Alpine, Arizona
Alpine Community Church
Thirty Seven "like new" jackets were donated and delivered to the
St. Bonaventure Mission in Thoreau, NM
The jackets will be distributed to the children at the school.
In Loving Memory
Clyde Cuming
August 21, 1935 ~ August 27, 2023
Snow is piled up all around the property!
All that beautiful snow we have had is great, but...it has to be plowed and shoveled!
Thank you Phil and Doug!
Christmas Season 2022
The Master's House gets a much needed facelift!
In Loving Memory
Diane Jean
Thompson
1932 - 2020
Diane Jean Thompson, 87, passed away Thursday, November 12, 2020 in Nutrioso. She was born November 18, 1932 in Ann Arbor, Michigan, the daughter of William Adolph Arscott and Elsie Bertha White.
Diane taught elementary school for 20 plus years. She loved her crafts, including knitting, crochet, needle work, sewing, etc. She was an amazing cook and was a contributing author and featured in the magazine, “Taste of Home”. Diane was active in the Bush Valley Craft Club and was one of the founding members of the Alpine Community Church. She loved to travel around the world with her husband, Ken Thompson.
Diane is survived by her sons, David (Denise) Thompson, Flagstaff; Steven (Therese) Thompson, Valdosta, California; daughter, Teri Thompson, Nutrioso; brother, Bill Arscott, Nachadoches, Texas; 4 grandchildren, 10 great grandchildren and 6 great, great grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Ken Thompson.
Karen Lee Kuhrt
August 18, 1942 ~ May 3, 2019
Sadly, a long time member of our church passed away peacefully early this month. Karen grew up in Lake City, Iowa, where she married her husband Jack, on June 2, 1960. In 1962 she gave birth to their daughter, Jodie. At the time, Jack was stationed in Fort Sill, OK. While living in McHenry, IL, they adopted their daughter Kim in 1972.
Karen worked as a secretary at Round Valley High School from 1978 to 1990. She was forced into medical retirement after having a brain aneurysm. Karen loved music, and enjoyed being surrounded by her many grandkids.
She is survived by her husband, Jack; daughter Kim (Kenny) Peña; two granddaughters; four grandsons; 11 great grandchildren, and one great great grandchild. Karen was proceeded in death by her parents, daughter Jodie, and great grandchild Derrika Daniel. She will be missed by many.
Betsy Shipley Cuming
1937-2018
We are saddened by the sudden passing of our dear friend Betsy. What a legacy she leaves behind.
Betsy Shipley Cuming – loving wife, devoted mother and grandmother, and wonderful friend to many, died Nov. 5 in
St. Joseph’s Hospital surrounded by family and friends after a brief illness. She was 81.
Born in Phoenix Feb. 2, 1937, to Theodore and Annie Grace Shipley, Betsy’s happy childhood was shattered
by three family tragedies: Her father died when she was 12; her mother when she was 16, and her only brother,
Ted, when she was 19. Nonetheless, Betsy learned to embrace life to the fullest, finding it easy to forge life-long f
riendships, enjoy the work of raising her children and carve out time to be actively involved in the civic life of her community.
Orphaned at 16, Betsy moved to Yuma with her precious dog Dotty Jo to live with cousins Betty and Ferrin Smith and their children, Barbara and Bill, who showered her with love and kindness.
In Yuma, Betsy quickly met Sheila and Caryl Rambo, and Joanne Bright, life-long best friends whom she lovingly referred to as her sisters.
After graduating from Yuma High School, friend Jim Cuming introduced her to his shy brother Clyde. But it would be a full year before Clyde finally asked Betsy for a date. They quickly realized they were a great match, and seven months later, in September 1957, they eloped to Las Vegas and embarked on 61 wonderful years of marriage.
The couple lived in Tacoma, WA, from 1958-1960, while Clyde served two years in the U.S. Army, stationed at Ft. Lewis. Their first child, Tory, was born in Tacoma. In 1960, Betsy and Clyde moved back to Yuma, which would be their home for the next 41 years and where they raised their three children, Tory, Ed and Annie.
While Clyde and brother Jim became partners in a farming operation, Betsy embraced the role of homemaker, raised their children and became deeply involved in her community.
