Lyman Roy Edgar

September 13, 1914 - August 11, 2016

View Channel 9 News Dedication   Lyman R. Edgar, longtime agricultural and community leader and dedicated family man died early Thursday, August 11 in Rocky Ford, Otero County, Colorado. He was 101 Lyman was born September 13, 1914 on the Edgar family farm south of Rocky Ford, acquired in 1905 by his grandparents, John and Mary Edgar. He lived on the same farm his entire life and never wanted to live elsewhere. He believed in the Arkansas Valley and the Otero County communities and people. His parents were Roy Nickolas and Lena Eleanor McIntosh Edgar. He had a younger brother, Roy Gayle Edgar. He married Alice Jane Canterbury of the town of Crowley on November 6, 1938. They all predeceased him. He is survived by his children Carolyn Smith of Timpas, Joseph Lyman Edgar of Englewood, Marilyn (Tom) Hagans of Sugar City, and Rebecca (Keith) Goodwin of La Junta. Three grandsons are: F. Jay Ridenour of Los Angeles, Cody (Tammy) Ridennoure of Rocky Ford and Tony (Alison) Hagans of Sugar City. His great grandchildren are Kelsey (Jess) Price of Aguilar, Colby Ridennoure of Pueblo and Cope Hagans of Sugar City. In June he greatly enjoyed the beautiful country wedding of his great grand-daughter on the bluffs of the family ranch surrounding Timpas; with its panoramic view of the Santa Fe Trail, Spanish Peaks and Sangre de Cristo mountain ranges. In 2014, he was honored at the Colorado State Fair as Colorado's first Centennial Farmer by Governor John Hickenlooper. This special award was made by the Centennial Farms Program to recognize that he had spent 100 years on the same farm; which had previously been recognized as being in the same family for over 100 years. Lyman was devoted to his wife of 65 years, especially during her decade long ordeal with Alzheimers. She died in December 2003. In 1951 and afterwards he met the challenge of providing extra income and creating therapy devices for his son who was severely paralyzed with polio. He had a strong work ethic and expected his family to do the same in what he considered to be worthwhile pursuits. His family remembers him as very energetic and purposeful, and spending long days at work or on the farm and ranch followed by evenings at board meetings and other events. He recently told relatives that he had four really good kids who went on to have successful careers in ranching, education, small businesses, law, and history. He was very generous and supportive of his extended family ventures, and will be remembered as attending nearly all of his great grand-children's sporting events. He always wanted to help others and would quietly provide assistance to those in need. He really liked people, was very social and a great dancer in his younger years. To the end he loved being around people, went out to breakfast with friends, went to farm auctions and always had a daily purpose and future project in mind. He never met anyone he didn't like and he wanted to make any stranger a friend. To him a handshake was a man's bond. He was honest and trustworthy and he expected the same of others. He was strong willed, but practical and open to change if someone could provide him with good thinking and reason. He enjoyed having fun and making people smile with his special brand of humor and storytelling. He graduated in 1934 from Rocky Ford High School. Afterwards he worked on the family farm and ranch, helped at the Arkansas Valley Fairgrounds, and spent a short time as a carpenter. In 1934 he acquired a nickname as the Timpas bootlegger. He brewed refreshments for a country dance at Timpas, making nearly $20, and then got a job as a cattle tender of carloads of cattle being sent by rail to the Chicago Union Stockyards. This job and the $20 allowed him to have a great adventure touring the Chicago World's Fair. During the late 1930s he served in the Colorado National Guard. He was a United States Navy Veteran from World War II, and trained to join amphibious forces for the possible invasion of Japan. He ran a tight ship as manager of people in his 40 year career as a Colorado State Livestock Brand Inspector serving cattle operations in Otero County and southeast Colorado. He became the Foreman of the area brand inspectors and was known as an exceptional inspector and a thorough, but tough trainer. During this time he served on a task force that established the first pension program for all Colorado State employers under PERA. He was a lifetime member of the Colorado Cattleman's Association and the Bent Prowers Cattle and Horse Growers Association, serving as President in 1960 and bringing the CCA State Convention to La Junta. Lyman served for many years as a board member of the Timpas Grazing District and the Timpas Soil Conservation District. He was committed to and fought to protect the land, water and other natural resources of southeast Colorado. He was a director of the La Junta Production Credit Association for several decades, and was one of the five founders of the Hilltop Water Company which still provides water to over 100 families south of Rocky Ford. He was a great believer in education, and served for 11 years on the Rocky Ford School Board as a director. He believed in agricultural education and committed decades to promoting 4-H clubs and FFA activities. For many years he assisted with and promoted the Arkansas Valley Fair livestock sale, helping organize the sale and round up buyers. In later years, he and his family invited students and urban visitors to experience a multi-generational agriculture operation. He was a lifelong supporter of the Arkansas Valley Fair, missing the fair only one year when serving in the Navy during World War II. As a child, he assisted his parents who were involved in horse racing at the Fair by working in the paddocks. Following in his father and brother's footsteps he also served as a horse racing judge and parade judge. In 2001 he was the Honorary Grand Marshall of the parade. He was one of the two longest standing members of the Community Presbyterian Church, sharing the honor with his special first cousin Ernestine Edgar Moore who is nearly 100. His long life spanned great changes in the world. He remembered riding a horse to grade school, attending the Kentucky Derby in the mid-1920s, and gathering around the radio with other young men listening to the account of Seabiscuit win the famous challenge horse race with War Admiral in 1938. His family survived two world wars, the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl. Throughout his life Lyman honored his ancestry from Cumberland and Durham counties in Northern England and the Scottish highlands. He continued their love and support of agriculture, horse breeding, racing and community. His grandfather John W. Edgar came to Otero County in 1898 as a farming leader who helped establish and build the American Beet Sugar Factory in Rocky Ford. John's legacy was continued by his son Roy, and his grandsons Lyman and his brother Roy Gayle. Lyman passed that commitment and love of heritage to his children, grand-children, and great grand-children. To Lyman, life was meant to be lived in the moment and enjoyed but with an eye to the future. Funeral services will be Wednesday, August 17, 2016 at 10am at the Community Presbyterian Church in Rocky Ford, Rev. Steve Culver officiating. Visitation will be on Tuesday, August 16, 2016 from 2:00 PM until 5:00 PM at Ford-Ustick Funeral Home. Interment will be in the Hillcrest Cemetery in Rocky Ford. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials to the Otero County 4H Foundation Scholarship Fund; P.O. Box 190, Rocky Ford, CO 81067 or the Rocky Ford School District for the Melon Field sports complex project; Attn. Tammy Ridennoure; 601 S. 8th, Rocky Ford, CO 81067. Arrangements have been entrusted to the Ford-Ustick Funeral Home. Condolences may be sent to www.fordustick.com.

SERVICES

Viewing will be

Tuesday, August 16, 2016 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM

Ford-Ustick Funeral Home

305 N. 8th Street

Rocky Ford, Colorado 81067

Funeral Service

Wednesday, August 17, 2016 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM

Community Presbyterian Church

303 S. 9th

Rocky Ford, CO 81067

Committal Service

Wednesday, August 17, 2016 11:00 AM - 11:30 AM

Hillcrest Cemetery

27980 Cnty Rd. 20

Rocky Ford, CO 81067