January 1, 1939 – December 28, 2021

Ernest “Sonny” Fernandez passed away on December 28, 2021, four days short of his 83rd birthday. He packed a lot of life in that time. Like many of his generation, he started young and worked as a ranch hand at an early age. While still a teenager, he left Colorado and joined the United States Navy serving as a boatswain’s mate, including time on the battleship Iowa and with the beach jumpers, before becoming a sonar technician and a “tin can sailor,” as destroyer sailors call themselves and are affectionately known. He retired from the Navy and worked in the defense electronics industry before retiring again and returning to Colorado, which he always felt was home. Back in Silt, he was able to spend more time with family and friends in Colorado. He also got acquainted and reacquainted with neighbors, forming more friendships. Always one to keep busy, he tended his big garden and continued to work, taking a job at Walmart and later The Green Zone, where both provided more opportunities to add to his circle of friends. He served on the City Council in Silt and was a strong voice for causes close to his heart. He enjoyed hunting, fishing and being on the river with family and friends. Never one to miss an opportunity to spend time with friends and family, he was well known for planning and hosting cookouts. He was also an avid reader, fossil hunter and photographer and enjoyed playing games from horseshoes to cards to Yahtzee with friends and family. His mother, stepfather and father, Mary (Espinoza) Urban, Tony Urban, and Ernest Fernandez, all preceded him in death. He is also predeceased by his sister Eva Diaz, his two wives, Karen (Rupert) Fernandez, Marga (von der Lieth) Fernandez, and his daughter with Marga, Elaine Marie Fernandez. He is survived by his brother Leroy Urban, his sisters Angie Elger, Margaret Diaz, Laura Cruz, his son Jeffery Fernandez, grandchildren Hannah Fernandez and Daniel Fernandez and his stepsons from his marriage to Marga, Karl Tabb and Robert Tabb.