloved father, son and brother was called home to his Heavenly Father May 2, 2003 to serve his second mission.
Cortland entered this world July 11, 1965 in San Diego, Calif., the son of Cortland E. Childs Sr. and Karen McKean Childs.
He graduated from Prescott High School in Prescott, Ariz. in 1983, then served a two year mission in the Connecticut, Hartford mission. He graduated from the College of Eastern Utah where he became a certified LPN. He loved being a nurse and had a gift for showing love through the care he was able to give to his patients that never ended.
He learned from his father and mother a deep love of his country and was rarely seen without an American flag nearby. His father served in the United States Navy and Cortland and his brothers were blessed to have been able to have many wonderful learning experiences throughout this great nation of ours. He was raised to honor our country and those who serve our country so we may be free.
His greatest joy and love was his daughter, Shaelean Eliot Childs. He devoted his life to being the best dad he could be for her. They loved camping together in Kolob. Cortland was always a peacemaker. He taught us invaluable lessons on unconditional love, patience and giving and that family is the most important thing of all. He is our hero.
He leaves behind a daughter, Shaelean, St. George; father, Cortland E. Childs Sr., St. George; mother, Karen McKean Childs, St. George; two brothers, Mark Eliot Childs, St. George; Scott Eliot Childs, Salt Lake City; maternal grandmother, Lona M. Varner, Dewar, Okla.; paternal grandmother, Sue “Honey Dear” Eddy, St. George; uncles, aunts, nieces, nephews and cousins. He was preceded in death by paternal grandfather, Author Eliot Childs; maternal grandfather, Kenneth S. Varner; great-grandmother, Sarah Mae McKean; and best friend, Jimmy Maggard. Cortland will be deeply missed but has found the way back to Heavenly Father and is the pathfinder for all of us.
His family wishes to express their deep appreciation to all those who have cared for him during his many challenges with his health. Also, for those who have fasted and prayed and given loving support in so many ways.
Memorial service Monday, May 5, at Ft. Pierce Chapel, 750 E. Ft. Pierce Dr., St. George.
Lois Stamatakis
HELPER – Lois Powell Stamatakis, age 87, passed away May 1, 2003 at the Harmony House in Helper.
Born Oct. 23, 1915 in Price to George Preston and Sarah Hall Powell. Married Pete Steve Stamatakis in 1932 in Ely, Nev. He died Aug. 17, 1976.
Lois was a lifelong resident of Carbon County, where she cooked for the Elks, Carbon Country Club and the Century for many years. She enjoyed sewing and crocheting afghans and quilts for her family. She will be dearly missed by her family.
Survived by three sons, Steve (Vivien) Stamatakis, Pete (Sharon) Stamatakis, Joel (Valerie) Stamatakis, all of Price; sister, Betty Strickland, Louisana; and eight loving grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. Preceded in death by three brothers and two sisters.
Funeral service Tuesday, May 6, 2 p.m., Mitchell Funeral Home. Family will be at Mitchell’s Tuesday one hour prior to services. Interment, Price City Cemetery.
Chico Sanchez
SPRING GLEN – Fidel Ontiveros Sanchez, age 79, passed away May 2, 2003 in Price.
Born Sept. 13, 1923 in Sunnyside to Jose and Jesus Madrigal Sanchez. Married Christina Gomez Valdez Oct. 15, 1942 in Raton, N.M.
Member of St. Anthony Catholic Church, where he was a member of the Knights of Columbus and “The Parish Handyman”. At the age of 17 he began working for the railroad and after two years with the railroad he went to work in the coal mines. In June of 1943, he was called into service for U.S. Army where he served in the combat of engineers and was honorably discharged Dec. 25, 1945. In 1948 Fidel was involved in a mine accident that resulted in the loss of his right hand.
Over the years Fidel worked as a custodian and LPN for Carbon Hospital. He also worked as a custodian for the Carbon Nursing Home, Carbon School District, Peterson’s Chemical, Koret of California and in 1988 retired from the College of Eastern Utah. In 1968, he started “Chico’s Janitorial Service” which served many other businesses in Carbon County. Chico will always be remembered as the best one handed fix-it man ever. “If something broke, call Chico.”
