Woody Curtis, Northglenn councilman, volunteer, dies at 82

Woody Curtis

Courtesy photo

“I would have loved to see the looks on people's faces when they saw a 70-year-old man climbing a ladder to wash windows."”

Casey Curtis

There were three things that former Northglenn Rotary Club vice president, former city councilor and former board member for Northglenn Ambulance Corps Ellwood Curtis loved.

“His family, enjoying the Colorado outdoors and serving the community,” said his son, Casey.

Woody Curtis was 82 when he died in Windsor in mid-September. The economic downturn of the 1980s sent Curtis and his wife of 56 years, Janice, to Arizona and to Kansas before settling in Windsor.

“We literally found four large boxes full of wall plaques from the city of Northglenn, the Northglenn Chamber of Commerce, the Northglenn Jaycees, DRCOG, the Northglenn Rotary and various other local organizations commemorating his involvement and conferring awards for his service to Northglenn,” Casey Curtis said. “The awards are literally too many to fully list.”

Most of the elder Curtis’ career was in the billboard business. He also owned several small businesses – a sign business, an optical shop, one that dealt with house renovation and, most recently, a window-washing business.

“I would have loved to see the looks on people's faces when they saw a 70-year-old man climbing a ladder to wash windows,” his son said. 

Woody Curtis also loved the state’s outdoors.

“His favorite thing was hiking in the Rockies with his family and his dog, Winnie,” Casey Curtis said. “He medaled over 20 times in swimming in the Colorado Senior Olympics when he was in his 70s before kidney disease ultimately took its toll.”

Curtis was born April 7, 1940, in Woods Cross, Utah, to Elwood Elyle and Edith Marie Curtis. He graduated from Bountiful High School in 1958, then served in the U.S. Army Reserve and was honorably discharged as a sergeant.

In 1964, Curtis earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Weber State College. While in school, he was the vice president of his fraternity and the school’s Associated Men’s Student Body. He was president of the senior class.

            Curtis was on the board of advisors for the Metro Denver March of Dimes and for the committee that tried to bring the Olympics to Denver in 1976. The Jaycees presented him with its distinguished service award. He also chaired the commission that created Northglenn’s first charter in 1974. Curtis was active in the Northglenn High School band boosters.

            Survivors include his wife (they met in 1965 at Snow Basin in Ogden, Utah); two children, Casey (Randi), of Highlands Ranch; daughter Melissa (Scott Larimore), of Warrensburg, Mo.; grandson and granddaughter-in-law, Jonathan and Abbey Larimore; sister and brother-in-law, Marsha and Vern Parker; sister, Angela Wright; and beloved pets Winnie and Fluffy.

            A celebration of life was Sept. 23 at Marks Funeral Home in Windsor. Donations may be made to the Humane Society of Weld County or the Colorado Kitty Coalition.

“We noted that Odell Barry recently passed away,” Casey Curtis said.” Woody and Odell worked together on the Northglenn City Council. Woody's efforts and legacy are still visible today. He was chairman of the group that created Northglenn's very first city charter, worked on the task force that created the first Northglenn community center and was a member of the board for Northglenn Ambulance.”