Longtime valley resident Josephine “Jo” Clara Baker Major, 101, passed away April 12, 2015 at the San Luis Care Center in Alamosa. Jo was born November 6, 1913 in Pasco, Washington (seven months before the “Great War”, World War I), the daughter of a railroad brakeman, C. A. Baker and Ruby Nell Seamans. Jo’s family moved around quite a bit before she met Ronald Alexander Major in Limon, CO and later married him, her high school sweetheart, in Boulder, Colorado in 1935. The couple began their married life in Creede, CO where they started their family and ran the grocery store and eventually bought the Conoco Gas Company. In the late 1940’s Jo and her husband sold their store in Creede to become caretakers at the Pearl Lake Trout Club, halfway between Creede and Lake City. From there they moved to Monte Vista and ran the Major Transfer and Storage Company. Jo worked alongside her husband in all their family’s endeavors.
Jo had a love for the outdoors and the mountains, and no matter where she was, she could be found looking down hunting for interesting rocks and arrowheads. Jo loved the freedom of riding along mountain trails with no fences to stop her. She also loved to ski with her husband and children, and spent a great deal of time at Wolf Creek when they were still using a rope tow to pull skiers up the mountain.
She lived life to the fullest and loved to tell the stories of the adventures she had been on with family and friends throughout her life. Her love of drawing, oil painting, music, dancing and reading have been passed on to the many generations with which she has shared her talents. Her kind and soft heart led her to an avid love for animals, especially her horses and she had an appreciation for all the natural wonders around her but her greatest love was her family.
Josephine is survived by her daughter Joan (Marvin) Calkin of Alamosa; four grandchildren: Richard (Suzanne) Calkin, Rodney (Natalie) Calkin, Keith (Sandia) Calkin and Connie (Jack) Ransone; 11 greatgrandchildren and 13 great-great-grandchildren; as well as numerous nieces and nephews.
Jo will join in heaven her husband, her son Glen “Buddy” Major, her parents, two brothers Ernest and Charlie Baker and three sisters Margaret Major, Genevieve Baker and Hazel Burkholder.
Cremation was chosen and a Memorial Service will be held at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, April 18, 2015 at the Rogers Family Mortuary in Alamosa.
Contributions are suggested in her memory to the Valley Humane League or to the Conour SLV Animal Shelter, in care of the funeral home office.

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