B4 Saturday, March 22, 2014
OBITUARIES
Roswell Daily Record
Phelps tested free speech with anti-gay protests TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Fred Phelps did not care what you thought of his Westboro Baptist Church, nor did he care if you heard its message that society’s tolerance for gay people is the root of all earthly evil. By the time you saw one of his outrageous and hate-filled signs — “You’re Going to Hell” was among the more benign — you were already doomed. Tall, thin and increasingly spectral as he aged, the Rev. Fred Phelps Sr. and the Westboro Baptist Church, a small congregation made up almost entirely of his extended family, tested the boundaries of the free speech guarantees by violating accepted societal standards for decency in their unapologetic assault on gays and lesbians. In the process, some believe he even helped the cause of gay rights by serving as such a provocative symbol of intolerance. All of that was irrelevant to Phelps, who died late Wednesday. He was 84. God is love? Heresy, he preached, and derisively insisted the Lord had nothing
but anger and bile for the moral miscreants of his creation. In Phelps’ reading of the Bible, God determined your fate at the moment of your creation. Informing the damned could not save them from eternal fire, Phelps believed, but it was required for his salvation and path to paradise. And so he and his flock traveled the country, protesting at the funerals for victims of AIDS and soldiers slain in Iraq and Afghanistan, picketing outside country music concerts and even the Academy Awards — any place sure to draw attention and a crowd — with an unrelenting message of hatred for gays and lesbians. “Can you preach the Bible without preaching the hatred of God?” he asked in a 2006 interview with The Associated Press. “The answer is absolutely not. And these preachers that muddle that and use that deliberately, ambiguously to prey on the follies and the fallacious notions of their people — that’s a great sin.” For those who didn’t like the message
Ex-Democratic Chairman Robert Strauss dies at 95
WASHINGTON (AP) — Bob Strauss could work with anybody — Democrats and Republicans, Americans and Soviets, Israelis and Arabs. Playing the game and making the deal made his day. Of Strauss’ many accomplishments — ear ning a fortune in postwar investments, co-founding an inter national law fir m, leading the Democratic Party, running one successful presidential campaign and surviving the loss of another — being welcome on either side of the political street might have been the achievement he most treasured. A Strauss specialty was what he called “the art of
OBITUARIES
Florence Openshaw
Florence Openshaw, 101, passed from her Earthy Life to her Eter nal Life on March 16, 2014 at her daughter’s home in Albuquerque, NM and now is in the presence of her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Funeral services are scheduled for 10 A.M., Saturday, March 22, 2014 at St. Andrews Episcopal Church with The Rev. Dale W. Plummer officiating. Florence was born July 5, 1912 in Jamestown, NY to Francis C. and Ida Matilda Maloney. Her parents preceded her in death. Florence is also preceded in death by her husband William Herbert Openshaw; daughter Marilynn Florence Openshaw; infant granddaughter Eileen Michaela O’Neal; brothers Dr. David J. Maloney and wife Florence and Francis C. Maloney, Jr and wife Frances; sisters Cathrine Maloney and Mary Jane Maloney. She is survived by her daughter Bonnie O’Neal and husband Chuck of Albuquerque, NM and her grandchildren Dr. Bryan O’Neal and wife Denise and their children Katheryn, Kara L ynn and Elyssa of Valparaso, IN, Michael O’Neal and wife Nancy of Sonoma, CA, David Sean O’Neal and wife Siobhan and their daughter Reilly Nicole of Raleigh, NC, Jason Eric O’Neal and wife Gloria and their children Charlie, Kelsey Louise and Grace Emily of Indianapolis, IN. as well as numerous nieces and nephews, great nieces and nephews. Florence was a resident
Strauss in 1980
making things happen instead of just tilting at windmills.” A little sign he had kept on his desk put it succinctly: “It CAN be done.”
of Roswell since 1947, she was a member of St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church and its committees, an avid reader, enjoyed needle work, crocheting, cross stitch, quilting and other needle work and ceramic making. She was a charter member of Senior Circle, an auxiliary member of Eastern New Mexico Medical Center and very involved in attending horse shows to watch her daughters and grandchildren compete. She was also a worldwide traveler. Serving as pallbearers are Bryan O’Neal, Michael O’Neal, Sean O’Neal, Jason O’Neal, Charles Lee O’Neal III and Chuck O’Neal. Memorial contributions may be made in Florence’s name to St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, 505 N. Pennsylvania, Roswell, NM 88203 and Easter n New Mexico Medical Center Auxiliary, 405 W. Country Club Rd., Roswell, NM 88201. Arrangements have been entrusted to Ballard Funeral Home and Crematory. An online registry can be accessed at www.ballardfuneralhome.c om.