Family and friends admired Betsy’s pluck. She was gregarious, had a gift for making friends, yet spoke her mind and could easily dispatch bullies. Her outlook on life was reflected in the colors she chose for her clothes and home décor – bright and beautiful with a Mexican and Native-American flare. In short, Betsy was spirited and determined. As examples, Betsy’s love for horses led to her being voted the 1954 Silver Spur Rodeo Queen runner-up. Later, in her mid-30s, she earned her private pilot’s license. Clyde and Jim were getting theirs, and Betsy wanted in on the action.
During their 41 years in Yuma, Betsy’s civic activism covered a wide range of activities: A member of the Yuma County Cotton Wives, she also was a 4-H leader, a Little League baseball coach, and a member of the Gadsden District School Board, serving as school board president.
Betsy also was involved in statewide politics. Over the years, she campaigned for Barry Goldwater, John McCain, Jon Kyl and Fife Symington. She served as chair of the Yuma County Republican Party and was a delegate to the 1996 Republican National Convention.
In 2001, she and Clyde completed construction on their home in Alpine, fulfilling their dream of retiring to their mountain home and living there full time.
In addition to Clyde, Betsy is survived by her children Tory (Don Kolt), Ed (Cheryl) and Annie (Pål Ottesen); grandchildren Molly and Jake Kolt, and Gracie and Michael Ottesen; Barbara Smith; and “sisters” Caryl Rambo Stanley and Joanne Bright Walker.
Betsy was preceded in death by granddaughter Kelly Kolt; sister Sheila Rambo Coston; cousins Bill, Betty and Ferrin Smith.
ACC Barn Quilt
The charming community of Alpine offers Arizona’s 1st Barn Quilt Trail. Alpine’s trail began in 2016 when a few businesses chose to hang Barn Quilts. Hopes were to have a few quilts up in a year, however, the fever took over and Barn Quilts seemed to pop up all over. Enjoy over a dozen “Business-owned” Barn Quilts in the downtown area. Our church is proud to be a part of this Barn Quilt Trail.
Venture out to the surrounding neighborhoods to see all the homes that proudly display Barn Quilts. In many instances they have created their own design to reflect their interests.
Ken Thompson Obituary
The Thompson family mourns the death of Ken Thompson on Tuesday, December 22, 2015. Ken’s death resulted from complications resulting from Parkinson’s Disease.
Ken was born in his parents’ home in Dearborn, Michigan, on March 22, 1932, the second of four children: Laurel, Wesley, and Larry. He lived in Dearborn until the family moved to the countryside in Livonia, Michigan. Ken attended Plymouth High School, where he played on the football team. and also played the tuba in the school band. He excelled in shop class. His football skills enabled him to
attend Michigan State Normal College (Eastern Michigan University) with his high school sweetheart, Diane Arscott, who would become his wife after their junior year in college.
Ken served nine years in the US Navy, both during and after college. After graduation, he taught high school shop classes for two years at Flint Northern High School and for a year at Southfield High School, where he also coached football and wrestling. In 1957, Ken and Diane moved to Mesa, Arizona with their one-year-old son Steve. The family was blessed with two more children, Dave and Teri, while Ken taught industrial arts at Mesa’s two high schools. He also was the voice of Mesa High announcing all home football games and graduation names.
In 1970, Ken went to the Arizona Dept. of Education to direct the Vocational Industrial Clubs of America (VICA). He eventually became Director of Trade and Industrial Education for the state of Arizona.
In 1987, the Thompson family built a cabin in Nutrioso, AZ. In 1989, Ken retired and moved fulltime to Nutrioso. He and his wife of 62 years lived together at the cabin for 28 years.
During the past several years, Ken suffered with Parkinson’s, but is now at peace. Ken lived a long and fruitful life. His wife Diane, their three children and spouses, four grandchildren, two step-grandchildren and spouses, nine great grandchildren, and two great-great grandchildren, Ken’s brothers Wesley and Larry and their families all mourn his passing.
There will be a memorial service to celebrate Ken’s life at the Alpine Community Church, Alpine, AZ on Wednesday, December 30th at 1:30 p.m. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the National Parkinson’s Foundation.