Evelyn Loftus Obituary

Former Durango resident Evelyn Ann Loftus died Sunday, Feb. 13, 2011, in Santa Fe. She was 90. She had lived in Durango the last six years, only recently moving to Santa Fe.

Mrs. Loftus was born to Arthur and Emma (Washa) Pany on June 9, 1920, in New Prague, Minn.

After graduating from Rochester Junior College, she married her high school sweetheart, John "Jack" Loftus, on Dec. 27, 1941.

The couple lived in Minnesota until 1967, when they moved to Dayton, Wash., where they lived for more than 30 years.

"Mom was always a reader," her daughter Jean Hobbs wrote. "We have a classic photo of her as a young girl, sitting on her front porch with a favorite book in her lap. She also loved watching the birds and squirrels outside her window at Four Corners Health Care (Center), where she lived during her years in Durango. She looked forward to doing crossword puzzles on Wednesdays with her granddaughter Lindsay Wilwol, who is a student at Fort Lewis College."

In her younger days, Mrs. Loftus enjoyed camping, snowmobiling and river rafting with her family.

"She and Dad rafted the Animas, San Juan, Colorado and the Dolores with us," Hobbs wrote. "They both loved mountains and rivers, truly appreciated the natural beauty of the outdoors."

Her favorite activity while at Four Corners was playing bingo every Friday. She loved winning the prizes.

"A bright, gentle, caring lady, Mrs. Loftus enjoyed jokes, liked to laugh and most of all loved her family," they said. They said she always looked on the bright side and appreciated the good things that came her way.

Mrs. Loftus was preceded in death by her husband of 60 years, John Loftus.

She is survived by daughters Jean Hobbs of Durango, Mary Kolseth of Albany, Ore., Diane Loftus of Santa Fe and Cathy Shochet of Kent, Wash.; son, John Loftus, of Seattle; three grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.