Galen Larson Obituary

A celebration of life for Galen B. Larson, an outspoken gadfly who became one of Cortez's best-known citizens, will take place Oct. 5, 2024, at 11105 County Road 22, Cortez. The celebration will begin at 10:30 a.m. and will be followed by a potluck lunch.

Galen passed away in Cortez on Aug. 19, 2024, at the age of 94.

He was born February 20, 1930, in Thief River Falls, Minn., to Clara and Gotfried Larson, and graduated from Lincoln High School there. He served in the Army in 1952.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Clara and Gotfried; his wife Margaret (Peggy) Hayes; his wife Willetta Larson; his brother Lowell Larson; and his son Galen Larson. He is survived by his sisters Helen and Burnell; his sons Gotred Larson (Sherry) and Garth (Tilly) Larson; and numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Galen was a man who enjoyed life immensely and drank deeply from its well of possibilities.

He was a kind, gentle and generous soul who was quick to help those in need, although he often seemed intent on disguising this side of his nature with a gruff exterior and pretensions of cynicism. For years he gave money to people who needed help and to local schools.

He had strong political opinions and found an outlet for his views in the lively columns he wrote for the Four Corners Free Press, a monthly newspaper based in Cortez. He contributed the columns for nearly 20 years, stopping only when his health began to deteriorate.

His political passions prompted him to run (unsuccessfully) for Montezuma County commissioner in 2006. They also led to one memorable incident involving a verbal confrontation between him and a local man with opposing views in a Cortez park. The other man pressed a harassment charge against Galen in Cortez's Municipal Court. Galen pleaded not guilty and was acquitted following a trial.

Beyond politics, a large part of his heart was reserved for Willetta, his wife. They shared a lovely secluded home on the edge of a canyon near Cortez until her death in 2003. (Every year after her death, he published a new love poem he'd written for her.)

Feel free to bring your stories and recollections of this memorable man to the celebration Oct. 5.