This week I'll look at some D's.

Sam Dalaba was born on Jan. 27,1907. He married Jessie Pearl. They had fourteen children. He served for 20 years with the State of Colorado Division of highways. They lived at Point Lookout until 1970 when a fire destroyed everything they had. Sam had a heart attack on June 14, 1975 and died while a patient in Mercy Hospital. Jessie passed away on Sept. 26, 1993.

Cletus "Chuck" Davis was born on Dec. 9, 1918. He was the marshal in Mancos for many years. He passed away on Aug. 13, 1985. His survivors included his wife, Lois.

Franklin Dean was born on June 12, 1913. He had only recently become a Mancos police officer when he left his mother's cooking at the Mancos Hotel and went up town to see what was going on. He encountered Jim Stevens, age 72, who was drunk and disorderly. Franklin attempted to place Stevens in jail but while Dean was opening the jail door, Stevens grabbed the young man's gun and shot Franklin. Franklin died on the spot at the age of 26.

Earl Durham Decker was born on Jan. 31, 1894. He attended Fort Lewis College the first year it opened. During World War I, he spent a winter at Corregidor and then was sent to Siberia to recapture German soldiers who had been turned loose when the Russian revolution started. He married Louise Halls in 1922. He passed away on Sept. 29, 1975. His youngest son, Jerry, was born on Sept. 16, 1935 and died at the age of 48 when a head-on collision took his life.

Nathaniel "Neil" Decker was born on April 9, 1888. His family brought him She worked for many years for Mesa Verde Co. at the store near the entrance to Mesa Verde National Park. She passed away on Aug. 20, 1990. Harriet Firestone was one of her daughters.

Tom Dillahunty was born on Jan. 12, 1915. He died on Oct. 3, 1969 from a gunshot wound inflicted by a disgruntled customer while running the Columbine Café in Mancos.

Darrel Ellis is a longtime historian of the Mancos Valley. Email him at [email protected].