Elah Hepler

Elah Hepler was born April 6, 1923 the son of E. W. Hepler and Evalyn (Parks) Hepler, one of four children. He was born at home in Englewood, Colorado and lived there until he married Margaret Rife, July 3, 1943. Their marriage lasted for over 65 years until her death on Thanksgiving Day, 2008. Elah died August 27, 2011, at Poudre Valley Hospital in Fort Collins, Colorado. He was also preceded in death by an infant brother, Edgar, his father and mother and a sister, Zea. Elah spent his boyhood at the home on four lots at 3000 So Elati, Englewood. Besides the house there was a two-car garage, chicken houses and lots of room to play. The boys, Elah and his brother, Ovid, attended Sunday School and church together and were baptized at the same time. They also spent a lot of time at their father's feed mill and coal yard at 3700 South Santa Fe, between the Denver and Rio Grande and Santa Fe railroad tracks, playing in the mill and along the tracks. The mill was in the old town of Sheridan which has now been torn down. When the boys became older, they spent their time there hauling coal and feed. After Elah married, he worked as a heavy equipment operator and farmed on 80 acres east of Fort Collins on the Larimer-Weld County line. Later, he and Margaret lived in Seattle, then on a small ranch they owned near Cheyenne in Carpenter, Wyoming. In later life, he and Margaret lived in Mesa, Arizona, and more recently after retirement, in a home they purchased north of Fort Collins. While living in Arizona, Elah and Margaret would come to the 80 acres East of Ft. Collins with a house trailer for vacations. While there, Sunday mornings, they would drive the 85 miles to attend Haven Baptist Church where his brother Ovid was a pastor. This was just one of many demonstrations of Elah's love for the Bible, the Lord, and for His work. A few years ago, Elah was prescribed the drug Baycol. He started on a trip and almost died before he could get back home. This resulted in muscle weakness and other complications ever since. Pneumonia and a recent fall led to his death. He was 88 years and 5 months old at his passing. He is survived by two sons, Jimmy Lynn and Larry Warren; two granddaughters, Jyl Booth and Pam Schimitis; four great-grandchildren, and many other friends and relatives who mourn his passing. Friends are invited to attend the funeral service at 11:00 am Saturday, September 3, 2011 at Goes Funeral Care, 3665 Canal Dr., Ft. Collins. Elah's brother, Dr. Ovid Hepler, will officiate. The interment will follow the service at Roselawn Cemetery.