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obituaries
Merritt Case
(Feb. 5, 1926 - May 8, 2012)
Merritt C. Case Jr.,
86, passed away
peacefully on Tues.,
May 8, 2012 in
Socorro. He was born
in Fabius, New York,
on Feb. 5, 1926, to
Merritt C. Sr. and Alice
(Reish) Case.
Merritt grew up with his grandparents in
upstate New York but was a Magdalena resident
for many years. He was a proud
Veteran, serving as a Corporal with the U.S.
Army during World War II.
Merritt married the love of his life, Elsie
on Feb. 22, 1947.
He was a jack of all trades. He worked
as a farmer, a Farrier, a ranch hand, and he
was an owner and operator of a trucking
Company. He loved horses and raised them
all his life. Merritt enjoyed collecting guns
and attending gun shows. He especially
enjoyed riding and traveling with his wife on
his Harley Davidson. Merritt was fond of
beagles, and had a few in his lifetime and
cherished their companionship.
Above all Merritt loved and adored his
family.
He was preceded in death by his parents
and his beloved grandson, Brett.
Merritt is survived by his loving wife of
65 years, Elsie (Brown) Case; his devoted
daughters, Wanda Simmons and husband,
John; Alanna VanWinkle and husband,
George; and Donna Case; his loving grandchildren,
Michael; Scott; Chris; Stephen;
Wendy; Jeff; Jay; and Lynette; 17 great
grandchildren; his sister, Jane French and
husband, Ken; three nephews; and many
other loving family members and friends.
A Memorial Service will be held on
Wed., May 16, 2012, at 7:30 p.m. at the
First Baptist Church of Magdalena, 902
Kelly Street in Magdalena.
Interment will take place at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions
or donations may be given in Merritt’s
honor to Socorro General Hospital Home
Health Care and Hospice, 306 N. California,
P.O. Box 1009, Socorro, NM 87801(575)
835-8343.
The family wishes to express their sincere
gratitude to Socorro Home Health Care
and Hospice, especially to Sharon Long,
who provided exceptional care to our
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beloved Merritt. Your kindness will always
be remembered.
To view information or leave a condolence,
please visit www.danielsfuneral.com.
Merritt’s Care has been entrusted to Daniels
Family Funeral Services, 309 Garfield St.,
Socorro, NM 87801. 575-835-1530
Larry Fagan
(Mar. 27, 1947 - May 27, 2012)
Lawrence Neill
Fagan, a longtime resident
of Socorro
County, passed away
on Sunday, May 27,
2012. He was born on
March 27, 1947 in
Belen to Fuzzy and
Vera Fagan.
Larry worked as a Livestock Inspector for
thirty eight years.
He loved his job and loved the livestock
industry.
Larry had many talents, he was a gifted
artist, working with paints, pencil, as well as
sculpture. Leather work was also a talent of
his. He made many beautiful saddles, chaps
and tack.
Larry was a caring and compassionate
man who cared deeply for his family, especially
his grandchildren.
Larry is survived by his longtime companion,
Betty McDaniel of Socorro; his
daughters, Macky Fagan-Padilla and husband
Frankie, of Los Lunas; and Petra Fagan
of Lemitar; his loving grandchildren, Lucas
and Sterling Padilla, Bryan Fagan and Jacob
and Jordan Kehler; and his sister Nan Lane
and husband Terry of Bernardo.
A Rosary will be recited on Friday, June
1, at 8:30 a.m. at the San Miguel Catholic
Church followed by a Mass of Resurrection
which will be celebrated at 9 a.m. with
Father Andrew Pavlak.
Interment will take place in the San
Pedro Cemetery.
A reception will be held at the San
Antonio Fire Station.
To view information or leave a condolence,
please visit www.danielsfuneral.com.
Larry’s care has been entrusted to
Daniels Family Funeral Services, 309
Garfield St., Socorro, NM 87801. 575-835-
1530
Rudy Pina
(Feb. 16, 1918 – May 17, 2012)
Rudolph H. Pina,
94, passed away
peacefully on
Thursday, May 17,
2012. He was born in
Morenci, Ariz., on
February 16, 1918, to
Mike and Maria
(Hernandez) Pina.
Rudy was a resident of Magdalena since
1978. After he earned his high school diploma,
he served in the United States Marines.
In World War II, he held the rank of Tech
Sergeant.
He was a proud Veteran and a survivor
of Pearl Harbor. He was a member of the
Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American
Legion.
