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Note: GRADY H. SHULER November 13, 1917 - October 21, 2001 Tucked away in our minds is a vision in which we see ourselves on a long journey. We see children waving, cattle grazing, and fields of grain. But uppermost in our minds is our final destination - for on that day we go to see our Lord. So gently close the door on yesterday. Stop pacing the aisles and counting the miles. Instead, swim more rivers, climb more mountains, kiss more babies, count more stars. Grady was the eldest son of Graden and Hattie Shuler. His early years were spent in the hills of north Georgia. Although his life led him to many places, his Southern accent remained with him. In his teens, his journey led him to Colorado, where he met the love he would spend his life with. Grady and Ethel spent the first years of their married life working for various farms in the Eaton/Greeley area. Their first child, Alice Faye, was born in 1941. Gene was born in 1947 and Wade in 1950. In 1953, Grady and Ethel packed up their kids and moved to Wyoming making Eagle's Nest of Heart Mountain their home. Ted was born in 1954. The years were spent raising crops and livestock, especially hogs. The years were good as well as hard. Grady and Ethel spent many days in the mountains camping, hunting, and fishing as well as enjoying of the great outdoors together, but Grady and Ethel's greatest accomplishment was the raising of their children. No father was more proud of his kids than Grady. He told everyone he knew of his pride and love for them. He taught them that there was no such word as "can't". He instilled moral and ethical values, which were taught not only by his words but the way he lived his life. The kids were always told, "There are times when you may not have much other than your name and reputation, protect it. It will take you far." There was a man, who after working on the roof of his house took the ladder down and left his son on the roof. The small boy called for his dad who told him to jump and he would catch him. After many reassurances, the boy jumped, the dad stepped aside and the boy hit the ground. As he was struggling to his feet, his dad told him he had just learned not to trust anyone, but you know, Grady always trusted everyone. The kids were always told that no matter what they did, they should always do the best that they could do. He also told them that the truth is nothing to be ashamed of and that they should always tell the truth. Neighborhood boys were talking about how many sacks of beans they had made. Our beans looked every bit as good as theirs, but our production was lower. When asked about this, Dad said, "Well, when we sell our beans we will only get paid for the sacks we have. Those extra sacks are like deer tracks, they don't make very good soup." Grady was always available to assist the family in any way he could. Many, many miles were driven back and forth to town to get whatever part his sons needed. He would stop what he was doing to render aid for whatever family member needed him - even in the middle of the night. As the years passed came Grady's grandchildren - Deb, Brett, Ryan, Becki, Abby, Tawni, Jared, Tanner, and Tucker. Later came great-grandchildren Brock, Brandon, and Jessa. When asked his advise on raising kids, he replied, "It is simple, just do what is right." His grandchildren will remember him always telling them funny stories. His coffee cup was always available for dunking cookies. His pockets always jingled with a coin for the first little kid he saw. Adventures with grandpa taught them many things about animals, camping, and where to cast the fishing line. In his retirement years, he spent many hours cutting out wooden animal figures. These little animals were given not only to his grandchildren, but also to any kid, big or little. At times he would leave a box of his animals on the counter at Linton's where even today you will find one of his many wooden pencil holders. Whether you knew him as a husband, a father, a grandfather, a great-grandfather, a farmer or a friend, may a little of his spirit live on in each of you.
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