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<br />'Y"~'''rhes""IIen' Waters of Minnesota Creek claimed a life
<br />'.>}Iast Friday, May 25, whenoltch rlder)lm Hughes, 76,fell
<br />'.f.intothewater near the headgate, He had had a history of
<br />I,i'heart problems and friends speculated that he might have
<br />'\; had a heart attack and then fallen in. An'autopsy report is
<br />":r>er!drng,'.". ,
<br />l"<;' His almost oompletely-subtnerged body was, not' found
<br />;;{until.ll:30 A,M. on IV'onday, Memorial Day, about a mile.
<br />;~'iarid a half from the headRate that diverts water from the
<br />!i: creek to the ditch, Paonia Police Chief Bob Littlejohn said'
<br />i((searcliers were only able to locate Hughes in.an area they
<br />~',had walked before because the Beaver Reservoir had been
<br />";:closed, dropping the water level of the creek,'
<br />,;'p~:<:Forl~3, days, dozens, of searchers had mounted an
<br />,1;intensive search. for. his body. Crews included Sheriff's
<br />;~Deputies, Paonia Police, Seabron King and other Search and
<br />f;,Rescue, members, as well' as Hughes' son, Red, and
<br />/grand50n;Pat, a, Paonia high school student, who walked the.
<br />:'tangled'creek banks again and again, ."'" .
<br />\,;,:"';'Hughes left liis Lambarn Mesa home ,at 7 P.M, Friday,
<br />'~::telling,his wife he'd check the headgate and be back in an
<br />:',I>our, When 9:30 P,M. came and he hadn't returned, Mrs.
<br />~;l;iughes called her son, Red,' Along with Grant Farnsworth,
<br />,.. Leoilard' Lane,' and several 6thers, he began to search by
<br />tflashlight along the creek and ditch banks. They suspected
<br />..'the~'''''rst; after finding,'Hughes'truck, parKed near . the '.
<br />.:theaogat<;,' ..' ',"':;'.,;;,' ',,' .
<br />,.'~ f ,,')lemia1 P~erson, who' lives' near the first bridge over.
<br />,,;.Minnesota Creek, also joined the seatchers that night. The
<br />~~:nextday, Sheriff ,Sonny Hayden and Undersheriff Dick
<br />)[;Miklichhad gra~pling,hooks placed at the 3 bridges over the
<br />'''$i;<:ek.'', . .". .
<br />t>'f ['Th~"sea;cii ,was a 'dlffj;~ltone,said Peterson, because
<br />l~,the.water was "terribly swift ,and in 'some, places 10 feet
<br />'~deep!~.Thecreek banks,werealso.,overgrown with brush. '
<br />~t~::.M~,--.and Mrs, Hughe.s:~who,.have lived in'F'aonia since
<br />(iJj941, ""uld have celebr~ted.th.!lr 55th wedding anniversary
<br />'(0" June 3. ',They. have/:Z. 'daughters, Evelyn Hickox .of
<br />~'.S:Olora(loSprings and Eloise Tucker of Washington, D.C., a
<br />~lt:Son' Ronald (Red) ofl'ac1n.a, and,.10 grandchildren and 7
<br />#~;L:~g~andch:dren, '.. ;,::. ' ,', ,'" . .. ';',."",.;~/
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