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DURAN -- MAURICE LUIS My beloved husband, our father and grandfather, Maurice Luis Duran, died on August 29, 2007, in Ventura, CA. He was born on April 10, 1921, in Las Vegas, NM, the youngest child of Didacio and Maria del Carmen Duran, who were among the early settlers of the Territory of New Mexico. He is survived by his wife, Ilse; daughters, Silvia and Julia; and his grandchildren, Ashe, Chelsea, and Stephanie, all of California; as well as nephews and nieces in New Mexico, California, Colorado, Illinois, Nevada, and Wyoming. After graduating from Highland High School in Las Vegas, Maurice entered the military service at Fort Bliss, TX. His 27-year career with the Corps of Engineers took him to many places in the United States and overseas. After the outbreak of World War II, he participated in four amphibious landings: North Africa, Sicily, Southern France and at Anzio, Italy. At the end of the war, Maurice found himself in Munich, Germany, an event that was forever etched in his mind. He continued to serve in Germany for several years where he met and married his wife. He subsequently served a tour of duty in Korea, followed by three years with NATO in Naples, Italy. During the Vietnam era, Maurice was again assigned to Korea and finally to Fulda, Germany, until 1971 when he retired from active military duty. Maurice and his family settled in Ventura, CA, where he worked in the Federal Service at Point Mugu. During his later years, he became a passionate researcher of family history, tracing his family's roots back to the early 1600s and compiling a wealth of geneological records. He was a faithful parishioner of the Church of Our Lady of the Assumption. We brought our soldier back to his home state of New Mexico where, according to his wishes, he was laid to rest in the Santa Fe National Cemetery. On September 7, 2007, Maurice was buried with full military honors alongside members of his family including his uncle, David Sandoval, WWI; his brother, Benito Duran, WWII; his nephews, Ralph Gonzales Jr., WWII; Frank D. Gonzales, Korea; Manuel Flores Jr., WWII, Korea and Vietnam; as well as his grandnephew, James Edward Medina, with his father, William Alfred Medina, WWII. We will miss him forever. The Ventura Services were under the direction of the Ted Mayr Funeral Home and Berardinelli Family Funeral Services handled the arrangements in Santa Fe.
        Published on: Sun September 23, 2007