RUFINA VOTAW obituary

ROCKY BOY - Rufina Quiroz Votaw, 65, died Tuesday, June 15, 2004, at a Havre hospital of respiratory failure.

A funeral service was held at Our Saviour's Lutheran Church in Rocky Boy at 11 a.m. today June 16, 2004. A visitation will be held Sunday at the Warren- McElwain Mortuary in

Lawrence, Kan., from 6 to 8 p.m., with funeral services being held at the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church on Monday. Burial will follow at the Lawrence Memorial Park Cemetery.

The Rev. Votaw raised her children in Lawrence, Kan., from 1976 to 1987 and in St. Paul, Minn., from 1997 to 1991. She graduated from Luther Northwestern Seminary, and in 1991 took her first call to serve at Children's Memorial Lutheran Church in Kansas Ciy, Mo. In 1998, she was called to Ebenezer Lutheran Church in Oaks, Okla., where she served until 2001. She then came to Box Elder to Our Saviour's Lutheran Church, where she has been the pastor for the last three years. Rufina was going to retire last Sunday when she became ill. Her plans were to move closer to her family.

Survivors include her children, Tim (Wendy) Votaw of Lawrence, Kan., Eric(Tammy) Votaw of Overland Park, Kan., Roxanne (Phillip) Ekstrand of Minneapolis, Minn., and Rochelle Votaw of Fayetteville, Ark .; four grandchildren; brothers and sisters, Jim, Aurora, Charlotte and Ron Quiroz, all of California; and many friends and extended family.

Local arrangements are under the direction of Holland and Bonine Funeral Home. Arrange-ments in Lawrence, Kan., will be under the direction of Warren-McElwain Mortuary.