Harry Talbott

Harry C. Talbott, 86, for 63 years the beloved husband of Bonnie, died on Sunday, March 14, 2021 at his Palisade home. He was surrounded by family and friends.

Born in 1934 to Harry and Margaret Talbott in Montrose, CO, Harry accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior at age 10, was baptized by and in 1944 became a member of First Baptist Church, Palisade, CO.

Harry graduated Palisade High School in 1952; Mesa Junior College in 1954; and Ottawa University, Ottawa KS, 1957.

On April 22, 1957, Rev. W.W. Collier, Pastor, First Baptist Church, Dolores, CO officiated at the wedding of his daughter, Bonnie Barbara Collier, and Harry Talbott.  Soon after the wedding, Harry joined his U.S. Army unit in Ottawa, KS, and was stationed at Ft. Leonard Wood, MO and Fort Gordon, GA where he served six months active duty in the military police, then six years in the Army Reserve.  He was ordered to the Bay of Pigs but due to resolution of the Cuban Missile Crisis, the order was rescinded.

After his military active duty, Harry returned to Palisade and worked on the Harry family farm for five years.

He taught science for three years at Grand Junction Junior High School before pursuing a master’s degree at the University of Oklahoma on an academic scholarship, 1965-66.  He received his master’s degree in environmental science and returned to Palisade and taught biological science at Central High School, 1966-76.  He retired from teaching in 1976 and returned to full-time farming.

In 1975, Harry served on the Mesa County Planning Commission for 6 years after noticing people with different land use ideas purchasing farmland in the Palisade area. He served for 6 years.

On June 18, 1980, Harry was a founder of Mesa County Land Conservancy, organized as the first agricultural land trust in Colorado.  In 1980, Harry and Bonnie were called “radical” but 25 years after the land trust was established, newspapers referred to them as “visionaries.”

The Mesa County Land Conservancy became The Mesa Land Trust and in 2017 joined Montrose-based Black Canyon Regional Land Trust as Colorado West Land Trust to increase the pace, quality and permanence of conservation in multiple Colorado counties.

Harry has been honored by Western Colorado Horticultural Society as “Peach Grower of the Year” and “Honorary Lifetime Member.”

In 2018 he was inducted into the Colorado Future Farmers of America’s Agricultural Hall of Fame.

Harry was an active member in the First Baptist Church of Palisade, supported the Child and Migrant Ministry Services and was an active supporter of the Grand Mesa Baptist Camping Program throughout his life.  He was actively involved in the Boy Scouts of America in his own youth and later as a scout leader where his four sons all achieved the rank of Eagle Scout.

His parents preceded Harry in death as did his sister, Juanita O’Neall, and brothers Lyman Wallace and Lyle Talbott.

Surviving Harry are his wife of 63 years, Bonnie; brother Ross Talbott (Ramona) of New Castle, CO; sons, Bruce (Lynette), Charlie (Brenda), David and Nathan (Vita) of Palisade, CO; daughter Kathy of Grand Junction, CO; 16 grandchildren and 4 great grandchildren.

Memorial Service at First Baptist Church of Palisade, CO, 11:00 a.m. March 20, 2021.

The service will be live streamed at www.talbottfarms.com at 11:00 am the day of the service.

In lieu of flowers as a memorial the family requests contributions be sent to:

Grand Mesa Christian Association Endowment Fund, c/o Carlyle Currier, P.O. Box 40,

Molina, CO 81646.

For our out of town families, please use promo code TALB when making hotel reservations at Wine Country Inn in Palisade.