Dawnell Evonne Salas
A rosary will be recited for Dawnell Evonne Salas, 28, of Hagerman at 7 PM Sunday, March 23, 2014 at St. Catherine Catholic Church, Hagerman, NM. Visitation will be Sunday, March 23, 2014 at 1 PM until rosary at St. Catherine Catholic Church. Funeral service will be held
or the tactics, Phelps and his family had only disdain. “They need to drink a frosty mug of shut-the-hell-up and avert their eyes,” his daughter, Shirley Phelps-Roper, once told a group of Kansas lawmakers. The activities of Phelps’ church, unaffiliated with any larger denomination, inspired a federal law and laws in more than 40 states limiting protests and picketing at funerals. He and a daughter were even barred from entering Britain for inciting hatred. But in a major free-speech ruling in 2011, the U.S. Supreme Court held that the church and its members were protected by the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment and could not be sued for monetary damages for inflicting pain on grieving families.
Yet despite that legal victory, some gay rights advocates believe all the attention Phelps generated served to advance their cause.
AP Photo
This 1988 file photo shows Fred Phelps. Phelps, the fiery founder of the Westboro Baptist Church, a small Kansas church, who drew international condemnation for outrageous and hate-filled protests that blamed almost everything on America's tolerance for gay people, has died the family said Thursday. He was 84.
Lawrence Walsh, Iran-Contra prosecutor, has died
WASHINGTON (AP) — In a criminal investigation of the labyrinth that became known as the Iran-Contra affair, chief prosecutor Lawrence E. Walsh stood out to his team of lawyers as a fiercely independent old-school Republican. At the White House, he was feared by two successive Republican administrations haunted by the biggest scandal since Watergate. Walsh, 102, who died Wednesday at his home in Oklahoma City after a brief illness, had a distinguished legal career as a Wall Street lawyer, a federal judge, president of the American Bar Association and as the No. 2 official at the Justice Department in the Eisenhower administration.
at 10 AM Monday, March 24, 2014 at St. Catherine Catholic Church with Deacon Jesus Herrera officiating. Burial to follow in Hagerman Cemetery. She passed away on Wednesday, March 19, 2014. Dawnell was born March 3, 1986 to Leonard Hamilton and Dora Salas in Roswell, New Mexico. She loved spending time with her children and loved them very much. She was loved by her family and friends and will be missed. Her mothers’ heart belongs to her. Her memee loved her very much. She is survived by her sons, Cameron Sanchez and James Zaynan Gomez; her daughters, Mariyah Sanchez and Genessii Gomez; her mother, Dora Salas Lopez; her stepfather, Jesse Lopez; her brother, Damian Hamilton; her step-sisters, Victoria Suarez, Evelynn Lopez, Alicia Nava and Naudia Lopez; her grandmother, Lavonne Devaney, her step-grandfather, Tommy Devaney; her grandfather, Florencio Salas; her uncle, George Salas; her aunt, Lolly Salas; her cousins, George Salas, Jr., Frankie Salas, Janet Salas Lopez, Nino Lopez and Benny Salas, Jr.;her aunt, Nora Salas Aguilar; her uncles, Jr. Aguilar and Norman Purcella; her aunt, Robin Purcella; her cousin, Krystal Purcella; her cousins, Brenda Aguilar, Heather Aguilar, Kimberly Aguilar and Shantell Aguilar; her aunt, Cora Salas Hernandez; her uncle, Mike Hernandez; her cousins, Marylou Hernandez, Veronica Hernandez Cadengo, Jerry Salas Her nandez and Tanya Her nandez; her aunt, Lorey Salas Madrid; her uncle, Joe Madrid; her cousins, Angelo and Eric Madrid; her uncle, Florencio Salas, Jr.; her cousins, Myra Salas Aguilar, Jeannette Salas, Mark Salas and Ericka Salas. She was preceded in death by her father, Leonard Hamilton, her grandmother, Eufemia
This May 11, 1989, file photo shows Iran-Contra special prosecutor Lawrence Walsh speaking to reporters outside U.S. District in Washington.
