Iona Nossaman

Longtime area resident Iona Adele Nossaman died Saturday, Jan. 26, 2013, at Mercy Regional Medical Center in Durango. She was 88. Mrs. Nossaman was the firstborn child of Merril Leonadas and Cora Edna Loar. She was born June 1, 1924, near Kline. She grew up in La Plata, N.M., and graduated from Farmington High School in 1942. While attending Fort Lewis College at the Old Hesperus Campus, she met her future husband, John Clarence Nossaman. The couple married July 27, 1944, in Durango and settled on Mr. Nossaman’s farm near Arboles. Mrs. Nossaman earned a bachelor’s degree in education from Adams State College in Alamosa and a master’s degree from the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley. She taught in the elementary schools in Ignacio and Pagosa Springs. After her retirement, she enjoyed baby-sitting, gardening, needlework and music. “Her children and grandchildren fondly recall her spirited plunge into the music world with piano lessons at the young age of 63,” her family said. “Her strong, quiet faith served as a beacon of light for all who knew her.” Mrs. Nossaman was preceded in death by her husband of 53 years, John Nossaman. She is survived by her children, Burl Nossaman of Allison, Brenda Allen of Bayfield, Barbara Lukow of Waterflow, N.M., and Beverly McKelvey of Roswell, N.M.; brother, Marvin Loar of Nampa, Idaho; sister, Lila Ann Hansen of Albuquerque; seven grandchildren; 10 great-grandchildren; and numerous nieces and nephews. A funeral will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 2, 2013, at Pine Valley Foursquare Church, 1328 County Road 501 in Bayfield. A graveside service will take place afterward at the Allison Tiffany Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to the charity of one’s choice.