Loretta Castillo

Loretta Stephens Rogers Knadler Castillo, aged 83, passed away peacefully in her sleep January 4, 2016. She is survived by her twin sister, Larena Tuck of Brigham City, Utah, her youngest sister, Florence Cluff, of North Las Vegas, Nevada; her children: Nancy Cluff (Leslie) of Orem, Utah; Jacklyn Lee (Michael) of Big Lake, Alaska; and Thomas Rogers of Cornville, Arizona. She is also survived by six grand-children and eleven great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her oldest sister, Cosma Monahan; brother, Nathan (Steve) Stephens, by her two ex-husbands, NC Rogers and Arthur Knadler, and by her third husband, Max Castillo. Loretta was born in Los Angeles, California to Nathan ("Cap") Stephens and Myrtle Abbott. She and her siblings were raised in Bunkerville, Nevada. As a girl, she loved to ride horses and to fish and hunt. She and her twin sister, Larena, often "borrowed" horses from local farmers and rode them until they were done, or the farmer asked them to return the horses. When she was 18 she married NC Rogers, an older a cowboy and ranch-hand. They lived in Lakeview, Oregon, where their three children were born. In 1959, the family received a small inheritance and were able to purchase a ranch in southern Nevada. Loretta was strong and worked along with NC on the ranch, raising cattle, horses, and alfalfa hay. Loretta enjoyed learning, especially loved art classes: painting (oil and water color), and pottery making. She later found her artistic niche, learning to piece quilt tops and hand-stitch quilts. Her bold color combinations and appliques (many self-designed) are distinctive and unique examples of her artistic ability. In 1970, NC and Loretta divorced and she married Art Knadler. They lived in Page, Arizona, where he worked on the construction of the Glen Canyon Dam. While in Page, with Art\u0027s expert assistance, she rappelled down the sheer walls of the canyon, near the Glen Canyon Dam construction site. She and Art fished in the river, then climbed the ropes out of the canyon. She recalled going to bed, exhausted, while Art bragged about her success in rappelling to their friends. When the dam was completed, they moved to Cornville, Arizona and purchased a home. While Art worked in Alaska on the pipeline, Loretta proudly saved most of his earnings. Frugality was one of her talents, made necessary by many years of living near the poverty level. She always managed to have fun despite the lack of money. Art spent most of the time working away from home and they eventually divorced. She went to Alaska to visit her daughter, Jackie, and found a job as a cook on a fishing boat. Fishing boat cooks work side by side with the fishermen when there was a big catch. It is physically demanding work, even for the younger crew members. After one season, she\u0027d had enough nd moved back to Arizona. Max Castillo, her third husband, taught her to make tortillas Mexican-style, and together they planted a large vegetable gardens every year, and preserved the excess for the coming winter. She and Max enjoyed traveling and fishing together. She was fond of his children and enjoyed his grandchildren. When Max became ill, Loretta took care of him until he passed away. After she retired from the restaurant, she spent time making quilts, reading, and watching the wild animals come to a watering hole she made on her property. She loved her home and called it her "little bit of heaven". Memorial services will be held at the LDS church located at 1377 East Hombre Drive, Cottonwood, Arizona, Saturday, January 16, 10AM, in the Relief Society Room.