Gallup NM Funeral Homes
$20 OFF
Heart-felt tributes to honor a dear friend or loved one who has passed away
1830 Barbara Avenue
Gallup, NM 87301
(505) 722-6671
401 Nizhoni Boulevard
Gallup, NM 87301
(505) 863-4452
4 66th Avenue West
Gallup, NM
(505) 722-3977
Gallup NM Obituaries and Death Notices
Monday, January 16, 2017Her parents were John and Augusta (Pulvermacher) Heggestad. She was born, raised and lived in Madison except for one year as an intern in St. Paul, Minn., and two years on the Navaho reservation in Gallup, N.M., where she taught medics and delivered lots of new Navahos and a few Zuni Native Americans. She went to medical school at UW-Madison. The two best things about med school were finding her husband, Paul Wertsch, in the pathology lab and marrying him a year later, and being taught how to do a proper physical examination by William S. Middleton, who was her escort at med school graduation. She even wore a dress for that occasion.After finishing a sometimes stormy family practice residency, she and her husband and Dr. Daniel Barry worked at the Monona Grove clinic and then a few years later, the three of them plus their manager, Alice Soule, built, stocked and opened the Wildwood Family Clinic in 1977. The clinic has now grown to two offices, 10 doctors, four PAs, six PTs, and two psychiatric social workers. Kay left Wildwood in 2000 to become a medical director at what is now called Agrace HospiceCare and thought she had found her true calling in life, only to be “let go” after five years. After she left, they replaced her with a puppy. Paul says it was because the dog had a nicer personality. That was an extremely hard time for her.She was saved by her volunteer work. She was a classroom assistant/tutor in algebra at Sennett Middle School for several years and she was on the national and local boards of PFLAG. She also did talks for the residents of Aster Assisted Living, a bit of standup and a bit of medicine, monthly for five years. She got more out of it than they did…and made new wonderful friends. Here’s to you Dick, Wayne, Paul, Kay, Nola, Gloria, Marge, Shirley and all the rest of yas. She also was a volunteer guardian to several folks over the last seven years…something many people could do. Check that out if you want a little challenge.And volleyball. She played six to ten hours per week as long as she was able for the last eight years of her life, like an addiction, last playing on Dec. 16, 2016. She made great friends through the sport. She tried to learn Spanish for 12 years, achieving the ability to order beer and find a bathroom. Her classmates became great friends.Kay and Paul Wertsch were married for 48 years and have two wonderful kids, Johanna Wertsch ...
Monday, November 21, 2016They also recalled his fearlessness and days spent climbing trees or finding ways to hang under a bridge at Gallup Park, as they scrolled through photos on their phones of him posing on rocks in the park and donning a handful of leis at a store for a funny picture.Keith Benson, father of a fellow student, recalled how Ben kept spirits light during a scorching hot camping trip one summer."He was a laugh," Benson said. "He wasn't a clown, but he liked to make other people laugh."Steve Pierce said he's been filled with pride by the number of people that have reached out with stories about his son.Of the tragic accident, he said, "Urge your kids to be careful, participate as much as you can in your children's activities, and know your kid's friends."A funeral service for Ben Pierce will be held 11 a.m. Saturday, Nov.12 at the Chapel of the Holy Trinity at Concordia University, 4090 Geddes Road in Ann Arbor.Visitation will be held at the chapel for an hour before the service and from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Friday at Muehlig Funeral Chapel, 403 S. 4th Avenue in Ann Arbor.Donations in Ben Pierce's memory can be made to support the education of his four siblings through the Michigan Education Savings Program or mailed to 3234 Creston Circle, Superior Township, 48198.
Gallup News
Monday, January 16, 2017Her parents were John and Augusta (Pulvermacher) Heggestad. She was born, raised and lived in Madison except for one year as an intern in St. Paul, Minn., and two years on the Navaho reservation in Gallup, N.M., where she taught medics and delivered lots of new Navahos and a few Zuni Native Americans. She went to medical school at UW-Madison. The two best things about med school were finding her husband, Paul Wertsch, in the pathology lab and marrying him a year later, and being taught how to do a proper physical examination by William S. Middleton, who was her escort at med school graduation. She even wore a dress for that occasion.After finishing a sometimes stormy family practice residency, she and her husband and Dr. Daniel Barry worked at the Monona Grove clinic and then a few years later, the three of them plus their manager, Alice Soule, built, stocked and opened the Wildwood Family Clinic in 1977. The clinic has now grown to two offices, 10 doctors, four PAs, six PTs, and two psychiatric social workers. Kay left Wildwood in 2000 to become a medical director at what is now called Agrace HospiceCare and thought she had found her true calling in life, only to be “let go” after five years. After she left, they replaced her with a puppy. Paul says it was because the dog had a nicer personality. That was an extremely hard time for her.She was saved by her volunteer work. She was a classroom assistant/tutor in algebra at Sennett Middle School for several years and she was on the national and local boards of PFLAG. She also did talks for the residents of Aster Assisted Living, a bit of standup and a bit of medicine, monthly for five years. She got more out of it than they did…and made new wonderful friends. Here’s to you Dick, Wayne, Paul, Kay, Nola, Gloria, Marge, Shirley and all the rest of yas. She also was a volunteer guardian to several folks over the last seven years…something many people could do. Check that out if you want a little challenge.And volleyball. She played six to ten hours per week as long as she was able for the last eight years of her life, like an addiction, last playing on Dec. 16, 2016. She made great friends through the sport. She tried to learn Spanish for 12 years, achieving the ability to order beer and find a bathroom. Her classmates became great friends.Kay and Paul Wertsch were married for 48 years and have two wonderful kids, Johanna Wertsch ...
Monday, November 21, 2016They also recalled his fearlessness and days spent climbing trees or finding ways to hang under a bridge at Gallup Park, as they scrolled through photos on their phones of him posing on rocks in the park and donning a handful of leis at a store for a funny picture.Keith Benson, father of a fellow student, recalled how Ben kept spirits light during a scorching hot camping trip one summer."He was a laugh," Benson said. "He wasn't a clown, but he liked to make other people laugh."Steve Pierce said he's been filled with pride by the number of people that have reached out with stories about his son.Of the tragic accident, he said, "Urge your kids to be careful, participate as much as you can in your children's activities, and know your kid's friends."A funeral service for Ben Pierce will be held 11 a.m. Saturday, Nov.12 at the Chapel of the Holy Trinity at Concordia University, 4090 Geddes Road in Ann Arbor.Visitation will be held at the chapel for an hour before the service and from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Friday at Muehlig Funeral Chapel, 403 S. 4th Avenue in Ann Arbor.Donations in Ben Pierce's memory can be made to support the education of his four siblings through the Michigan Education Savings Program or mailed to 3234 Creston Circle, Superior Township, 48198.
