Obituaries

OBITUARY: Stella Arrowsmith April 24, 1923 – Aug. 31, 2012

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Stella P. Arrowsmith, 89, passed away Friday, Aug. 31, 2012 at Aspen Ridge Lodge. She was born Stefania Polec on April 24, 1923 to immigrants Josephine (Markowicz) Polec and Michal Polec in Enfield, Conn.

Stella attended Enfield Public Schools and also attended technical school in Hartford, Conn. Early on, Stella worked as a pattern setter at the Bigelow Sanford Carpet Company where she met her future husband Edward J. Arrowsmith.

They were married June 6, 1953 and enjoyed 54 years of marriage before Edward’s death in February 2008. Stella held a variety of jobs and had multiple interests including Read More

OBITUARY: JOSEPHINE WILLERTON June 7, 1921-Aug. 17, 2012

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Josephine Willerton, 91, of Los Alamos, N.M. (long-time Borger, Texas resident), died Friday, Aug. 17, 2012. She was recently a resident at Aspen Ridge Lodge.

Josephine Louise Hill was born June 7, 1921, in Cherryvale, KS, to Harold and Grace Hill. She met her future husband, W. R. “Mike” Willerton while attending Ponca City Junior College in Ponca City, Okla.

They married June 1, 1942, the day of her graduation from Oklahoma A&M College. While her husband served in the Army Air Corps during World War II, she worked in a lab for Continental Oil, developing airplane fuels. They moved to Borger, Read More

OBITUARY: CAROL ANN HANSON Jan. 4, 1943-Aug. 7, 2012

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Carol Ann Hanson. Courtesy/Hanson Family

Carol Ann Hanson passed away unexpectedly Aug. 7, 2012 in Houston, Texas, at the age of 69.

She was born on Jan. 4, 1943 in Los Angeles, Calif., to Julia and John Koenig, the first of four children.

Carol attended California State College at Northridge and UCLA, where she graduated with a degree in teaching English as a second language.

She was awarded a master’s degree in Latin American Studies from the University of Oregon in Eugene, where she met her husband David Hanson while working in the Physics Department.

They were married in Cove, Read More

OBITUARY: Jean Banta Balestrini April 2, 1926 – July 9, 2012

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Jean Banta Balestrini, 86, longtime resident of Los Alamos died July 9th, 2012, surrounded by family at Sombrillo Nursing home. She was born on April 2, 1926 in Los Angeles California to Francis and Mary Banta.

Jean Graduated from Fresno State College with a degree in education in 1948. She married Silvio J Balestrini June 22, 1948, in Berkley, California. Jean worked as a teacher and librarian while Silvio completed his PhD in physics at UC Berkeley. Jean and Silvio, with their 3-year-old son, John, moved to Los Alamos in June of 1954. In Los Alamos they raised four children. Jean was active in the Read More

OBITUARY: Elizabeth Caughran June 5, 1938 – July 18, 2012

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Elizabeth Anne Thomson Caughran, an extraordinary woman, was born June 5, 1938, in Glasgow, Scotland; she died July 18, 2012, in Los Alamos, New Mexico.

The daughter of Samuel and Alice Thomson, Anne had an adventurer’s spirit, leading her from the Honors Masters Program at the University of Glasgow to Kentucky in the 1960s for advanced studies; back to Scotland, where she met her husband Ken Caughran (a USAF pilot) at Prestwick; and to their deployment in Tripoli, Libya.

They returned to the States in 1965 and settled in Texas for a different sort of adventure and on to Los Alamos in the 1980s. After Read More

OBITUARY: John W. Taylor 1931 – July 21, 2012

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JOHN W. TAYLOR, 81, a resident of Los Alamos, passed away on Saturday, July 21, 2012.
 
He was preceded in death by his wife, Juanita K. Taylor; parents, Waldon and Ida Taylor; sister-in-law, Martha Taylor.
 
John was employed at Los Alamos National Laboratory for 31 years. He was an active member of Trinity on the Hill Episcopal Church.
 
He was a well known and respected member of the community. He was a laboratory fellow and was a member of the Air Force Scientific Advisory Board.
 
He contributed greatly to NASA Missions, namely the Cassini Hygens. His passion was history,
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OBITUARY: Tamela Seagraves 1964-July 16, 2012

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Tamela Seagraves, 48, a resident of Los Alamos passed away from an unexpected illness on Monday, July 16, 2012. 


She was born in Gallup, N.M. but spent her adult life in Los Alamos, N.M. A loving wife and mother, Tamela will be greatly missed by all that knew her. Her family always came first, but her second loves were her dogs and her gardens.


Tamela was preceded in death by her daughter, Samantha; father, Richard Carpenter Sr.; mother Elizabeth Everett. She is survived by her husband, David Seagraves; sons: Michael and David Seagraves; step-mother, Maryann Carpenter; step-father, Read More

OBITUARY: Willie N. Montoya August 6, 1924-July 14, 2012

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Willie N. Montoya, 87, of Los Alamos, New Mexico, died peacefully on Saturday, July 14, 2012, at Sombrillo Nursing Facility. Willie was born on August 6, 1924 in Cimarron, New Mexico; the son of Abel and Manuelita Montoya. 


On June 20, 1959, he married Adonelia (Nellie) Rael, they celebrated almost 50 years together until Nellie passed away on January 28, 2009. Willie absolutely adored his wife, Nellie; they took great pleasure in dancing at various functions and events all over New Mexico.  He was employed at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) from 1949 to 1987.


Willie was preceded Read More

OBITUARY: Bob Gene Cousins May 22, 1929 – July 3, 2012

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Bob Gene Cousins, 83, was born May 22, 1929. Born in Tulsa Oklahoma, he was the third of three children born to George and Ruth Cousins.
 
He spent his early childhood in Tulsa, where his father passed away when Bob was only 7 years old. He moved with his mother to Kentucky before settling in St. Louis, Missouri. He attended school there eventually graduating from University City High School in 1948.
 
He served in the Army during the Korean War, based in Germany where he was part of a demolition team cleaning up after WWII.
 
He returned to St. Louis where he met Mary Ellen Nordberg. The
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OBITUARY: Daniel Archuleta July 11, 1942-June 30, 2012

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Daniel “Danny” A. Archuleta, age 69, a longtime resident of White Rock, N.M. and part time resident of La Sauces, Colo., passed away peacefully at his home on Saturday June 30, 2012. He was born in Los Montoyas, N.M. on July 11, 1942 to the late Teresita Montoya Archuleta and Antonio G. Archuleta.

He was a graduate of Pecos High School and went on to become a United States Marine and a Vietnam Vet. He started his career in security as a corrections officer at the State Penitentiary of New Mexico, then accepted a security position in Los Alamos, working for different contractors during his career including Read More