George Maxfield Sheldon Iii

George Maxfield Sheldon III, age 78, of Montrose, Colorado, passed away on March 27, 2017, peacefully in his sleep.

He leaves his wife of 37 years, Jerilyn Sheldon, and children; Zita Pitcher, Leslie Sheldon, Eric Sheldon, Mark Sheldon and his grandchildren; Erin Pitcher, Daniel Pitcher, Ben Wallace, Sam Wallace, Dalton Sheldon, Trevor Sheldon and Myles Sheldon.

George was born in Glendale, California on April 1, 1938.  As a young man, he lived and worked in Guatemala, Vietnam, Afghanistan and other countries before settling in New Mexico.  He worked as the Vice-President of Operations for Plains Electric Distribution Cooperative in Albuquerque, NM, where he became an expert in hydroelectric issues.  As a result of this, George was an active member of the Colorado River Energy Distribution Association (CREDA) and lobbied Congress on behalf of the utilities dependent upon the river for generating power.  He was a graduate of Don Martin Engineering School, Hollywood CA; a Licensed Radio Telephone Operator and an Aerial Photographer.

George retired in 1994 and enjoyed exploring the US with Jerilyn in his travel trailer then lived in Brownsville, Texas before moving to Montrose, Colorado in 2001.  He had many hobbies that included working as a volunteer lighting director for the Taos, NM Little Theater; was an avid fly fisherman, a gardener extraordinaire and in recent years enjoyed working on his 1924 Ford Model TT.

Sadly, Parkinson’s prevented him from doing many of the things that he had planned for his retirement years.  However, during the struggle with his illness, he was most fortunate to have loving friends in Montrose who were always ready to help when needed.

The family will be holding a small celebration of George’s life in lieu of services.   Crippin Funeral Home & Crematory in Montrose is assisting the family.