A8 Wednesday, May 15, 2013 OBITUARIES
Robert Chewning
Memorial services are scheduled for 2 p.m., Saturday, May 18, 2013, at the First United Methodist Church for Robert L ynn “Bob” Chewning, age 96, of Roswell, who passed away May 11, 2013. Dr. Douglas Mills and Rev. Jim Bignell will officiate. Bob was born Nov. 16, 1916, to a pioneering family that helped originally settle the Pecos Valley. He was born and raised on a small family far m three miles east of Roswell on the Berrendo River. His parents, Henry and Sally Dunnahoo Chewning, instilled in him his love of family and friends, sense of community, love of music and nature and a strong work ethic. Bob attended school in Roswell and while growing up worked on the family farm and for his brother at Clardy Milk. He went to work for JC Penney’s in the late ’30s. He married his wife Louise Jones on Sept. 6, 1940, and soon thereafter joined the 8th Air Force and was stationed in England during World War II. Upon his return from the war, he retur ned to work at JC Penney’s and later worked for Everybody’s Department Store. In the late ’40s he partnered with Raymond Richmond and they for med “Richmond and Chewning” and together they operated the shoe department in Knadle’s Department Store at the corner of Third and Main streets. In the early ’60s, they moved their shoe business to the Broadmoor Shopping Center. During this time, Bob became very involved in the community,
OBITUARIES being an active member in Sertoma Club, Elks Club, Southeast New Mexico Fair Board and the Roswell school board. Richmond and Chewning opened their second store in the Monterrey Shopping Center on the same day it was announced that Walker Air Force Base was closing in the mid-’60s. After Mr. Richmond died, Chewning Footwear moved to one location at the corner of McGaffey and Main streets and later built a new store at 301 W. McGaffey St. Bob and the Chewning Footwear “family” met the footwear needs for residents of the Pecos Valley and beyond for more than 60 years. Bob’s love of people and genuine interest in improving the quality of life of those around him could be seen in every aspect of his life. Through the years, he supported countless youth organizations and events, as well as a multitude of other worthwhile causes. His first wife, Louise, preceded him in death and he married Lorraine Cavanaugh in 1993, who passed away in 2010. Bob is survived by his proud and loving family, MaryLou Davis and husband Jack of Scottsdale, Ariz.; Susan Siepel and husband Norm of Carlsbad; three grandchildren, Brian Davis of Portland, Ore.; Dr. Joshua Siepel and his wife Shelaine of Brighton, England and Jennifer Cassidy and husband Kevin of Houston. He has one greatgranddaughter, Astarte Davis of Portland, Ore. His extended family includes nieces and nephews, Lynda, Tim, Mike and Steve Whalen, Charlie Chewning, Patricia Chewning Galbraith and all their families. In addition, he is survived by his Chewning Footwear family, stepchildren, T im and Belinda Cavanaugh, Cathy and Luther Jones, Colleen Blackwell, Dina Cavanaugh and their children, as well as the multitude who considered him their “second Dad.” The family wishes to thank the “Chewning Angels” who so lovingly cared for Bob over the past three years — Julie and Mike Adams, Mona Dunn,
JoAnn Juarez, Lupe Portillo, Karen Knecht and Julia Dillard. A very special thanks goes to Silvia Mein, his “adopted daughter,” who literally dedicated the past three years of her life to seeing that he was well cared for, comfortable and content. Memorial donations can be made to The Historical Society and Foundation of Southeast New Mexico “Chewning Footwear Exhibit” at 200 N. Lea Ave. in Roswell, Roswell Sertoma Club’s, Bob Chewning Scholarship Fund, P.O. Box 202, Roswell, NM 88202. Condolences maybe made online at laqronefuneralchapels.com. Arrangements are under the personal directions of the professionals at LaGrone Funeral Chapel.
Olen Featherstone II
Services are pending at Ballard Funeral Home and Crematory for Olen “Joe” F. Featherstone, 70, who passed away Tuesday, May 14, 2013, in Houston. A further announcement will be made once arrangements have been finalized.
Miquela Sanchez
Services are pending at Ballard Funeral Home and Crematory for Miquela Sanchez, who passed away Tuesday, May 14, 2013, in Las Cruces. A further announcement will be made once arrangements have been finalized.
