Alice Demel

Services will be held at the First Baptist Church on Friday, September 13 at 10:00 for Alice Demel who passed away Sept. 9 from natural causes. Alice Marie Newman was born on July 28, 1920 in Mason City, NE. Her parents were Andrea and Cornell Newman. Alice was involved in Education for about 58 of her 93 years. She attended elementary and high school in Mason City, NE, graduating as Valedictorian of her class. She was awarded a scholarship to Kearney State Teachers' College (now known as the University of Nebraska at Kearney.) This was followed by eight years of teaching school in Wyoming and Nebraska and fifteen years of substitute teaching in District 9-R in Durango. She finished her career as Secretary of Needham Elementary School for twenty years. Her experiences in teaching were varied. Her first school was in one room on the plains of Wyoming with seven pupils in five grades. Another included a city school with a room of 65 first graders. While at Needham the enrollment averaged 600 students per year. She prided herself on learning the name of each child. She always felt it a privilege to get to know so many wonderful children and their families.
One of Alice's joys has been when adults, who had been in school or youth groups, would see her on the street and say, "Hi, Mrs. Demel. Do you remember me?" Many have kept her informed of their family life and reminisced about things that had happened when they had been in one of her groups.Alice married Clyde Demel on July 2, 1950 in Denver, CO. On the 4th of July, they landed in Durango. In 2010 Alice moved to Lakewood, CO to be near her niece, Sally Walker, and other family members. She had lived in the Lakewood Meridian Retirement Community until her death. Wherever she was, she was active in her church. She joined First Baptist Church soon after coming to Durango. The Demels sponsored several youth groups, including 4th grade through college age. Among her activities in the past 50 years has been Missionary groups, singing in the choir, playing the organ for services for 10 years and being Church Clerk for 12. After retirement she participated in the Mercy Medical Auxiliary, the Senior Center and in a small coffee group called the Fan Club. One of her hobbies was sending greeting cards for all special occasions. By doing so she kept in touch with family as well as many of her childhood friends, including some she had known since second grade. She was preceded in death by her husband, her parents, and her sisters Connie Kempf of Kearney, NE, and Marian Walsh of Lakewood, CO. She is survived by nieces Sally Walker of Lakewood, CO, and Linda Brother of Maryland Heights, MO, and nephew Fred (Betty) Kempf of Kearney, NE. She has numerous great-nieces and nephews and their families. To that list she liked to add "and many friends." Interment will be in Greenmount Cemetery following the service.