Paula Fabiani

Paula Fabiani, 64, passed away May 27, 2009, at Mountain View Hospital in Summerlin.

She was born Sept. 28, 1944, in New Haven, Conn., and was a resident of Pahrump for more than 10 years, having come from Wallingford, Conn.

She was employed at the state welfare office in Pahrump.

Paula is survived by her best friends of 40 years, Elizabeth Paulhus and Valerie Blue; brothers William and Michael Fabiani of Connecticut and sister Charlotte Cullen of Florida.

A memorial service will be at 6 p.m., June 5 at Pahrump Family Mortuary. The burial will take place in Connecticut.

In lieu of flowers, donations for the cost of the service would be greatly appreciated. (05/27/2009)

Wilbur Allen Smith

Wilbur Allen "Looking Bull" Smith passed away May 20, 2009, at Mountain View Hospital in Las Vegas.

He was born into the Three Affiliated Tribes Nation Dec. 3, 1935, at the Berthold Reservation in North Dakota to Allen and Emma Lance Owner Smith.

He was the youngest of seven children and grew up on the reservation, leaving to join the Army in 1952.

Following his honorable discharge in September 1956, he moved to Southern California where he met and married Mabel Douglas on Jan. 11, 1959. They were both involved in missionary work for the International Church of Christian Assemblies.

Wilbur received his missionary diploma from ICCA in 1963. He became an ordained minister in 1965, in Lomita, Calif., and became pastor of the Full Gospel Fellowship of Churches in Redondo Beach, Calif.

He also received a teacher's diploma in June 1968 from the Christian Assemblies Institute of Theology in Lomita.

He worked for Precision Heat Metal during the 1960s and joined Greyhound Bus Lines in June 1971. He retired in 1989.

In the early 1980s, in addition to driving for Greyhound, Wilbur began his association with Black Buffalo Trails, a ministry to meet the needs of Native American families in Southern California, and then expanded to families in Mexico, South America and finally worldwide.

He resigned as vice president of the organization in 1990.

Wilbur and Mabel moved to Hemet, Calif., in the 1970s, and it was where they lived when Mabel passed away in 2000.

He met and married Oneta Clarkson in Hemet on July 27, 2002, and the couple moved to Pahrump to make their home.

Oneta passed away in December 2005 and Wilbur remained in Pahrump until his death.

Wilbur is survived by stepchildren, grandchildren and great-grandchildren from his two marriages; sister Marie Fox of Parshall, N.D., and several nieces and nephews.

Wilbur was greatly loved by his family and friends and he will be missed.

A memorial service was held May 27 at First Southern Baptist Church with Pastor Ron Trummell officiating.

Memorial gifts in Wilbur's name may be sent to the Pahrump Senior Center or Running Strong for American Indian Youth, 2550 Huntington Ave., Suite 200, Alexandria, VA 22303. (05/20/2009)

Shirley J. Lelik

Shirley J. Lelik passed away May 31, 2009, at home, after being ill with lung cancer.

She was born June 10, 1940, in Tyler, Texas, to Reagan A., and Anne Henderson Henry.

She moved to Pahrump in 1997 from Ridgecrest, Calif.

In Ridgecrest, she worked for many years as a school-crossing guard and in Pahrump, she worked as a substitute teacher until she retired in 2007.

She was a volunteer and helped with several community service projects.

She is survived by her husband James Lelik of Pahrump; son Chris Lelik of Lahaina, Hawaii; daughters Darlene Hurlocker of Honolulu, Hawaii and Carolyn Nye of Ridgecrest; grandson William Nye of Ridgecrest; son-in-law Bill Nye of Ridgecrest; brother Reagan A. Henry of Virginia and sister Billie Jean Henry of Texas.

She was preceded in death by her parents.

Services will be private and are pending.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to No to Abuse or Nathan Adelson Hospice. (05/31/2009)