When the call came asking him to take on one last big assignment, the then74-year-old Walsh said yes, embarking on a six-year journey digging into the crimes of Iran-Contra.
Salas, her uncle, Benny Salas, her cousin, James Salas Madrid, her greatgrandmother Daphine Ella Pilley, her great- grandfather, Leonard Pilley. Pallbearers will be Eric Madrid, Angelo Madrid, Kimberly Aguilar, Mark Salas, Ericka Salas, Jerry Hernandez, Jacob Aguilar, Damian Hamilton and Cameron Sanchez. Honorary pallbearers will be James Gomez Jr., James Zaynan Gomez and Cameron Sanchez. Please take a moment to share your thoughts and memories with the family in the online register at andersonbethany.com Services are under the direction of AndersonBethany Funeral Home and Crematory.
Troy Travis James
His detractors — and there were many — said his seemingly unending investigation was a clear case of prosecutorial abuse. Iran-Contra paled in comparison to the Watergate scandal that brought down President Richard M. Nixon. But both were Washington spectacles: a collision of the executive and legislative branches of government, televised congressional hearings, a presidency in peril, an alleged criminal cover -up and criminal prosecutions that were, in Iran-Contra, all overseen by Walsh. “I found myself at the center of a constitutional maelstrom,” Walsh wrote in his 1997 book, “Firewall: The Iran-Contra Conspiracy and Cover-up.”
March 16, 1954. She grew up in Roswell with her family and attended Goddard High School (1977). Laura enjoyed skiing, riding horses, caring for her animals and gardening, but her greatest joy were her children Colby (20) Amber (Colby's fiance) and Elaine (19). Laura's mother Betty went to Heaven in 2010, and her father Morris and sister Karen Gadberry Rainwater live in Darlington, SC. Condolences may be sent to her children Colby & Elaine Gibson c/o Summit Church, 1200 E 30th Street, Far mington, NM 87401 or to her family in SC, Karen Rainwater, 2280 Winding Oaks Road, Darlington, SC 29532.
Services are pending at Ballard Funeral Home and Crematory for Troy Travis James, 90, who passed away Thursday, March 20, 2014 at Mission Arch Nursing Home. A further announcement will be made once arrangements have been finalized.
Soledad “Socorro” Sanchez
Laura Gadberry Gibson
Laura Gadberry Gibson, 54, for merly of Roswell, went to her Heavenly home on February 11, 2014. She lived in Farmington, New Mexico. Funeral service was held at Summit Church in Farmington. Laura was born in Silver City, New Mexico to Morris and Betty Gadberry on
Memorial services will be held for Soledad “Socorro” Sanchez, 73, of Hagerman, NM at 10:00 AM, Monday, March 24, 2014 at Anderson Bethany Funeral Home Chapel. Soledad was called home Thursday, March 20, 2014. Soledad was born July 2, 1940 in Yuriria, Guanajuato, Mexico to Manuel Hernandez and Angela Luna. She was a devoted wife, mother and Christian. Her joy was her grandchildren, which she loved very much. Soledad is survived by her husband of 52 years, Antonio N. Sanchez Sr.; her mother, Angela Luna; three brothers and one sister. She also leaves to cherish her memory, two sons,
Walsh “was really guided by a sense of intense personal responsibility for trying to do the right thing,” said one of his former prosecutors, Michael Bromwich.
“For all the baseless charges that he was political and all through the many frustrations, he took his public service incredibly seriously and at great personal cost. His wife was quite ill. He had this killing schedule and he gutted it out. That’s a level of sacrifice we don’t have a right to expect from people called to public service. But it’s the level of effort and sacrifice he was willing to give. He was truly a patriot and he was truly offended by corruption he saw at high levels in the U.S. government.”
Alfred Sanchez, Tony Sanchez Jr.; four daughters, Norma Flores, Annera Sanchez, Vera Lupien and Becky Gurrola. Philippians 1: 21-23
For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far.
Please take a moment to share your thoughts and memories with the family in the online register at andersonbethany.com
Services are under the direction of AndersonBethany Funeral Home and Crematory.
S OLEDAD S ANCHEZ
Anderson-Bethany Funeral Home Memorial Services Monday, March 24 10:00 AM
DAWNELL S ALAS St. Catherine Church Rosary Sunday, March 23 7:00 PM
St. Catherine Church & Hagerman Cemetery Mass & Burial Monday, March 24 10:00 AM