Gale Nelson Brown

Gale Nelson Brown, 92, passed away peacefully on Aug. 4, 2025, at HopeWest Ferris Care Center in Grand Junction, Colorado.

He was born on June 13, 1933, in Montrose, Colorado, to Alfred and Louva Nelson Brown. He was the third child of eight. He grew up in the Montrose/Olathe area and graduated from high school in Montrose in 1952 and went to work as a core driller in Uravan, Colorado, right after high school. Gale went on to serve in the Army from 1953 to 1955. During his service, he served at Fort Bliss, TX, White Sands, NM, and Fort Lewis, WA. He was a proud crew member on a Nike surface-to-air missile battery.

Gale met Sue Shores in 1956. They were married on Sept. 3, 1957, in Gunnison, Colorado. They were happily married for 64 years. It broke his heart when Sue passed on December 6, 2021. They had two children, Jay and Diana, whom they raised on the family farm east of Montrose.

Gale also worked for the railroad company for a short time, and he and his childhood friend, Alvin Stuart, painted a railroad bridge over a tributary to the Gunnison River west of Delta. He was very proud of that and talked about it every time he drove by it, so much so that his daughter and son-in-law referred to it as “Dad’s bridge”.

He worked in the Idorado Mine above Ouray, CO in the late 50’s. He liked to tell people about one day when he got home from the mine, and Sue asked him what happened to him that day at a specific time. He said a big rock fell in the mine and almost got him. Sue was at work and had a panicky feeling and noted the time. He thought that was incredible.

In 1964 Gale and Sue purchased an 80-acre farm east of Montrose. Gale worked on the farm and was a heavy equipment operator for the Montrose County Road and Bridge Dept. until he took an early retirement. At the county Gale worked with his dad, Alfred, and long-time friend, Bill Stewart. He cherished those days. After his dad passed, the county issued Alfred’s road-grader to Gale to use. That meant so much to him.

Gale had a keen eye for a good horse. In the mid-60s, Jay and Diana wanted a baby brother or sister. Gale and Sue told them they could have a baby or a pony. They were sure to point out that a baby would take a long time to get here, but they could start looking for a pony right away. Gale and Sue bought them a pony and a few more horses and started a horse breeding program. By the early 70’s, they had between 20 and 25 horses. Diana jokes that a sibling would have been cheaper but not as much fun.

Gale was a good cowboy and taught his children how to ride, rope, break, and train horses. With help from family and friends, Gale built an arena on his farm. Family and friends would come regularly to team rope. Jay and Diana spent a lot of time riding and practicing in that arena, and their children did too, so it was well used for three generations. He enjoyed ranching and farming. He taught his children early on how to drive a tractor and farm. Jay was doing most of the farming by the time he was 12. Later, Gale and Jay started a custom hay stacking business. Gale had a herd of cattle that he was very proud of. He spent many hours studying bulls, cows, milk production, birth weights, rate of gain, etc. He never had any trouble selling his cattle as they were highly sought after by other cattlemen.

Gale was a very good hunter and loved telling stories of the many years he spent in hunting camp with family and friends. He was also an excellent fisherman and usually out-fished everyone with him. His daughter, Diana, and he would try to out-fish each other. He was usually the winner.

In 2002, Gale and Sue bought a ranch in North Delta, Colorado. They farmed it, ran their cattle, and continued raising horses until they retired from ranching and farming. They sold the cattle and leased out most of their land. One very special two-year-old filly with bloodlines from Gale and Sue’s herd still grazes on one of the fields. Gale was very proud of this and spent a lot of time watching her out the window and enjoyed telling visitors and caregivers that she was out of Sue’s mare.

Family meant everything to Gale. He liked to tell stories about growing up with his siblings. He bragged to anyone who would listen about his two children and how much they helped him. He loved hearing about his grandkids’ adventures and was proud to have great-grandkids. He loved having visitors and would show off pictures of each of them. When any of them would come to visit, he would say, “They wanted to spend time with me”. This was so important to him. When Gale found out one of his grandsons was moving from Texas back to Delta to help take care of him, it gave Gale something to look forward to and he told everyone his grandson was coming to help him. They got to spend Gale’s last 5 months together.

Gale had a lot of friends and would do anything he could to help them. It was said he would give them the shirt off his back and his last dollar. Every year when his childhood twin friends had a birthday on May 1 st, he would talk Diana into making some calls to get friends and family together for a birthday party. Birthdays were a big deal to him. His goal was to live to be 92. He made it! Over the last three years, he made new friends with his caregivers and nurses. He loved to go gambling and would ask anyone who came to the house to take him to Cortez to gamble. It became a running joke because none of them could take him, but he wanted to bend the rules. He did get to go gambling over the last three years. Friends took him twice, and his brother, Wayne, and brother-in-law, Phil, took him once. These gambling trips were very special to Gale. Recently, a family friend, Bill O’Brien, came to Gale’s home and played his guitar and sang for several hours. Gale

was able to sing along on some of the songs. He enjoyed it so much, he told Bill he could move in with him and just keep singing. When he told anyone about that day, he would say he got his very own concert.

Friends, Judy Milner and her granddaughter Cassie Sandaker, were such a big part of Gale’s life for the last 3 years. They took him to town to eat 4 times a week, took him on drives, and took him gambling last year for his birthday.

Cassie was by Gale’s side right up until the end. The family honestly doesn’t know what they would have done without them.

Gale is survived by; son Jay (Susan) Brown, daughter Diana (Steve) Kirby of Delta, Colorado; sister in law Dorothy Brown Weiben, Silt, Colorado; brother in law Phil Robinson, brother Wayne (Beverly) Brown, all of Montrose, Colorado; sister Lynn Dunn, Grand Junction, Colorado; sister in law Jane Brown, Olathe, Colorado; Sister Lorell (Larry) Cotten, Monte Vista, Colorado; grandchildren: Dustin (Lauren) Brown, Ohio; Dr. Cassandra (Adam Clifford) Brown, Delta, Colorado; Andrea (Jason) Gressman, Minnesota; Audra (Mitch) Penasa, Eckert, Colorado; Cole Kirby, Delta, Colorado; Shayna (Tanner) Kennedy, Montrose, Colorado; great-grandchildren: Cale (Emilie) Ky, Creide, Kearyn and Cayse Gressman, Minnesota; Brinleigh Clifford, Delta, Colorado; as well as numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.

He was preceded in death by wife, Sue Shores Brown; parents, Alfred Wesley Brown and Louva May Nelson Brown; brothers, Wes and Darel Brown; sisters Theora Robinson and Alice Winifred Brown; brother-in-law Frank Dunn; nephew, Larry Brown; great-grandson Kanton Jasper Gressman (infant).

A military service will be held on Friday, September 5, 2025, at 10:00 am Veteran’s Memorial Cemetery of Western Colorado 2830 Riverside Pkwy, Grand Junction, CO. A Celebration of life and potluck-style meal will follow at 12:00 noon Pea Green Community Hall 3015 CO Hwy 348 Delta, CO. Please bring a side dish, salad, veggie tray or dessert and if possible, a bouquet of flowers from your garden

Please consider making a memorial contribution in Gale Brown’s name to: Delta HopeWest P.O. Box 24, Delta, Colorado 81416, or hopewestco.org/donate and select Delta as the location.

Services have been entrusted to Snyders Memorials Inc. Funeral Home, Grand Junction, CO