Charles Duane Mcmurdy

Charles Duane McMurdy
December 26, 1939 ~ September 13, 2022

Charles Duane McMurdy passed away on September 13th, 2022 at the age of 82.
Charles was born December 26th, 1939 in Haigler, Nebraska to Delia Velma Williams and Charles Clyde McMurdy. He was known as Duane to his family and friends. He grew up in western Nebraska and eastern Colorado where his family were farmers. In April 1962 Charles and his parents moved to a farm on East Mesa in Olathe.
Charles married the love of his life, Eve Mae Ballard, on September 21st, 1963 at First Baptist Church in Olathe, Colorado. To this union three children were born: Angela Valentine, Larry McMurdy, and Sherrie McMurdy. With his marriage to Eve he also gained eight brothers and sisters-in-law.
Charles loved spending time with his family and looked forward to holidays and special events when the family got together.
Charles worked the farm in Olathe with his parents and then, when his children were old enough, with his children. In 1962 he also began working at the sawmill in Montrose and quickly worked up to being the sawyer and millwright. He often worked the night shift at the sawmill and then farmed during the day. He worked in sawmills in Montrose and Hotchkiss for ten years. In the early 1970s the family increased the size of their farm and Charles quit the sawmill to focus on farming.
With the help of his family, Charles farmed as many as 500 acres of his own and rented property around Olathe. Charles enjoyed working with his family. He retired from farming in 2014. In the early 1980s he became a real estate broker in Olathe with All Area Realty. He sold real estate until he fully retired from the office in 2007, but kept his license.
Charles was a member of the Olathe Baptist Church for many years and served as a Deacon for a number of years in the 1970s and early 1980s.
Charles enjoyed both watching and playing sports. In his younger years he played softball and basketball on local teams. In later years he was on a bowling league.
Charles was an active member of the community and gave hundreds of hours a year volunteering with different organizations.
Charles joined the Montrose County Sheriff’s Posse in the 1970s and was still an active member at the time of his death. He held numerous offices with the Sheriff’s Posse, including several stints as President. When he first joined the Posse, the members often rode with the deputies and Charles spent many evenings riding with them. He was always ready to respond to calls for help with search and rescue or security for the Montrose County Fair or other activities. There were many times he was out most of the night with the Posse and then worked all day on the farm. He received numerous awards for outstanding service to the Posse. In 1990 he received the Public Safety Award for Excellence from the Montrose County Chamber of Commerce. He also served as the east end posse representative with the West End Posse for many years.
Charles began volunteering with the Olathe Fire Department in the early 1980s and served for over 20 years.
Charles’ love of fishing and hunting led him to share his knowledge as a Hunter’s Education instructor with Colorado Parks and Wildlife. He often had former students come up to him and tell him how much they enjoyed his class. At his retirement from teaching in 2018 he was recognized for teaching nearly 95 classes and nearly 3,000 students in his more than 30 years of teaching.
Charles became a member of the board of the Montrose, Ouray, and San Miguel County Farm Bureau in the early 1980s and was still an active member at his death. He served as president several times. He earned the top member recruiter award for the Colorado Farm Bureau in 2012, 2015, 2018, and 2019. In 2013 he received the Colorado Farm Bureau Service to Agriculture Award.
Over the years Charles served on a number of other local and state boards and committees including the Montrose County Planning Committee, Shavano Soil Conservation District Board, DMEA Board, Montrose School District School Accountability Committee, and the Colorado Corn Board.
Charles is survived by his wife of 58 years, Eve Mae McMurdy, daughters Sherrie McMurdy and Angela (Kevin) Valentine, son Larry McMurdy, grandchildren Amber and Deven, granddog Honey, and brother and sisters-in-law Sonya Ballard, Manual (Kathy) Ballard, Pam Ballard, Isaac (June) Ballard, (Bill) Sarah Washington, Paul (Melody) Ballard, and (Lonny) Esther Cain. He was preceded in death by his parents, mother-in-law Edna Mae Ballard, and brothers-in-law Adam Ballard, Nathael Ballard, and John Ballard.
There will be a viewing on Tuesday, September 20th, 2022 at the Taylor Funeral Service Chapel at 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Funeral service will be held Wednesday, September 21st, 2022 starting at 10:00 a.m.
In lieu of flowers the family requests donations be made to Eve McMurdy in care of Taylor Funeral Service to help with expenses.
Arrangements are under the care and direction of Taylor Funeral Service and Crematory.
View the internet obituary and sign the online guest registry at taylorfuneralservice.com