E. Willis "Willis" Nottingham
Marriages
WILLIE N. GULLETT
Willie Newton Gullett Nottingham - March 8, 1947
in Denver, Colorado.
Burial Details
Obituaries
Eagle Valley Enterprise page 34 - October 27, 1994
E. WILLIS NOTTINGHAM 1911--1994
Local pioneer E. Willis NOTTINGHAM, who spent his childhood in Avon and was a well-known Eagle County sheep and cattle rancher, died Oct. 21 at Memorial Hospital in Craig. He was 83.
Mr. NOTTINGHAM was born June 29, 1911 in Glenwood Springs to William E.and Frances (O'Hara) NOTTINGHAM. A resident of Craig since 1973, he graduated from high school in Gypsum and on March 8,1947 married Willie N. GULLETT in Denver. He attended Barnes Business College in Denver.
He spent winters in Grand Junction for several years and was an active member of woolgrowers and cattlemen's associations. His work was his hobby and he enjoyed working with his livestock.
Nottingham and his family owned property at what is now Beaver Creek Resort.
Survivors include;his wife, Willie NOTTINGHAM of Craig; sons and daughters-in-law Edward and Janis of Denver, Michael and Kelly of Craig, and Robert and Barbara of Maybell, Colo.; brother Bill NOTTINGHAM of Gypsum; sisters Imogene DOLL and Charlotte OLESON, both of Avon; and six grandchildren: Amelia, Edward W. III, Robert Emmett, Jr., Laura Lee and Katy, and Spencer NOTTINGHAM.
Grand Junction Daily Sentinel page 9A - October 24, 1994
Unknown - October 1994
E. WILLIS NOTTINGHAM.
A funeral service for E. Willis NOTTINGHAM of Craig will be at 2 p.m. Wednesday in Grant Mortuary in Craig with Richard HENDERSON officiating.
Mr. NOTTINGHAM died of natural causes Friday in Memorial Hospital in Craig. He was 83.
He was born June 29, 1911,to William E. and Frances O'Hara NOTTINGHAM in Glenwood Springs. He spent his childhood in Avon and graduated from Gypsum High School. He attended Barnes Business College in Denver.
He married Willie N. GULLETT on March 8, 1947, in Denver. She survives.
Mr. NOTTINGHAM was a sheep and cattle rancher. He was a Craig resident since 1973.
He spent his winters in Grand Junction for several years.
Mr. NOTTINGHAM was a member of Woolgrowers and Cattlemens Association.
He enjoyed working with his livestock.
Other survivors include three sons and daughters-in-law, Edward and Janis of Denver, Michael and Kelly of Craig and Robert and Barbara of Maybell; a brother, Bill of Gypsum; two sisters, Imogene DOLL and Charlotte OLESON both of Avon; and six grandchildren, Amelia, Edward W. III, Robert Emmett Jr., Laura Lee and Katy.
Memorial contributions may be made to Memorial Hospital, 785 Russell St., Craig 81625.
Grant Mortuary in Craig is in charge of arrangements.
Vail Daily page 3 - October 23, 1994
PIONEER E. WILLIS NOTTINGHAM DIES AT 83, by Marka Moser.
E. Willis NOTTINGHAM, one of Eagle Valley's pioneers, died Friday of a stroke in Craig, CO. He was 83.
A memorial service will be held today at 2:00 p.m. at the Grant Mortuary in Craig.
Described by his son as an "honest-to-goodness cowboy," NOTTINGHAM was raised on a sheep and cattle ranch which eventually was sold to the Town of Avon.
As a young man, NOTTINGHAM and his father bought the land where the resort of Beaver Creek now stands. Eventually, all of Beaver Creek and the upper portion of Bachelor Gulch was consolidated into one ranch. NOTTINGHAM then bought his father's share and moved with his family into the OFFERSON house at the base of Beaver Creek. That cabin, once home to NOTTINGHAM, his wife, Willie, and sons, Edward, Michael and Robert, has been restored as Mirabelle's, a gourmet restaurant.
"I love that house," NOTTINGHAM was quoted in June Simonton's book,"Beaver Creek The First One Hundred Years. "I planted those trees--my kids were less than five years old when I planted those trees. I'd take them out on my jeep and bring one in and plant it and there's a kind of sentiment that way because those trees is the same age as my kids.
NOTTINGHAM was familiar with the difficulties ranching presented in that high, hilly country. But with the help of his sons, he turned Beaver Creek into an efficient and profitable operation.
"I have wonderful childhood memories of growing up in that valley surrounded by massive mountains and wilderness," said NOTTINGHAM's son, Michael. "As a teen, I first hunted elk with my dad in Beaver Creek."
With Vail's unprecedented success, Eagle County was quickly changing. Ranching was being pushed aside to make way for recreation. After the big ranches on both sides of Beaver Creek were sold, NOTTINGHAM understood he would have to leave the valley to continue ranching.
In 1972 NOTTINGHAM sold to Vail Associates, making way for the birth of a new resort.
Life changes, and at 60, NOTTINGHAM decided he would rather continue ranching than shift gears and become a part of the tourist industry. So he bought a comparable spread in Craig. Although he had spent most of his life in the Eagle Valley, he packed up those memories and, with no bitterness, headed further west.
"I remember him most for his extreme optimism and bright outlook on life," said Michael about his father.
NOTTINGHAM's sister, Imogene, echoed those sentiments.
"Willis was always a happy ... talking and visiting with him because he always found the good in what was happening," Imogene said. "He was wonderful fun to be around."
Interviews for a Channel 5 documentary have recorded NOTTINGHAM's memories so that future generations can enjoy that same history.
Born on June 29, 1911, NOTTINGHAM was the oldest of Emmett and Frances O'Hara NOTTINGHAM's four children. He is survived by three siblings who have remained in Eagle County--sisters Imogene DOLL and her husband, Frank; Charlotte OLESON and her husband, Jack, of Avon; and Bill NOTTINGHAM and his wife, Neva, of Burns.
NOTTINGHAM attended school in a one-room schoolhouse in Avon. He graduated from Eagle County High School in Gypsum, but because of the distance to school from his Avon home, NOTTINGHAM boarded during the week with a local family. He attended Barnes Business College in Denver,but quickly returned to continue the family's ranching tradition.
Education was extremely important to NOTTINGHAM, and he encouraged all his children and grandchildren to complete as much schooling as possible.
NOTTINGHAM never retired from ranching, which he loved, and remained an active partner in his Craig operation until his death. His son, Michael, had taken over much of the heavier legwork in recent years.
In addition to his brother and sisters, NOTTINGHAM is survived by his wife, Willie; son Edward W. NOTTINGHAM, Jr. and his wife, Jan, of Denver; son Michael and his wife, Kelly, of Craig; son Robert and his wife, Dawn, of Maybelle. Grandchildren include Amy, Edward W. "Will," III and Spencer NOTTINGHAM of Denver; Katy NOTTINGHAM of Craig; and Robert Emmett and Laura NOTTINGHAM of Maybelle.