Paulita Lopez
Paulita G. Lopez, 82, of Fort Sumner, died Monday, May 13, 2013, at her home. She was bor n April 12, 1931, in Yeso to the home of Jose Maria and Dolores
Roswell Daily Record
(Maes) Garcia. Paulita was reared and attended schools in Yeso. She married Jose Alberto Lopez on Nov. 3, 1947, in Santa Rosa. They made their home in Yeso, Albuquerque and settled in Fort Sumner in 1953. Paulita worked as a cashier for Dave’s Grocery in Fort Sumner for 25 years, she also worked 11 years as a cook in the Fort Sumner School cafeteria and as a cook for the Pecos Valley Care Center for two years. She retired in 1991. Paulita enjoyed tending to her garden, cooking, sewing, quilting and caring for her grandbabies. She was a member of St. Anthony Catholic Church in Fort Sumner and for many years prepared and ar ranged the funeral meals for church members. She was a member of the Knights of Columbus Ladies Auxiliary and the Fraternal Order of Eagles Auxiliary. Paulita is preceded in death by her husband Jose Alberto Lopez Sr. on March 29, 2012; her father Jose Maria Garcia; mother Dolores Molina; an infant son Alberto Lopez Jr. and an infant brother Ernesto Garcia. Survivors include two daughters, Stella Garcia and husband Larry of Abilene, Texas, and JoAnn (Ramon Lopez) Detrich of Fort Sumner; two sons, Alberto “Beto” and wife Diane Lopez of Fort Sumner and Gilbert and wife Beverly Lopez of Portales; nine grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren, two brothers, Frank Garcia and wife Betty of Fort Sumner and Juan Garcia and wife Mary Agnes of Roswell; a sister Irene Gallegos of Roswell along with a host of other relatives and many friends. Rosary services will be held at 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 15, 2013, at St. Anthony Catholic Church in Fort Sumner. Mass will be celebrated from the church at 10 a.m. Thursday, May 16, 2013, with Rev. Sotero A. Sena and Father Paul Nkumbi celebrants. Burial will follow at Fort Sumner Cemetery.
Pallbearers will include Jayson Lopez, Randy Detrich, Jeremy Detrich, Nicholas Garcia, Johnathan Garcia, Michael Lopez, Charlie Lopez, Regino Zamora and Pablo Zamora. Honorary pallbearers will be all her friends and family. Visitation hours will be Tuesday from 1-6 p.m. and Wednesday from 1-5 p.m. at the funeral home. The casket will be open one hour prior to the rosary and Mass at the church. Arrangements are under the direction of Chavez Funeral Home, 830 N. Fifth Street; Fort Sumner, New Mexico, (575) 355-2311. To place an online tribute of sign the guestbook, please visit chavezfuneralhome. com.
Jorge Valenzuela
A gathering of friends will be on Thursday, May 16, 2013, at Ballard Funeral Home Chapel, at 3 p.m. for Jorge Alfonso Valenzuela, 71, of Roswell, who passed away on Friday, May 10, 2013, due to a long fight with Lewy’s Body Disease. Jorge was cremated per his request. Jorge was born on Nov. 26, 1941, to Fred and Minnie Valenzuela (both deceased) of Carlsbad. Mr. Valenzuela dedicated his life to his family, his love of education and sharing his knowledge of piano, music and entertainment, soccer coaching, playing and refereeing, mathematics, linguistics and teaching. After moving from Denver, Mr. Valenzuela took on the family-owned business, the Carlsbad Tortilla Factory of Carlsbad. Jorge was active in his hometown’s community and fervently supported many youth and
adult clubs and organizations by sharing his talents and teaching abilities. He was also a co-founder of the Carlsbad Youth Soccer Association along with his wife Carol.
Jorge’s achievements included degrees, travels, licensures, certifications and being a business owner, all with a loving and supportive wife and children. After Carlsbad, Jorge moved on to continue with his education and teaching in Las Cruces and El Paso, Texas. Eventually, Jorge taught in Roswell at Goddard High School. While there, other than playing piano for community events, he was the trumpet player for the Goddard High Jazz Band, taught trumpet for S.O.Y. Mariachi and played French hor n with the Roswell Community Band. After retirement, Mr. Valenzuela found another opportunity to bring happiness and joy — as a therapy dog handler.
Jorge encouraged a sense of accomplishment with his family, friends, mentors and students; always with a sense of humor. Blessed with so many gifts and talents, Jorge will probably be most remembered for the way we all felt when we spent time with him — always inspiring happiness, love, joy and laughter. He is survived by Carol, his wife of 49 years; his children, Frederick and his wife Brenda of Carlsbad, Ricardo of Roswell, Chochi and his wife Kelly of Seattle and Cassandra and her husband Frank of Huntsville, Ala.; his brothers and sisters, Ricardo, Sylvia, Frieda, Javier and Marcella (deceased) and also eight grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
In lieu of flowers, the family has asked to make donations to the Lewy Body Dementia Association, 912 Killian Hill Road, SW, Lilburn, GA 30047.
