Lanus "Lanny" Lee Harsh

Lanus Lee Harsh was born on June 24, 1940 in Ft. Klamath, Oregon and was the

second child of J. Kenneth Harsh and Virginia (Werkheiser) Harsh. He entered into rest

April 20, 2017 at Hillcrest Care Center.

The family returned to Greeley, CO soon after he was born where his father

owned a dairy farm. Lanny grew up helping with the farming and milking. He attended

the Delta School just up the street from home. He graduated from College High School

in Greeley in 1958. (One of his great joys was organizing his last three class reunions.)

He and his best friend worked for a trucking company in Denver for about a year, then

Lanny returned to the dairy in Greeley and worked for his Dad.

Lanny married Karan Burke in September of 1959 and they lived on the old Harsh

Dairy for one year, then moved to a larger home in the same area. They had four children,

Tereasa, Cori, Tobi and J.R. In January of 1964 they moved to a farm Lanny's Dad

purchased in the Galeton area. The children all attended the Galeton Elementary School.

In 1973 the family moved to Barnesville, CO where Lanny farmed the Lundvall farm.

Lanny's niece Megan Murray joined the family that year and attended the Kersey school

with the Harsh kids through her graduation from high school.

A big move was made to Wray, CO in March 1977, where Lanny started out

renting circles on the Crews Ranch for several years. In 1978 & '79, Lanny and Karan

purchased the farm where they have lived for the past 40 years and also rented land from

John & Linda Lapp.

Lanny served on the Great Western Sugar board while living at Galeton, was a

Member of the Galeton Lions Club, and on the Accountability Committee at the school.

He was also a member of the Wray United Methodist Church and the Wray Elks Lodge.

Lanny's faith, perseverance and determination to never give up carried him

through his life as a farmer, weathering floods and many hail storms, but carrying on.

He could engineer and build anything, including almost all his machinery. If he bought

a new piece of equipment, before it was used he usually rebuilt it to his own specs.

He, with the help of Ed Gelvin, built a huge swing set out of sprinkler pipe, beet digger

parts and tractor seats, hauled it to Imperial and set it up for the grand children over

there, where it was the hit of the neighborhood children as well. He also, with the help of

Ed Parrish, built the can crusher which is used to crush and bale the aluminum cans for

the WRAC.

He loved and cherished his children dearly, but ruled with a firm hand, and taught

them all as he had been taught to work hard and always do everything with pride. His

grandchildren and great grandchildren are all the light of his life. He asked about one or

another of them almost daily.

Lanny was preceded in death by his parents, Kenneth and Virginia Harsh, his

older sister Dee Ann Standiferd, and his grandson Drew Harsh.

He is survived by his wife, Karan; daughters, Tereasa Kay Harsh of Aurora, CO;

Cori Lea Harsh of Omaha, NE; Tobi Sue deFrates (Ron) of San Diego, CA; son J.R.

Harsh (Lynn Birdsell-Hesse) of Greeley, CO; sisters Carol Austin (Roy) of Federal

Heights, CO; and Lori Harsh of Greeley, CO. Lanny is also survived by grandchildren

Jon Brophy (Abby) and daughter Lucy of Lincoln, NE; Ben Brophy (Lindsey) and

daughters Adelaide and Camrie of Imperial, NE; Kim Brophy of Omaha, NE; Tessa

Brophy and son Jayden, of Kansas City, MO; Jake Harsh and Samantha Harsh of

Greeley, CO; and Catherine deFrates and Matthew deFrates of San Diego, CA; and

many nieces and nephews, several cousins, and by many gracious and caring friends.

Funeral services will be held on April 25, 2017 at the Wray United Methodist

Church in Wray, CO at 11:00 AM with the Reverend Ben Wentworth officiating. Memorial

contributions may be made to the Wray United Methodist Church, 500 South Blake St.,

Wray, CO 80758, or to the Hillcrest Care Center, 360 Canyon Ridge Drive, Wray, CO 80758.

Schmidt-Jones Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.