Survived by loving wife of 60 years, Christina Sanchez, Spring Glen; three daughters and six sons, Elaine Smith, Royal Palm Beach, Fla.; Joseph F. Sanchez and Frances, Helper; John (Connie) Sanchez, LaGrande, Ore.; Fred (Sheila) Sanchez, Kenilworth; T. Patrick (Alicia) Sanchez, West Jordan; Anthony A. Sanchez and Raeleen, Salt Lake City; Geralyn (Randy) Roberts, Salt Lake City; Marie Sanchez, Columbus, Ohio; Felipe (Renee) Sanchez, West Jordan; sisters, Jenny Sandoval, Seattle, Wash.; Irene (Billy) Trujillo, West Valley City; 32 grandchildren and 26 great-grandchildren. Preceded in death by parents; stepfather, Louis Canchola; daughter, Rose Holt; and sons, Felipe Pedro and Michael G. Sanchez.
Funeral Mass Wednesday, May 7, 10 a.m., St. Anthony Catholic Church. Vigil service, Tuesday evening, 7 p.m. at the church in Helper. Family will be at the church Tuesday and Wednesday one hour prior to services. Committal service, Mountain View Cemetery, Helper, under the direction of Mitchell Funeral Home.
Mary Jerant
HELPER – Carbon County – Mary “Dukes” Jerant died in a Price nursing home May 2, 2003 after an extended illness. She was 94.
Mrs. Jerant was born March 2, 1909, in Engleville, Colo., to Joseph and Carmella Burzellera Mazzarise. She married Frank A. Jerant in Walsenburg, Colo. Sept. 28, 1928.
In 1945, the Jerants moved to Utah where Frank worked in a number of Carbon County coal mines before his retirement in 1967 from Carbon Fuel Co. near Helper. He died Nov. 23, 1993. Mrs. Jerant worked as a cook at Helper Central and Sally Mauro Elementary Schools in Helper for the Carbon School District. She also cooked for the Carbon Country Club and Price Elks Lodge. She was a member of the Stella D’America (Italian) Lodge 77. An active parishioner of St. Anthony’s Catholic Church in Helper, Mrs. Jerant was a member of the choir and the Altar Society. She was best known for her tireless church work, including selling tickets for fund-raising projects and helping with the preparation of countless meals at parish-sponsored events, including after funerals for family members of the deceased. In 1977, Mrs. Jerant was named St. Anthony’s Parish Woman of the Year.
Survivors include daughter, Alberta Rose (Joe) Rolando, Helper; son, Frank A. (Sherry) Jerant, Salinas, Calif.; six grandchildren, Joe F. (Jan) Rolando, Sandy; JoAnn Rolando, Madison, Wis.; R. Jean Rolando, Park City; Marianne (Troy) Kale, Billings, Mont.; Dr. Tony (Lisa) Jerant, Sacramento, Calif.; Michael Jerant, Mountain View, Calif.; and four great-grandchildren. Mrs. Jerant is preceded in death by sisters, Julia Montarano and Mary Sarter; Jennie Faro and Rose Ghiradelli; and brothers, Sam “Brownie” Mazzarise and Tony Mazzarise.
Funeral Mass Tuesday, May 6, 10 a.m., at St. Anthony’s Catholic Church in Helper. Vigil service Monday at the church. Family will be at the church Tuesday one hour prior to services. Burial, Mountain View Cemetery, Helper, under the direction of Mitchell Funeral Home.
Alex Tidwell
GUSHER – Alex Reid Tidwell, age 64, of Gusher, passed away April 30, 2003 bringing joy to others doing what he loved, dancing.
He was born Nov. 24 1938 in Wellington, to “Colonel” Delbert Cloyd and Crystal Palmer Tidwell. Married Shirley K. Jacob. They later divorced.
He attended Weber State College and the College of Eastern Utah, and excelled in creative writing. Alex served in the Army during the Korean war, and then came back to work in the coal mines and the oil fields near Price.
He considered himself an “Old Cowboy,” and loved anything to do with horses and the Old West. He owned and operated a cattle ranch in Wellington. He wrote cowboy stories and poetry, and enjoyed the history of the American West. He searched out some of the old trails used by the cowboys. His father ran horses for Butch Cassidy and, consequently, Alex had a special affinity for Butch. He was a member of the “Wagoneer Club” in Roosevelt, driving horse-drawn wagons and stage coaches. He would round up wild horses on the Book Cliffs with one of his best friends, John Clark. He enjoyed animals, training a badger to be a pet and once saving a fawn from the grasp of a mountain lion. He enjoyed dancing at the Crossroads Senior Center. He loved and adored his kids and his grandkids.
