Mack Burtis died Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2018
Family and friends of Evanson Mack Burtis were shocked and saddened with the unexpected news of his passing Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2018 at his home in La Junta. Mack, a longtime La Junta resident, touched many people in his 84 years. He impacted an entire community of people he knew and even those he did not know through his many years of service to the community he deeply loved.
Evanson Mack Burtis was the son of Al and Betty Burtis. He was born March 24, 1933 in New York, NY where his father served as the first editor of Look Magazine. The family, which later included his sister Betty Burtis Lowe moved around to different parts of the country while his father served in World War II. In 1946 his father purchased the La Junta Tribune Democrat.
Mack attended La Junta High School and was on the state championship football team in 1947 and 1948. According to Mack the worst day of his life occurred one year later when the team was the state championship runner up in 1949 - the year he was selected for the All-State team. Those who knew Mack well knew that he strived to be the best at whatever he was doing and he did many things.
Following graduation he became a commissioned officer of the U.S. Naval Academy on June 4, 1954. He then attended MIT and earned his Masters of Engineering. He was a Commander of the U.S.S. Independence in the Mediterranean before he retired July 1, 1974. His Naval career ended when he was stationed at the U.S. Pentagon. He told family members that he much preferred the ship compared to the Pentagon. Mack’s Naval career was impressive and included stints in several countries and many commendations.
Following his first retirement Mack came back to La Junta where he joined his dad at the helm of the newspaper as publisher. For 20 years Mack worked along with family members including his dad, brother-in-law Jack Lowe, nephew John Lowe and John’s wife, Wanda Lowe. In 1995 he retired from the paper and the family continued to run it until selling it in 2002.
During his career with LJTD and until his death he was very active in the community, making sure the news got to subscribers as well as giving himself unselfishly to community endeavors. His community involvement was numerous and far reaching. Mack was passionate about any of the projects or organization he was involved in including:
Picketwire Players - Sharon Kolomitz, a longtime friend and Picketwire supporter, remembers Mack coming home to La Junta and promptly signing on to the cast of the production of Showboat. He later served on the board of directors for many years. He served as president, directed, acted and worked actively behind the scenes for more than 40 years.
One Picketwire memory Kolomitz had of Mack was when they put on Peter Pan with Kim Kappel as Peter. Mack would pull her across stage on wires and the other children were envious and wanted to try it. Mack, Kolomitz said, took a Sunday afternoon and let every child on the set have a turn on the wire - a memory that she will never forget.
“For the last few years he just had a special sparkle. I remember once, before he came back from the Navy, that Picketwire needed a full dress uniform. I called his mom and he had a silk dress uniform that he had made in Hong Kong. That was when I realized he was a Naval career officer. He called me a couple of months ago about some of his uniforms. He thought of Picketwire but I told him the Otero Museum. He thought he had more time,” she said.
“As I think about it, I just am amazed at the breadth of his community involvement and his love for this town. I think Mack’s loyalty to his hometown and community was astounding,” she said.
Body type J: Jay’s Community Christmas Dinner - Mack’s involvement began with the inception of this holiday tradition of feeding anyone who wanted to partake in a meal cooked by “Jay’s Christmas Elves.” Mack was a big elf and loved this organization. According to fellow elf, Glenn Parker, Mack was a huge part of the loose knit group.
“Mack and I didn’t always see eye to eye, but he was always right. He had so much experience and knowledge that he knew what he was talking about. Everyone, including myself, looked up to Mack,” Parker said.
The La Junta Library Board - According to Kolomitz Mack was instrumental in getting the bond passed for the new library. “He was especially proud of the 10 vote win for the bond,” she said. “Mack was a huge supporter of anything educational or cultural as well as many other causes,” she added. He served on the Board and as Library Board Chairman.
Lowe was unable to contact people involved in the following but knows Mack’s service to these organizations were tireless:
Body type J: American Legion - Mack helped send boys to Boy’s State (he attended Boys State and Nation as a youth).
School District Account-
ability-Urban Renewal-
La Junta Community Service Award winner.
Otero Museum- He regularly volunteered as a museum guide and was currently serving as the Chairman of the Otero Museum Foundation. He was responsible for editing many of the museum’s brochures and solicitation letters. Most recently Mack undertook the job of researching the history of the museum’s stagecoach. He was careful and diligent in verifying and separating the fact from fiction surrounding the stagecoach. According to Kolomitz the board met Thursday and was painfully aware of the impact of losing Mack.
La Junta Youth Sports.
Nursing Home - Kolomitz pointed out that Mack never hesitated to use his writing skills in support of community endeavors as most recently exemplified by his advocacy for the local sales tax issue in support of a new nursing home.
The list of organizations and boards Mack was on is numerous and some have not been mentioned. Mack was an involved community member and a good friend to many.
La Junta Attorney Phil Malouff said he was saddened when he heard the news. “When I heard of his passing I was chagrinned because he was truly a pillar in this community,” Malouff said, adding that they were on different sides many times but were always friends.
Former La Junta Police Chief (1983-2003) Chuck Widup remembers him as a stand up newspaper man.
“He was a newspaper man in the business that I knew I could trust to write the real facts in a story. I could go off the record and know that those facts would not appear in print until I gave him the okay. He was a trusted and good friend and his conversations were always bright and interesting. Even in politics he was careful to be fair to both sides. He was very respectful,” Widup concluded.
Mack is survived by his brother-in-law Jack Lowe of Fowler, nephew John (Wanda) Lowe of Greeley and sons Tate (Megan) Lowe and Taeven and Riley Lowe; nieces Libby (Ed) Hiza of Swink and children Elise Hiza, Emily (Pat) Kohan and Justin (Kit) Hiza; Marty (Randall) Roberson of La Junta and children Marta (Zach) Oquist, Reece Roberson, Leah Roberson and Savannah Vigil. He was preceded in death by his beloved parents Al and Betty Burtis and sister Betty Burtis Lowe.
Mack’s family will dearly miss Mack. He was a huge part of this family’s dynamic and truly loved each and everyone of his brood. He was especially fond of his newspaper family and remained friends with them after his retirement. Ardeth Sneath, former newspaper editor and La Junta mayor held a special place in his heart as did all his LJTD crew. Services for Mack will be Friday, Jan. 19 at 3 p.m. at Peacock Funeral Home. Come help us wish Mack “Calm seas and fair weather."