October 8, 1926 – December 13, 2007
MONTROSE — Benedicto Urralburu passed away on Thursday, Dec. 13, 2007 at his home in Montrose, Colo. at the age of 81. Ben was born in the Basque region of Jaurrieta, Navarra, Spain on Oct. 8, 1926 to Felipe Urralburu and Visitacion Bezunartea. He spent his early years tending to the family’s animals and enjoying rural life in the Pyrenees Mountains. After completing service in the Spanish Army in the 1940s, Ben followed an independent streak and immigrated to the United States in 1952. He herded sheep outside Elko, Nev. for three years and then worked in a hard rock mine near Winnemucca, Nev. In 1956, Ben and several Basque friends left Nevada and came to Montrose. He worked briefly herding sheep for Tad Paxton and then logging near Lone Cone. But Ben’s interest in mining was already strong, and he soon found a position working in a uranium mine near Slick Rock. By the mid-1960s, Ben had started the Urralburu Mining Company and, during the next 30 years, he owned a series of uranium mines across the West End of Montrose County. Although he loved mining and always said it was the perfect job, Ben’s years working with uranium led to the pulmonary fibrosis that eventually ended his life.
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Ben is survived by his loving wife, Dolores Urralburu of Montrose, Colo.; daughter, Ann Margaret Urralburu of McLean, Va.; brother, Severino Urralburu of Pamplona, Spain; sisters, Elena Urralburu of Pamplona, Spain and Francisca Urralburu of Bidart, France; and many nieces and nephews in Spain, France, and Italy. Ben was preceded in death by his parents, one sister and two brothers in Spain, and a baby son in Montrose, Colo.
A Vigil for Ben will be held on Monday, Dec. 17 at 7 p.m. at St. Mary Catholic Church. A Funeral Mass is scheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 18 at 10 a.m. at St. Mary Catholic Church. Rite of Committal will follow the Mass at Cedar Cemetery in Montrose, Colo.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to the San Juan Cancer Center at Montrose Memorial Hospital, in memory of Ben Urralburu, who they cured of cancer in 2006, c/o Mary Snyder, 800 S. Third St., Montrose, CO 81401.
Arrangements are under the direction of Crippin Funeral Home and Crematory of Montrose, Colo., (970) 249-2121.
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