Grant C. LeMaster

Grant LeMaster of Denver, Colorado. Husband of Eda Kay. Father of Robert, William (PaulEtta) Daniel, David &Stephen. Grandfather of Timothy, Charity (Craig), Matthew (Kelly), Sara (Jonathan), Chrystal (David), & Forrest. Great-grandfather of Presley, Cadence, Ayden, Christopher, Rosemary, and Dante. Preceded in death by wife Eda Kay, and sons Robert and David. Grant will be deeply missed by all who knew and loved him.

Grant Coleman LeMaster was born to Benjamin Franklin LeMaster and Willis Mary Coleman on November 7, 1932. He was the youngest of eight children and lost both of his parents at a young age. Grant spent most of his youth in the Clayton College home for Fatherless Children, which took in boys between the ages of 6 and 10. He described his years at Clayton College as “filled with freedom”--- he and the other boys would spend their summers at Buffalo Creek Campground camping, hunting, and fishing, and would do a yearly trip to hike up Windy Peak. He described his childhood as “a lot of fun” and enjoyed getting into mischief.

Grant met Eda Kay Himes while they attended Manual High School in Denver. He graduated a year before she did, and enlisted in the Navy after graduation. Grant proposed to Eda Kay while he was stationed in San Diego and the two were married in 1953 in Eda Kay’s parents’ backyard. Grant was in the Navy from 1951-1955, and was stationed aboard the USS Cutlass, which took him to Norfolk, Virginia, Groton, Connecticut, and Guam. Grant and Eda Kay lived for a short while in Virginia before returning to Colorado to settle down in Thornton, which later became Denver.

Grant and Eda Kay had their first son Robert in 1954 who died shortly after birth, followed by William in 1956, Daniel in 1958, David in 1960, and Stephen in 1962. While the boys were growing up, Grant worked as a machinist at Morse Chain company where he mainly worked on speed reducers. His work was used in many commercial and civic projects, most notably the gear system for the conveyor belts at Denver International Airport. He retired in the early 2000’s when the company relocated to Tennessee.

Grant loved working with his hands and being outdoors. He was an avid gardener, woodworker, and fisher. He built beautiful furniture for his family, and loved showing his grandchildren his workshop. He took great pride in his garden and would meticulously plan his Spring and Fall plantings so that flowers were always blooming. The family would often vacation in Leadville during the summers, and Grant would spend the time fishing and hiking with his sons and grandchildren while telling stories and “grandpa jokes.” Grant was also an avid distance runner, and ran the Bolder Boulder 10K twelve times between 1988 and 2003, finishing the race twice in his 70’s.

Grant was a man of God his entire life. He studied to become a minister at the Rocky Mountain Bible College, and while he never took on his own congregation, always remained close to God. He led weekly Bible studies for most of his life and regularly connected with his church community. Toward the end of his life, he got closer to God and asked his caretakers to read the Bible to him to bring him comfort.

Part of Grant’s legacy is the lesson his life taught us about friendship and trust. In his relationship with Eda Kay, which spanned nearly 60 years, they described each other as the “very best of friends”. He could be trusted with any secret. Grant listened intently when people came to him with problems or truths about themselves that made them uncomfortable or ashamed, and he always took these conversations in confidence. While he would offer advice, he would never pass judgment or criticism, and his assistance was always given with the intent of helping others to love themselves more because of their imperfections. Deb Ellis came into the LeMaster family when she was a teenager, and has remained a family member as the daughter they never had. Grant and Deb always had a strong bond. She describes Grant as “someone who treated me as a true friend but more than that he treated me like a daughter.”