Denver C. "Dennie" Eaton
Marriages
Mary Irene Thorpe - 1937
Lucille Ping - March 6, 1958
Burial Details
Obituaries
Eagle Valley Enterprise page 6 - April 22, 1999
Dennie Eaton gave the same answer whenever asked for help, whether the request involved a church construction project or organizing a fishing trip to Sylvan Lake.
"You betcha."
Denver "Dennie" C. Eaton, 84, died April 15 at his home in Eagle. The memorial service crowd at the Eagle Methodist Church Tuesday morning was testimony to this family man and community leader who spent most of his life in the Eagle Valley. He was a problem-solver, the kind of guy who could fix anything from a flat tire to a broken heart. Dennie gave much, much more to the community than he ever took out of it.
Born October 7, 1914, in Denver to William and Nettie Eaton, Dennie was an infant when his family moved to the Eagle Valley the following year, where they worked at ranching, framing, and timbering. The ranch residences for the Eaton family included th eoFferson place, which is now Beaver Crek, the McCoy Ranch (Arrowhead), and the Hanowold Ranch (now known as the Miller Ranch property at Edwards).
His elementary education took place in a small schoolhouse on Squaw Creek.
In 1925, his father's failing health prompted the family to pack up and move to Califronia. The family weathered teh Depression years together.
In 1934, Dennie's brother, Charley, mailed him a letter and $18 in cash and urging him to return to Eagle. Dennie accepted that offer, returned to Colorado, and went to work feeding cows on his brother's ranch.
In 1937, he married Mary Irene Thorpe. Three children, Linda, Brenda, and Herbert were born of that union.
In addition to ranch work, Dennie was well-known for his carpentry skills.
Dennie liked to explain that the first carpenter job he ever took on was to build a rabbit hutch for his mother. Year later, he built her a house. Dennie went on to build or remodel many homes in the Eagle and Gypsum communities. He had a reputation for unfailingly square corners and excellent carpenter work. Locally, to say Dennie Eaton built your house was to brag about the quality of the work.
The first marriage ended in a divorce. On March 6, 1958, Dennie married Lucille Ping. Together, they owned and operated the Serve U Shop and clothing and sundries store located downtown in a brick building that Dennie constructed. That building now houses the Kuttin' Korner beauty shop and Allen Insurance.
Not a person to just sit by and watch things happen, Eaton took an active role in the community. He served eight years on the Eagle Town board in the 1960s and was instrumental in the construction of a modern water system in the town. He lost a very close race for county treasurer.
In the 1960s, Eagle Valley Enterprise editor Marilla McCain began a campaign to create a local medical service. Evoking an "if you build it, they will come" philosophy, a local citizens committee set about building a clinic. They figured a good building would attract a good doctor. Dennie was one of the first citizens to sign onto the project, donating hundreds of hours one summer to constructing the modest brick building.
That building served the community until a few years ago when it was demolished to make room for the new Eagle library.
Dennie also built the original Eagle County fairgrounds grandstands, which are now being replaced. He was well into his senior citizen years when the Methodist Church congregation determined the time was right for a new church. Again, Dennie was in the forefront when the calls for volunteers came in. Of course, life was not all work. he loved the outdoors, and many friends and relatives can tell of memorable camping ,fishing, and snowmobiling, trips. Dennie loved to ski and did so about twice a week until his hip replacement surgery in 1997. His grandkids recall that they could neither follow nor lead their grandfather, as he traversed across the ski runs greeting them at each encounter with a smiling "Hello again".
He enjoyed a sip of bourbon and a game of cards and passed some leisure hours playing "Pitch" with friends at the Eagle Pool Hall. Dennie enjoyed good music and played both the saxophone and clarinet. He particularly liked Big Band music which would trigger memories of the days he and his brother Melvin formed a small band to play for local dances. "Sophisticated Lady' was one of his favorite tunes.
Dennie was a living cache of local history and always had a good story to tell. For a few years, he was a regular driver for the senior citizen van. He was devoted to all of his family and particularly to his wife, Lucille, who suffered from Alzheimer's disease and spent the last years of her life in a nursing home in Carbondale. She did not recognize her husband during the final years of her life. Still, Dennie visited twice a week and was careful to be there on special holidays such as Valentine's Day. He always spoke lovingly of Lucille as his "Princess". She died in 1992.
In 1991, Eaton was honored "Eagle County Senior Citizen of the Year". The award for that honor was a three-day horse pack trip into the Flat Top Wilderness, hosted by Forest Service. Not many 76-year-old men would be up for that sort of adventure, but Dennie was game. He showed up at the starting point with a quote from environmentalist Edward Abbey, which Dennie had carefully copied onto a scrap of paper. "It is not enough to fight for the land; it is even more important to enjoy it. While you can. While it is still there. So get out there and hunt and fish and mess around with your friends..." You betcha.
Dennie Eaton is survived by his daughters, Linda Propernick of Grand Junction and Brenda Nunn of Eagle; his son, Herb Eaton of Eagle; and stepsons, Jim Ping of Lafayette, Russell Ping of Durango, and Harold Kimmenau of Denver. Survivors also include 23 grandchildren, 28 great-grandchildren, numerous nieces and nephews, and many, many friends. Preceding him in death were his wife, Lucille; a stepdaughter, Irene Kimmenau; five brothers (Johnnie, Carl, Chet, Charley, and Melvin), and two sisters, Lilian (Tiny) and Zelma; and one granddaughter, Shawna Propernick. Burial was at Sunset View Cemetery in Eagle.
