Allene Winkfield Pera, age 105 and a true Colorado pioneer, passed away February 22, 2021 at Mercy Hospice House in Durango, Colorado from injuries sustained in a fall.
She was born July 17, 1915 to Floyd Jacob and Leafy Ellen Winkfield in Nucla, Colorado.
As a child, she lived in numerous mining camps and towns including Ute Mesa, Nucla, Naturita, Dolores, Rico, the Doctor Camp and Pinon.
Her life was simple, hardscrabble but rich in the memories made when poverty is a challenge. Allene loved dancing and even played in a small dance band where the wages were meager and sometimes given in food. At one of those dances she met Walter Pera, a handsome Finn from Telluride. They married July 29, 1936 and moved to Telluride.
In 1939, Walter and Allene moved with their young son, Jack to the deserted mining town of Tomboy 3,000 ft. above Telluride. They were the sole occupants of the town while Walter operated the switching station for the Western Colorado Power Company.
She coped by learning to knit, sew, quilt, cook, garden and preserve their own food.
In her eighth month of pregnancy with their second child, the family made an arduous journey to Telluride for the expected delivery of the baby.
They travelled on snowshoes to the Smuggler Mine, then ventured through the underground workings, going down 5 levels on long ladders to reach a lower level where they were transported by ore car to exit the mine. From there, they rode an open aerial ore tram to the Telluride valley floor.
Two weeks after the birth of their daughter, Donna, the family of four reversed the process to travel back home to the Tomboy.
After moving back to Telluride, the family grew with the addition of daughter Patricia, and sons Walter Edward and Ronald.
Allene loved to bake, especially breads, and soon became known as “The Cinnamon Roll Lady.” She also prepared many picnics for her family’s favorite pastime of exploring the back country in the mountains surrounding Telluride.
They also enjoyed spending time at their cabin at Trout Lake, which Walter built from discarded railroad ties.
In the summer of 1956, Walter and Allene transferred to Electra Lake, north of Durango. They lived in near isolation there for 15 years and then returned to their beloved Telluride until Walter retired.
They then moved to Nucla, purchased a whole city block and developed it into a mobile home park. During their retirement years together, they enjoyed searching the hills around Nucla for petrified wood, dinosaur bones and rock art and travelling extensively in Europe, Canada and Mexico as well as the United States.
Walter and Allene returned to live in Durango through their final years. They had been married 70 years when Walter passed away July 4, 2006 at the age of 92. After a short time with family in Texas, she moved to Sunshine Gardens Assisted Living Center where she continued to enjoy knitting and quilting, playing dominoes and cheering for the Colorado Avalanche Hockey team.
In her later years, she completed her last quilt at the age of 103. From ages 95 to 102, she produced 156 knitted baby blankets for Project Linus. She celebrated her 100th birthday with a grand party attended by 64 members of her family.
At the age of 101, she was interviewed by National Public Radio and the Rico Museum for her memories of early life in the Colorado Rockies. In 2018, at the age of 103, she was honored as the Grand Marshall of the Rico July 4th Parade.
Allene was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Walter, sisters Kathryn Penasa and Valera Tobin, sons Jack and Ron, grandson Travis Pera, and granddaughter Linda Gann.
She is survived by daughters Donna Pera Burr of Durango; Patricia Pera John of Eugene, Oregon; and Walter Edward (Eddie) Pera of Salt Lake City, Utah, as well as 14 grandchildren, 33 great grandchildren and 10 great, great grandchildren.
A family gathering in Durango in the summer will celebrate Allene’s life.
Donations in memory of Allene Pera can be made to Mercy Hospice House in Durango, Colorado.
