George Florian Contreras,

CONTRERAS, George F. Sr., 69, of Longmont, died May 1, 2009 at his home.George was born on March 8, 1940 in Longmont, Colorado the son of Octavino and Helen Romero Contreras. He attended school in Longmont and was a member of St. John the Baptist Catholic Church. At the tender age of 13, George grew to a man faster than most. The family, do to financial strains were forced to leave George with friends in Chicago. George on his own found his way back to Colorado by hitching rides and working for food and money along the way. He began working at area farms to help support his family and self. He taught himself the trade of welding, become a skilled professional in his field. He worked for a number of companies, largely associated with Centennial Backhoe and Anglin Welding Services. George was the ultimate auto trader, taking great joy in the ""art of a deal"", buying and selling cars, his entire life. He enjoyed weekend drives with his family, traversing many local country roads, making frequent stops to ""pick local fields."" As a young father, he took his family frequently to Lakeside Amusement Park, enjoying the rides as much as his children. George married Joyce Gore on November 24, 1962 in Longmont. They later divorced.Preceding him in death are his parents; grandchildren Anthony Martinez and Angel Barajas; son in law John Martinez; sisters Mary Young and Hope Herman and former wife Delia Contreras.Survivors include his son George (Tiara Torrez) Contreras, Jr., his daughters Shelly Martinez and Monica Brown, as well as his girlfriend Alice Herrera all of Longmont, CO. He is also survived by his brother Tom (Margaret Marques) Contreras; his sisters Helen Best, Gregorita Ruiz and Alice Hayslip all of Longmont, CO and Caroline Gamble of Denver; grandchildren Desiree (Jimmy Garcia), Richard, Anthony, Timmy, Lil Dez (Gilbert Moreno), George, III, Coriena, Jeremiah, Hailey, Sabra Contreras; Reuben (Amber) Martinez and Krystal Martinez; Michael (Laura) Barajas, John (Mandy) Barajas and Mark Barajas, and Alyssa, Charles Brown; and 16 great grandchildren Alex, Gabriel, Taisa, Analicia, Emmanuel, Anthony, Aaliyah, Tennessa, Cecilia, Michael Jr., Maria, Yesenia, Angel, and Le'zette and numerous step children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. Visitation is scheduled from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., Tuesday, May 5, at Howe Mortuary.A vigil service will be held at 11:00 a.m., Wednesday, May 6 at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Longmont. A Mass of the Christian Burial will follow at the Church.Interment will follow at Longmont Mountain View Cemetery.Memorial contributions may be made to the George Contreras Memorial Fund, c/o Howe Mortuary, 439 Coffman St., Longmont, CO 80501.Please share your thoughts and express your condolences at www.howemortuary.com