Arrangements have been entrusted to Ballard Funeral Home and Crematory. An online registry can be accessed at ballardfuneralhome.com.
Holder says he had no role in AP subpoena Airlines collected record WASHINGTON (AP) — Attorney General Eric Holder on Tuesday defended the Justice Department’s secret examination of Associated Press phone records though he declared he had played no role in it, saying it was justified as part of an investigation into a grave national security leak. The government’s wideranging information gathering from the news cooperative has created a bipartisan political headache for President Barack Obama, with prominent Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill expressing outrage, along with press freedom groups. The government obtained the records from April and May of 2012 for more than 20 separate telephone lines assigned to AP and its journalists, including main offices. AP’s top executive called the action a massive and unprecedented intrusion into how news organizations do their work. Federal officials have said investigators are trying to hunt down the sources of information for a May 7, 2012, AP story that disclosed details of a CIA operation in Yemen to stop an airliner bomb plot around the anniversary of the killing of Osama bin Laden. The probe is being run out of the U.S. Attorney’s office in the District of Columbia. Asked about it at a news conference on a separate topic, Holder said he removed himself from the leaked-information probe because he himself had been interviewed by FBI agents as part of the investigation. He said he wanted to ensure that the probe
was independently run and to avoid any appearance of a conflict of interest. It was the Justice Department’s No. 2 official, Deputy Attorney General James Cole, who made the decision to seek news media phone records, the department said. In February, CIA Director John Brennan provided a less-than-ominous description of the plot in testimony to the Senate Intelligence Committee. He told the panel that “there was never a threat to the American public as we had said so publicly, because we had inside control of the plot and the device was never a threat to the American public.” The bomb plot came to light after the White House had told the public it had “no credible information that terrorist organizations, including al-Qaida, are plotting attacks in the U.S. to coincide with the anniversary of bin Laden’s death.” In a letter to AP on Tuesday, Cole said the Justice Department had adhered to its rules for subpoenas for the news media and hadn’t sought information about the content of calls. “The records have not been and will not be provided for use in any other investigations,” Cole wrote. In response, AP President and CEO Gary Pruitt said the department’s response failed to justify the breadth of its subpoena, which included phone numbers in locations used by more than 100 journalists. Condemnation of the government’s seizure of the AP phone records came from both political parties.
baggage fees in 2012
AP Photo
Attorney General Eric Holder is questioned about the Justice Department secretly obtaining two months of telephone records of reporters and editors for The Associated Press, during a news conference at the Justice Department in Washington, Tuesday.
Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus called on Holder to resign, saying he had “trampled on the First Amendment.” Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said “the burden is always on the government when they go after private information, especially information regarding the press or its confidential sources.” Two Senate Democrats from one of the states where the AP records were seized — Connecticut — also said it was important to address the reasons for an action that they said could have a chilling effect on freedom of the press. “I am concerned that this investigative action may fail to meet the government’s high burden when invasion
of privacy and chilling effects on First Amendment rights are at risk,” said Richard Blumenthal, also a member of the Judiciary Committee. “The Department of Justice must be forthcoming with the facts as soon as possible.” Sen. Chris Murphy, DConn., added: “It’s incumbent on the Justice Department to explain why they’ve seized telephone records from reporters and editors at The Associated Press so that their actions don’t have a chilling effect on the freedom of the press.” At the White House, spokesman Jay Carney said the president had learned about the phone records only Monday, through news reports. Carney said it would be improper for Obama or the White House to weigh in.
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. airlines collected more than $6 billion in baggage and reservation change fees from passengers last year — the highest amount since the fees became common five years ago. Passengers shouldn’t expect a break anytime soon. Those fees — along with extra charges for boarding early or picking prime seats — have helped return the industry to profitability. Airlines started charging for a first checked suitcase in 2008 and the fees have climbed since. Airlines typically charge $25 each way for the first checked bag, $35 for the second bag and then various extra amounts for overweight or oversized bags. The nation’s 15 largest carriers collected a combined $3.5 billion in bag fees in 2012, up 3.8 percent from 2011, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Fees for changing a reservation totaled $2.6 billion, up 7.3 percent. The airlines took in $159.5 billion in revenue last year and had expenses of $153.6 billion, according to the government. That 3.7 percent profit margin comes entirely from the baggage and change fees. Delta Air Lines once again took in the most fees — $865.9 million from baggage alone — but it also carried more passengers than any other airline. Delta collected $7.44 per passenger — about average for the industry. Low-cost carrier Spirit Airlines collected the most, an average $19.99 per passenger in baggage fees last year.