He is survived by children, Ty R. (Roxanne) Tidwell, Lehi; Amy K. (Ray “Bug” Pearson) Tidwell, Spanish Fork; grandchildren, Lacie and Austin Tidwell, Trevor and Mitchell Jeppson, RayLynn and Cory Alex Pearson, Bailey Johnson, a special friend, Susan Collier, Ioka; family friend, Juanita Nash, Roosevelt; brothers and sisters, Dick (Maxine) Tidwell, Ferron; Myra (Dave) Arellano, Wellington; Shanna (Roy) Edward, North Salt Lake; Sylvia (Mickey) Bradley, Oklahoma; Kathy Thomas, Orangeville; Judy Schmidt, Washington; Leoma Sampier, Price; and Penny (Joe) Arriola, Wellington. He was preceded in death by grandson, Cory Ray Pearson; and brother, Cactus.
Graveside services Monday, May 5, at the Wellington Cemetery under the direction of Hullinger Mortuary.
Dean McEwan
HELPER – Dean Raymond McEwan, age 76, passed away May 2, 2003 due to heart failure while surrounded by his loving family.
Born Jan. 3, 1927 in Provo, to Junius and Dora Slack McEwan. He married Marian Levin of Provo on Aug. 28, 1953 in Elko, Nev.
Dean worked for Utah Power and Light Co., starting at the Hale Plant at the mouth of Provo Canyon. In 1961 he moved to Helper where he started working at the Carbon Plant at Castle Gate. In September of 1970, he was promoted to a shift supervisor and moved his family to Kemmerer, Wyo. to work at the Naughton Plant. In September of 1972 he was able to transfer back to the Carbon Plant and move back to Helper. Dean resided in Helper until August of 2002 when he tragically lost the love of his life. At that time he decided to move into the Heirloom Inn in Price.
Dean had a great love for travel and he especially loved flying and piloting his own plane, which he took his family on many trips. He was a member of the Civil Air Patrol and a past officer of the Slovenian Home in Spring Glen. Dean was a life member of the Price Elks Lodge 1550, where he was a past officer.
Survived by daughter, Mary Hawkins, Helper; son and daught-in-law, Michael (LuJean) McEwan, Price; brothers, Harold (Lois) McEwan, Pleasant Grove; Lynn (Suzy) McEwan, Ft. Collins, Colo.; sisters-in-law, Bernice McEwan, Sacramento, Calif.; Lois Levin, Provo; grandson, Jeff Hawkins, Salt Lake City; as well as many nieces, nephews and a community of friends. Preceded in death by wife of 48 years; brother, Sheldon McEwan; parents; and brother-in-law, Richard Levin.
The family would like to thank everyone at Castleview Hospital for dad’s care. And a big thank you to Shauna and Dave O’Brien and the entire staff at the Heirloom Inn for all the love and support they gave to dad in his last year of life.
Funeral service Wednesday, May 7, 2 p.m., Mitchell Funeral Home. Family will be at Mitchell’s Wednesday one hour prior to service. Interment, Mountain View Cemetery, Helper. In lieu of flowers, please make donations in Dean’s memory to the Carbon County Humane Society, 1419 Valleyview Drive, Wellington, UT 84542.
Dora Ceal
“Together again”
PRICE – Our loving mother, grandmother, sister and friend, Dora May Gragg Ceal, age 71, joined her dearly departed April 30, 2003 in Price.
She was born Jan. 2, 1932 in Peerless, to Samuel and Lenore Howard Gragg. Married George Henry Ceal Jan. 14, 1948 in Castle Dale. He died Feb. 8, 2003.
Dora May was a kind and loving person who had a deep love for Jesus. She was a lifelong resident of Carbon County and she truly enjoyed everyone she met. Dora May enjoyed watching TV and caring for her special cat, “Kitty Kay.” She will be dearly missed by her loving family.
She is survived by two daughters and two sons, Lenore (James) Pendleton, James (Rose) Ceal, David Ceal, Patsy Jean Pilling, all of Price; three sisters, Vivian Martin, California; Patsy Gragg, Price; Claudia Gragg, Price; 14 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren. Preceded in death by parents; son, Sammy; grandson, Ronnie Ceal; brothers, Damon and Gene Gragg; and infant sister, Gloria Jean.
Funeral service Monday, May 5, Mitchell Funeral Home. Interment, Price City Cemetery.