Mancel Engelbert "Pid" Page
Marriages
Anna Stephens - 1946
Obituaries
Grand Junction Daily Sentinel page 3 D Death Notice - July 3, 2014
Mancel E. Page, 91, Grand Junction, died July 1, 2014, at St.
Mary’s Hospital.
Services will be 11 a.m. July 12 at First Presbyterian Church.
Mr. Page was the owner of Page Parsons Jewelers.
He is survived by his wife, Anna; one son, Patrick of Grand Junction;
two daughters, Peggy Page of Grand Junction and Frances
Page of Basalt; three grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions to Salvation Army, 1155 N. Fourth St.,
Grand Junction 81501, or Food Bank of the Rockies, 734 Scarlet
Drive, Grand Junction 81505.
Grand Junction Daily Sentinel page 3 D Obituary - July 10, 2014
Mancel Engelbert Page was
born May 19, 1923, on the family
homestead near Smithton, Missouri
to Henrietta Sophia Borne’ and
George Fredrick Page. He died
July 1, 2014, while resting at St.
Mary’s Hospital, after a short painless
illness, three days after celebrating
a family birthday with his
surviving wife of 67 years, Anna Stephens Page; sister-in-law, Esther
Stephens; daughters, Frances Page, and Peggy Ann Page and spouse,
David Dunder; son, Patrick Page, and his dear and longtime companion,
Ronna Capra, along with his grandchildren, Jefferson Baker, wife,
Robin; Wendy Kelly; Amy Joy and husband, Neil; and numerous great
and great-great-grandchildren and friends. He is also survived by nieces,
Betty Jean Upton of Flagstaff, Arizona, and Marilyn (Bob) Gerkey
of Tucson, Arizona, and their children, and numerous Page cousins in
central Missouri.
He was preceded in death by sisters, Myrtle Thompson and Meta
Hood, of Flagstaff, Arizona.
His earliest memories were riding in a team driven wagon to the annual
Lake Creek Methodist Church Camp Meeting (started in 1847 and
running continuously since).
Blessed with mechanical talent, Mancel led a life of service using that
talent and a nickname of “ Pid” emerged. His childhood friend, H.H.
Luetjen, engineer on the Apollo moon project, said Mancel was always
piddling around, fixing clocks, watches, tractors, and a model T that
took five Smithton High School friends to St. Louis for the 1942 World
Series. Mancel was his class president. His love of sports started at age
six, when playing Tarzan resulted in a broken elbow. This did not stop
his love of competing in basketball, baseball, track, softball, volleyball,
ping pong, pool, and ultimately golf, which he enjoyed throughout his
life. He loved music and played trumpet in the band wearing his basketball
uniform at halftime.
Mathematic aptitude testing put his talents to work in World War II as
a Nordin bomb site and automatic pilot mechanic. He taught bombardiers
how to safely land disabled planes returning from bombing missions
over Germany. After WWII he attended Missouri State college,
met his wife, Anna. They were married in 1946, and moved to Clovis,
New Mexico.
After VE day he began a lifelong career of watchmaking, and subsequently
jewelry repair, gemology and in 1964, purchased A.C. Parsons
Jewelers, where he worked happily until four days prior to his death.
Renamed Page-Parsons Jewelers and run as a family business with his
wife and daughter, Peggy, for 50 years, three generations of Page’s
learned from Mancel and Anna the habit of work, service, and integrity.
He served numerous civic and professional organizations: The Grand
Junction Lions Club, The Grand Junction Eagles Baseball Club, The
Chamber of Commerce, The Downtown Development Authority, and
The Gem and Mineral Club. He coached the Methodist Church basketball
team, was President of the Grand Junction Quarterback Club,
was a member of American Watchmakers-Clockmakers Institute, and
worked with his buddy, Guy Stephens, to maintain a viable downtown
during the 1982 energy bust.
He became a Certified Gemologist in 1962, and became a national
leader in the American Gem Society. Mancel and Anna were able to
travel to numerous countries in Europe, Asia, Africa and South America,
purchasing gems, visiting mining and manufacturing sites, befriending
industry leaders with his small town joy of life while demonstrating
worldwide competence.
A man comfortable in his own skin, proud of every family member, a
contributor to every town or cause that came his way, who rooted for
the underdog, steady under fire, frugal in his own life, yet generous
with his talent, camaraderie, repartee, and the belief that from small
towns can come great things.
So, just like Mancel, when he would chip in from off the green, the
Page family looks to the sky, feeling blessed and hopeful.
If desired, donations in his memory could be sent to the Salvation
Army or the Food Bank of the Rockies.
A memorial service will be held Saturday, July 12 at 11:00 a.m., at the
First Presbyterian Church, at Cortland and 27 and ½ Road.
Grand Junction Daily Sentinel page 7 B Obituary - July 11, 2014
Same as July 10, 2014 Obituary