Rudy was an inspector for the Davy
McKee Construction Company and retired in
1982 after forty plus years of service. Rudy
was also a member of the Church of Christ -
Socorro.
Above all things, Rudy loved and adored
his family.
He was preceded in death by his parents,
his beloved wife, Dovie Alene in 1996,
his sisters, Ruth, and Dolores, and his step
son, Don.
Rudy is survived by his brother, Paul H.
Pina; his step daughter, Connie Hart and
husband, Wood Sr; his step son, Bob
Reirson; and many loving grandchildren,
great grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and
close friends.
A Graveside Interment Service was held
on Monday, May 28, 2012 at 10:00 a.m. in
the Magdalena Cemetery.
To view information or leave a condolence,
please visit www.danielsfuneral.com.
Rudy’s care has been entrusted to
Daniels Family Funeral Services, 309
Garfield St., Socorro, NM 87801. 575-835-
1530
Carrie Roberta (Rob) Emery
Carrie Roberta
(Rob) Emery passed
away at home in Datil
on May 22, 2012 at
the age of 92. Rob was
born in Magdalena,
mountainmailnews.com • Mountain Mail • May 31, 2012 • Page 3
her parents were Grover Cleveland and
Martha (Littrial) Powell, who homesteaded
north of Quemado.
Rob had three siblings, Bernadyne
Brown, Nancy Ray, and Ted Powell.
Rob and Odell Emery married in 1938,
they had two daughters, Sue Harriet and
Carol Coker Spears. Rob and Odell worked
for H L Craig in Pie Town, -W-, 00, and C-N.
They got a little bunch of cows together
and bought a place southwest of Datil in
1948 and made it their home.
Rob has six grandchildren, 18 great
grandchildren, and six great great grandchildren.
She was a member of Cattle Growers,
AQHA, Garden club, Sacaton Cowbells Datil
Baptist Church, and the Extension Club. Rob
was a savvy cowgirl and horse breeder. She
loved springtime because of all the baby
calves, colts, birds, and butterflies.
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She enjoyed sewing, painting, fishing,
playing cards and she loved Scrabble.
Rob also enjoyed reciting poems.
A Funeral Service will be held on
Saturday, May 26 at the Cowboy Church,
southwest of Datil. Burial will be held in the
Datil Community Cemetery, next to Odell.
Refreshments will be served at the Cowboy
Church following the services.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions
and donations may be given in Rob’s
honor to your favorite charity of choice or the
New Mexico Boys and Girls Ranch, 6209
Hendrix Road, NE 2nd Floor, Albuquerque,
NM 87110.
To view information or leave a condolence,
please visit www.danielsfuneral.com.
Rob’s care has been entrusted to Daniels
Family Funeral Services, 309 Garfield St.,
Socorro, New Mexico 87801. 575-835-
1530
Trash management key to
managing bear issues
Bear season begins soon at a
trash can or dumpster near you.
To make this a safe spring and
summer for bears and humans, the
New Mexico Department of
Game and Fish is encouraging the
public to manage their trash properly.
“Everyone needs to keep their
trash in an enclosed container
stored in a secure building,” said
Rick Winslow, large carnivore
biologist for the department.
“Only put your trash out on the
morning it will be collected and
hauled away.”
Every year, bears that come
into towns searching for food are
caught and relocated or killed by
department employees. Bears are
killed when conservation officers
determine the bears are a threat to
public safety. Bears that regularly
feed on garbage can lose their fear
of humans and consider humans
as a source of food.
“This is potentially a very dangerous
situation,” Winslow said.
“If people care about bears and
their own safety, they won’t let this
happen.”
Populations of bears and
humans have grown significantly
in New Mexico. In 1925, just
prior to bears being protected as
game animals, a conservative estimate
of the bears on U.S. Forest
Service land was 660 animals.
Today, the statewide estimate
exceeds 6,000 bears.
“We recognize that it’s a thrill
to see the bears in town or being
released back into the wild on the
TV news, but fed bears are dead
bears,” Winslow said.
In addition to improved trash
management, the department
encourages homeowners to:
Pick fruit as it ripens and do
not allow it to rot on the ground.
Do not feed seed to birds in
mountain communities between
April 15 and Nov. 1.
Remove hummingbird feeders
if bears are using them.
If water is attracting bears, do
not provide it. That includes decorative
fountains and bird baths.
Do not feed pets outside.
Clean barbeque grills thoroughly
and place them in a secure
building.
Do not stack wood against your
home as bears are attracted to
rodents.
Pick up trash immediately if it
is scattered by bears or other animals.
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