Leon Vernon Harlan was born March 7, 1922, in the relatively new Turner Hospital in Elkhart, KS. He was the fifth child of six and the second son of Frank James and Rosa Ella (Phipps) Harlan. Leon grew up on the family homestead 7 miles southeast of Vilas, CO. He went to school at Eureka and then Vilas until he quit to work full time to help pay for the taxes and fuel for the family farm. He certainly learned what he needed to know as he became a successful farmer and businessman.

In addition to working in farming and ranching for others, his early work years also included delivering gas to farmers from W.K. Burchfield's filling station in Walsh one summer.

When WWII came along, he went for his physical twice...once in Pueblo and once in Denver...but was not accepted because of a back injury sustained from being bucked off a horse as a child. He certainly supported the war effort and his two brothers, Olan and Russell, who served in the Army.

He was farming in the Minneapolis area of Baca County when he began dating Virgil McKinnis. It was sort of "love at first sight!" On Thanksgiving Day 1942...which happened to fall on November 26...Leon and Virgil went to Johnson, KS and were married by the Justice of the Peace there. Leon asked for the shortest ceremony available. On the way home, he realized he did not give her the ring. She said "you didn't ask for that kind of a ceremony." He stoppped the car and put the ring on her finger and off they went to tell their parents they got married. On November 26, 2009, they celebrated their 67th wedding anniversary!

He had planned that they would stay at the Oasis Hotel on Main Street until they could get their first home ready but his father-in-law, Jim McKinnis, insisted that they live with them until their place was livable. They started out in a four room dugout house known as the old Loren Brown place about 4 miles east of the Minneapolis Cemetery. They used two rooms to live in, raised baby chicks in one room until he got an outside chicken coop built, and used the other room for storage. They had no indoor plumbing and only a 6 volt charger that provided electricity for lights. After "roughing it" they rented two different houses in Walsh...one was later known as the "Hart" house on the truck route (behind the current Gem Theater)...and the other one at the corner of Colorado Street (which we call Main Street) and Willow. Having the comforts of a modern home...including water, sewer and full electricity...was going to become more necessary! Their first daughter, Shirley Jean was born on October 17, 1943. By the time their second daughter, Charlene Gayle arrived on April 14, 1945, the little family had built a larger house at the corner of Highway 160 and Ohio Street...#444 to be exact.

In 1946 Leon bought interest in the Harlan/Thompson Chevrolet Company. In 1948 they sold their shares and traded their Ohio Street home in town for 640 acres of land joining the east side of Walsh. In August of that year, they moved to the farm one mile east of Walsh. Their third daughter, Karen Lea, was born May 2, 1950.

Over the years they were able to add other out buildings...barn, round top, sheds, etc. During those years, they raised cattle, pigs, sheep, and chickens as well as farming broomcorn, wheat, and milo. Leon was a dealer for steel buildings and erected such things as round tops, grain bins, grain dryers, etc. He also did custom wheat harvesting for two summers. They owned the Walsh Lumber Company on Main Street for 12 years and were a dealer for Massey Ferguson combines, equipment, and parts. They even tried their hand at raising chinchillas but tired of that rather quickly.

They worked hard, (Virgil was his right-hand worker when she wasn't working at the Lumber Yard). They played hard too...even the girls remember the weekly Saturday night dances at Two Buttes, where they learned how to dance and enjoy good old country music. Leon and Virgil enjoyed square dancing and bowling for many years. Leon also loved playing cards with friends at the Senior Citizen's Center after retirement.

Every August Leon took his family on a week's vacation...most often to Denver...for school clothes shopping and to enjoy the sights...especially Lakeside Amusement Park! The trips up and back were memorable in the days when cars did not have air conditioning. With the windows down and the hot air blowing into the car, the girls would have to wear headscarves to keep their hair from being tangled messes. It didn't help that he would flick his cigar ashes out the window and, of course, they would often blow into the back seat, much to the girls' dismay. But, before he would check into a hotel, he would look at the room to make sure it was "good enough" for his family...that sure made his girls feel special! Sometimes he would take the first one, other times it may take three or four stops before he found the "right" room. When he was occasionally able to find a "really nice room" for a good price...he beamed with a big smile as he led the family into the room.

Since 1972, Leon was active in AA and has helped many fellow AA members through difficult times toward success. That program changed his life forever. He was a patient and generous man, both financially and with his time, talents, and wisdom.

He and Virgil retired from farming in 1987 but Leon kept a finger in the operation until the end. In his later years he was an avid reader of farm magazines and especially enjoyed books and magazines about the "good old days." He came to enjoy "Bingo" at the care facility but his first love was driving around to see the fields and chat with his grandsons about what they were doing and how the work was going.

In March 1996, Leon was diagnosed with throad cancer and had to have his uvula removed. The throat cancer resurfaced in January 1999 but this time he head to have chemo...37 treatments...in Colorado Springs. He was among the first to receive this new type of surgery that did not involve problems with the voice box itself. He was sure thankful for that.

Things went pretty well after that until May 31, 2007, at which time additional health issues began surfacing. Unable to be cared for at home, he went into the Walsh Healthcare Center on July 13, 2007...they were able to get him functioning quite well again, so after 3 months he became a resident of the Assisted Care Facility where he remained until June of last year, when he had to return to the nursing home side permanently. Virgil also entered the ACF in January 2008. In April of last year, he began having health issues that landed him in the Stanton County Hospital four times. Leon died there on April 26, 2010, at the age of 88 years, 1 month and 20 days.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Frank and Ella; younger brother Russell in 2004 at the age of 80; older sisters, Dorothy Guisinger Doner in 2008 at the age of 99; Jewell Stewart in 2009 at the age of 104; and son-in-law Glen McCall in 2002 at the age of 56. And, oh yes, there has been a great reunion in heaven!

Missing him, his widom and knowledge are his wife of almost 67 1/2 years, Virgil (McKinnis) Harlan; three daughters, Shirley and Bill Stoner, Gayle and Errol Cook, and Karen McCall, all of Walsh; ten grandchildren and spouses...oldest to youngest...Debbie and Mike Iverson, Las Vegas, NV; Chad and Kristi Cook, Brent and Heather Cook, Walsh; Michael and Missy Stoner, Golden, CO; Shawna and Bruce Nottingham, Jr., Colorado Springs, CO; Kelly and David Reyes, Aurora, CO; Steve McCall, Walsh, Jodie and James Yager, Scott City, KS; Chris and Kaylea McCall, and Brad Cook, Walsh; 19 great-grandchildren and one spouse, and one great-great-granddaughter, brother Olan Harlan of Ketchum, ID; sister Fay Brooks, of Vilas, CO; numerous nieces, nephews, other relatives, and a host of friends.

Things will just not be the same around Walsh without Leon...especially not seeing that white Ford pick-up that looked like it didn't have a driver and traveling so slowly around Walsh and driving around his prized farm land that brought him so much joy. The girls will certainly miss seeking his knowledge of knowing everyone in and around Baca County and the surrounding areas.

He may be gone but he certainly will not be forgotten and they know they will be together again one day and he will not be in pain anymore!