Nell Brown Propst passed away this past Thursday, July 18th at the age of 93 in the company of her family at a care facility in Wheat Ridge, Colorado, after battling symptoms of Alzheimer's for several years. A noted historian of northeastern Colorado, she lived a rich and full life as a ranch wife, mother, teacher, author, playwright and theatre director.

A memorial service will be held at 2:00 pm, Saturday, August 24th at the First Presbyterian Church, 130 S. 4 ^th Street, in Sterling, Colorado.  Donations in Nell's name can be made to either the Nell and Keith Propst Memorial Scholarship Fund, NJC Foundation, 100 College Avenue, Sterling, Colorado 80751; or the Overland Trail Museum, 110 Overland Trail, Sterling, Colorado 80751. A special exhibit honoring Nell's contributions to the history of northeastern Colorado will be on display the week before and after Nell's memorial service, along with other information about the Propst family.

Nell is survived by her four children, Thomas Kim Propst (Roberta), Joel Keith Propst, Koger Lewis Propst (Marcie) and Holly Propst Sims (Jim), and their families, including 17 grandchildren and 9 great grandchildren.

Leila Nell Brown was born in Birmingham, Alabama to Buren J. Brown and Leila Williams Brown on September 23, 1925. She was the second of four children, all girls. Her sisters were Kathy, Jeane, and Jerry.  Buren was a school principal and teacher, and through his influence Nell finished high school before her seventeenth birthday.  She loved theatre from a young age and started writing and conducting plays with family and friends at the age of twelve.  This led to a lifetime of writing books and plays and producing community theatre productions.

Nell graduated at the age of nineteen from Howard College, a private Christian university in Alabama now known as Samford University, with a degree in English and Theatre. She taught at Talladega, Alabama for two years, then accepted a teaching position at Sterling Junior College in Sterling, Colorado in 1947.  She boldly ventured out of the wooded landscape of Alabama to the treeless plains of Colorado, where she quickly fell in love with the wide-open spaces and amazing blue skies.

Several years later she obtained a M.S. degree in Theatre at the University of Denver. Having developed a love for the West, her master's thesis was an original historical pageant-play about the history of Northeastern Colorado called "Where the Buffalo Roamed".  In 1956 she produced and directed this outdoor pageant at the Sterling Fairgrounds, which was a huge undertaking for a young ranch wife, mother and budding historian, as there were 350 cast members and 150 people in the crew!

Nell met her husband, Thomas Keith Propst, in 1948 at the University of Denver when he came to visit his sister Ginny at Nell's dorm. It was love at first sight, and they were married on October 7, 1949.  Following Keith's service in the Korean War, they returned to live and work on the Propst Bar 3 Ranch in Merino, Colorado.

In spite of the demands of ranch life, which Nell embraced with every fiber of her being, she still managed to direct numerous community theatre productions, and to research and write over 30 plays, books and short stories--as well as many other magazine and newspaper articles, book reviews and contributions. She was actively involved in the local historical society and her efforts to research the people and history of the area with accuracy and wisdom were relentless.  She was a true historian of northeastern Colorado.

One of Nell's most memorable plays was a musical titled "Make A Joyful Noise" that she wrote about the Propst family to celebrate the 100 ^th anniversary of the Bar 3 Ranch, which was produced and directed with the help of many family members and community volunteers.  The musical was performed at Merino High School in 1976 before sold-out audiences--a common occurrence for many of her productions.  The play was a vivid portrayal of Keith's parents and grandparents, ranching pioneers and founders of the Propst Ranch who helped settle Logan County.

Despite her many professional accomplishments, family and associates can attest that Nell's greatest attribute was her steadfast devotion as a friend, mentor, loving wife and mother. Relationships were a high priority, and she was very intentional about encouraging others in their pursuits.