Dorthea Annette Cortese

A Graveside Memorial service will be held at 10:30 am, Saturday. June 28, 2025 in the Cortese Family Plot, Fort Sumner Cemetery with Dr. Joe Bunce officiating. A reception will follow at Rodeo Grill.

Dorothea Annette Cortese, known to her friends and family as Annette, passed away on Sunday, October 27th, 2024 peacefully in her sleep at 82 years of age.

Annette grew up in Fort Sumner, New Mexico, with her mother, Virginia, and stepfather, Merle Wallace. She attended Fort Sumner High School, raised prize pigs in 4-H, and was crowned homecoming queen.

Annette married her high school sweetheart, Joseph Cortese, and they moved to Las Cruces, New Mexico, where their son, Jeff, was born. They later relocated to Fort Collins, Colorado, so that Joe could attend veterinary school. During this time, they welcomed their daughter, Kristine, or "Kristy." After Joe graduated, the family moved to California. Annette focused on raising the children in California while Joe pursued his veterinary career in La Cañada, CA. She sewed Halloween costumes, created matching outfits for herself and Kristy, patched the holes in Jeff's jeans, and perfected her enchilada casserole. In 1972, they moved to San Juan Capistrano and opened the San Juan Capistrano Veterinary Clinic.

During the 1970s, Annette worked as a receptionist and office manager at the Veterinary Clinic, helping to run the family business while raising Jeff and Kristine. She was known for being a great cook and hosting themed dinner parties. She also enjoyed the beach and explored photography and ceramics. In the early 1980s, Annette and Joe divorced.

Building a new life for herself, Annette obtained a degree in Interior Design and worked for a design firm, later becoming the office manager for a golf publication. She loved country music and dancing and cultivated a supportive group of friends.

In 1990, Annette battled and survived breast cancer. She moved to Anza, California, and spent many happy years with Robert Leroy Jones, a retired sculptor and entrepreneur, on his ranch in Anza, California. She later moved to the Palm Desert area, where she volunteered at Eisenhower Hospital and made many dear friends, including Joetta Duncan. She enjoyed painting, her dog Benny, watching westerns, and visiting with her grandchildren and their families. Annette was warm, funny, and talented and will be greatly missed by all who knew her.

Annette is preceded in death by her parents and Joe Cortese. Her children survive her: Jeff Cortese and his spouse Cathy Smith of Laguna Woods, CA; Kristine Cortese and her spouse David Warner of Boston, MA.; and her grandchildren, Joey Cortese, Mariah Cortese, and Rye Warner, along with three great-grandchildren: Liam, Jaidyn, and Sofia.

The family requests that in lieu of flowers, please make memorial contributions to: The Greendog Foundation, P.O. Box 2473 Capistrano Beach, CA. 92624. 

Arrangements are under the direction of Chavez Funeral Home, 830 N. Fifth Street, Fort Sumner, New Mexico. (575) 355-2311.