Robert "Larry" Eaton

Robert Lawrence (Larry) Eaton died peacefully at the age of 92 on Tuesday, August 8, 2023 surrounded by family. He was born in Greeley to Rex C. and Margaret (McArthur) Eaton on February 14, 1931. He was a lifelong resident of Greeley and a descendant of Benjamin Harrison Eaton, one of the founders of the Union Colony and the town of Eaton as well as the fourth Governor of the State of Colorado. Larry married his hometown sweetheart Phyllis Peterson in 1957 and was a devoted father to their three children.

Larry graduated from Greeley High School in 1949 and from the University of Notre Dame in 1953 with a degree in business. After graduation, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy where he became a naval aviator and flight instructor stationed in Pensacola, FL. After an honorable discharge in 1957, Larry returned to Colorado and received his J.D. from the University of Colorado School of Law. There he became an avid Buff fan!

Larry started his career in business as manager of Mountain Savings and Loan, and later owned and operated the Weld County Garage. After selling the dealership in 1982, he worked for Monfort of Colorado as a VP of finance until retiring in 2000. In addition, Larry was a member of the Board of Directors for the First National Bank in Greeley and served on the Board of Directors for the Greeley Country Club. In 2012, he and Phyllis received the Long’s Peak Council of the Boy Scouts of America’s Annual Distinguished Citizen Award.

Larry was an outstanding athlete. As captain of the basketball team his senior year, he led Greeley High School to victory in the State Championship. He also won the State High School Golf Tournament that same year. Larry went on to be a two-sport letterman (golf and basketball) at the University of Notre Dame.

Larry had a distinguished career as an amateur golfer. Although he competed during his 30s and 40s, his career really took off during his 50s. In 1981 at the age of 50, Larry became the first player to win both the Colorado Golf Association’s (CGA) Senior Stroke Play and Senior Match Play Championships. He was named the 1982 CGA’s Golf Person of the Year. In January of 1983, he suffered serious injuries resulting from a plane crash in Scottsdale, AZ in which he was the sole survivor. After a remarkable recovery, he won both the Greeley Country Club Invitational and the CGA Senior Match Play Championship that summer. Larry won a total of 11 individual CGA State titles and was the 11-time winner of the Greeley Country Club Invitational (now the Billehus Invitational). He was inducted into the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame in 1991. In addition, he qualified and played in the USGA Amateur, five USGA Senior Opens and four USGA Senior Amateurs.

Larry loved jazz, particularly music from the American Song Book. He co-founded the Peakview Jazz Concert Series. This passion brought top musicians to Greeley for 21 years. He was a dedicated patron of the Greeley Philharmonic Orchestra and a regular concert attender. However, the music he loved the most was listening to his wife, Phyllis, play the piano. Larry was an outdoor enthusiast who enjoyed fly-fishing, duck hunting, and spending time in the Rocky Mountains. There wasn’t a dog or cat that didn’t catch his eye and come over for a little pet. He liked to cook and for years his pickles and homemade soups filled family and friends with warmth and love. Larry was an avid reader, loved movies, playing cards, and could recite lyrics to hundreds of songs. He was an enthusiastic spectator of sports both live and on TV - football, basketball, golf, tennis, and baseball. Known by family and friends as a gamesman, he was always willing to engage someone in a “little” bet. As everyone knew, he was tough to beat him at any game.

Thankful to have shared his life are his wife, Phyllis, his children, Bob (Tonya) Eaton, Amy (Fritz) Royer, Ben (Missy) Eaton, four grandchildren (Harrison, Olivia, Frances, and Dace) and a large and loving extended family including his brother-in-law Dr. Jim Peterson and wife, Sylvia Peterson.

Preceded in death by his parents, his brother Rex C. Eaton, Jr. and his sister-in-law, Beverly (McKee) Eaton.

Family and friends can celebrate Larry’s life on Saturday, September 30th, from 3 to 5 p.m. at the Greeley Country Club, 4500 W. 10th Street.

Memorial gifts may be made to the University of Northern Colorado Jazz Studies Program, the Greeley Philharmonic Orchestra, Pathways of Northern Colorado Inpatient Care Center, or the Humane Society of Weld County and sent to Allnutt Funeral Home, 6521 W. 20th Street, Greeley, CO 80634.