MASTERSON, Emery E.

Emery E. Masterson was born on May 23, 1928, in Norcatur, Kan., to John Harry Masterson and Ellie May Lein. He passed away at home on March 4. He spent his childhood in Kansas, Nebraska and Colorado. His family originally traveled from Ireland in the 1880s and resided in Leadville. His immediate family resided in Leadville from 1952 until 1978. He was in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1946 to 1949, stationed primarily in Hawaii. He married Eileen Murray on Sept. 6, 1952. He was a member of the Operating Engineers Union #9 for 55 years, working as a mucker operator. At one time, he was considered the best mucker operator in the United States. He was offered jobs throughout the United States, but primarily chose jobs close to home. His projects included the Dillon Dam, Norad, the Fryingpan-Arkansas Project and Blue Mesa Reservoir. He worked for Climax in the early 1950s. His last project was at the Eisenhower Tunnel, where he was injured in 1978. He continued his hard work by teaching himself to walk again after being a paraplegic for 10 years. He loved working with wood and made beautiful pieces of furniture for all his family. Gardening was a favorite hobby; he was particularly fond of growing roses. He was a member of the Masonic Lodge. His children and grandchildren were his pride and joy, and he loved taking them on trips, especially fishing. He is survived by his wife, Eileen, and his children: Emery Jr. of Pueblo; Karla (Steve) Kubik of Canon City; Gloria (Alvin) Koppinger of Canon City; Robert of Canon City; David (Tonya) of Canon City; and Brenda (Roberto) Ramirez of Tucson, Ariz. Grandchildren are Aaron Koppinger, Jennifer (Cody) Day, David (Jenny Krouse) Masterson Jr., Shawnna Masterson, Krista Masterson, John Masterson and RJ Ramirez. He is also survived by sisters Hazel Quinlan of Denver, Dora Chamness of Minnesota, and numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, three sisters, three brothers and grandson Chadd Kubik. Services will be held Friday, March 9, at 1 p.m. at Wilson Funeral Home. Entombment will follow at Mt. Vale Mausoleum. In lieu of flowers, people can make contributions to Dream Weavers, P.O. Box 212, Pueblo, CO 81002 or to the Sangre de Cristo Hospice. Herald Democrat