Howard Franklin Hamilton Jr., 84 passed away Monday, February 7, 2022, Viewing will be held from 1-6 p.m. Friday, February 11, with family to receive friends from 4-6 p.m. at Chaney-Reager Funeral Home. A funeral service will be held at 10:00 a.m. Saturday, February 12, at Christ United Methodist Church with Pastor Kristie Firme officiating. Howard will be laid to rest at Riverside Cemetery.

Howard Franklin Hamilton Jr was born November 23 ^rd , 1937, to Howard Hamilton Sr. and Ruth Leighton Nicholson in Johnstown Colorado. He attended Merino elementary and high schools then continued to NJC. During college, he worked at Meadow gold Milk Company and Radford Funeral Home. His first teaching job was at a one room country school at Liberty in Weld County, north of Stoneham. He taught and drove a bus, which was his personal car, for two years. During those years, he met another teacher… Elna Rasmussen whom he married the following Spring of 1959 in the Methodist Church in Sterling Colorado. On to Greeley for college at Colorado State College (UNC) where they both continued their education. He soon took a job at the Crook School where he taught language arts for grades fourth, fifth, and sixth. When the Crook school closed, he continued to teach at Caliche Elementary, where he retired after 35 years of inspiring students and 34 years of driving a bus.

At the beginning of his teaching career in Crook is when Howard and Elna established their home in Crook, CO. They have resided there for over 63 years. During those years, they were blessed with four children - Elann, Danneen, Daylan, and Janae. In the later years, their family grew with the addition of four grandchildren - Grant, Ross, Jordan, and Reegan. Howard influenced his children and grandchildren with his interests in many subjects, including (but most definitely not limited to) trains, computers, coin and stamp collecting, flying kites, and many different genres of music. He had a deep appreciation for the railroad community at a young age as his own father was a train engineer.

Outside of his personal hobbies, Howard was very involved in his community. Early on in his teaching career, he also became interested in reporting the local weather to the National Weather Bureau - he did so for over 50 years. He volunteered as a firefighter for the Crook Fire Dept. and later went on to be the secretary for the Crook Fire Protection District for 44 years, helping to create the Crook Community Center.

After retirement, he found new roles - serving for over 20 years as a E911 chairperson, over 30 years on his town board (taking on tasks such as monitoring the town's water systems and grading the roads) and delivering newspapers early in the morning to ensure the Community of Crook received the Denver Newspaper. Gardening was yet another pass-time he and Elna enjoyed together.

Howard is preceded in death by his brother Harlan, brother Jerry, brother Robert. He is survived by his wife Elna, daughter Elann, daughter Danneen (Rick), son Daylan (Leah), daughter Janae (Larry) and his grandchildren Grant, Ross, Jordan, Reegan; sisters Debbie Hatfield and Sharon (Dave) Hovis and brother Don (Linda) Hamilton.

Memorials may be made in Howard's name to the Crook Fire Department or to Caliche Elementary in care of Janae Skeels.