Harold L. Heaston

Harold Heaston was born at home on his parent’s farm in the vicinity of Ramah, Colorado on August 18, 1929. He spent his childhood and teenage years working side by side with his siblings, parents and Grandparents milking cows, planting wheat and pinto beans and all those tasks entail. He loved that life and had many treasured memories of that time. He attended Alta Vista School all twelve years of his education and graduated from there in 1947. He had four siblings; Everett Glen Heaston (Betty Jo), William Frank “Bill” Heaston (Velda); Juanita Mae Heaston Butler (Dean); Margaret Ann Heaston West (Keith).

Returning from a traditional hunting trip, Harold received in the mail the governments call to enlist. He and several of his friends, who had all been summoned, decided to serve their time in the military in the United States Air Force. His career was stellar and he was solicited to make it a career but the call of the farm was deep in his heart so he chose not to serve more than his allotted four years.

After some rigorous testing he was assigned to be an Air Traffic Controller. He didn’t even realize what that meant but took on the challenge with vigor. From his class he was in the top three. Sixteen airmen continued in this training in Biloxi, Mississippi and when they were finished, his class was split down the middle in the “H’s”. The top eight were assigned to Europe and England, the bottom eight went to Korea where the US was heavily involved in battle in the North Korea area. Harold was in the top sixteen of his class. He was assigned to RAF Burtonwood Air Force Base just outside the town of Warrington, England.

When he had finished his required time in the United States Air Force he headed back to join his family in milking and farming. Due to many changes in that industry he was unable to get his milk allotment, a required part of being able to market the milk. The then called CAA was after him to become a needed civilian Air Traffic Controller. Other options not being there, he responded and began what became a very successful career of 36 years including his military time. He was a superb controller and helped many other young men struggling to learn the job, saving their career. They applauded him at his retirement in 1987 and witnessed that without his gentle guidance they would have “washed out”.

Harold was an industrious man who never left many hours unfilled with some kind of work. Shift work with the now Federal Aviation Agency allowed him to have many hours to do other things, like manage a restaurant, selling manure for lawns in the early 1960s that he got along with his brothers at the farm. He became part of a business which detailed and shuttled used vehicles purchased by dealers, loading them on trains to be shipped to their dealerships in Utah. The memories of that time are many and have often been told by him and his family.

Visitation will be Thursday 7-8 pm, Imperial Funeral Home, funeral service Friday 10:00 am, Pueblo Christian Center, Interment Imperial Memorial Gardens.