Howard William Elliott

Former Durango-area resident Howard William Elliott died Tuesday, May 13, 2014, at Mercy Regional Medical Center. He was 85.

He was born to Howard Olen Elliott and Dorothy Mae Lazier on Oct. 31, 1928, in Rugby, North Dakota. After graduating from Towner High School in Towner, North Dakota, in 1946, Mr. Elliott began his lifelong passion of ranching working as a cowboy at the Ellsworth Ranch in Towner.

In the spring of 1949, he headed west to Montana and continued to work as a cowboy on the Overby Farm. It was here that he met his future wife, Donna Lou Thoreson. They were married in 1949 in Plentywood, Montana. The newlyweds moved back to Towner and began ranching on the Thoreson Farm.

In 1952, the couple and their two young children moved once again. Mr. Elliott worked on the Hardy Ranch in Dalzell, South Dakota, for over a year before moving to Red Owl to start his own cattle operation. It was there the couple's next four children were born. The family of eight left Red Owl and eventually settled in Colorado.

For the next several years Mr. Elliott worked on the Hill and Stuart ranches in the Kremmling area.

In the fall of 1971, he became manager of Lindner Ranches on the Florida Mesa. He dedicated the next 22 years to building a successful cattle ranching operation. Under Mr. Elliott's leadership, Lindner Ranches grew from one small cattle herd to several ranches and a 2,000-cow/calf operation. The job involved long hours and hard work, his family said, but he loved his life in the mountains of Colorado.

After retiring the couple stayed in Colorado to be near their children and ended up in Pagosa Springs.

Mr. Elliott is survived by his wife of 65 years, Donna Lou Thoreson, of Pagosa Springs; sons Kalen Elliott of Bayfield and Jeffrey Elliott of Kremmling; daughters Lori Carter of Livingston, Montana, Kathy Clark of Parshall, Colorado, Suzanne Riddick of Spring Valley, Wisconsin, and Jill McKee of Chimney Rock; 14 grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren; and three step-grandchildren.

A funeral will be held Sunday, May 18, 2014, at Our Savior Lutheran Church in Pagosa Springs. Visitation will be at 1 p.m. with a service to follow at 2 p.m. After burial at Hilltop Cemetery, a reception will be held at the church.

Donations can be made to the Our Savior Lutheran School, 56 Meadows Drive, Pagosa Springs, CO 81147.