Kenneth Colpitts passed away April 16, 2024, in Rapid City, South Dakota after a short battle with RSV that exacerbated other health conditions. He was born to Carmen (Devenport) Colpitts and Bert Colpitts on August 3, 1946, in Enterprise, Oregon. He was raised the youngest of seven at the family homestead in Troy, Oregon. He attended Troy Elementary for 8 years. He then boarded with oldest sister Betty and attended Lostine High school for one year. The family then sold the Troy property and bought property at the head of the Wallowa Canyon where he then finished high school at Wallowa High School. He and his classmate of 60 years remained close till the day he passed. He was looking forward to the 61st class/all school reunion in May of 2024.
Ken loved to work. He got his work ethic from his dad. He spent many, many hours next to his dad learning logging in the CAT equipment. Ken worked summers logging and putting up hay. He and his older brother Shorty would fight over who would drive the hay down to the house. His brother-in-law Don also mentored Ken in the logging camp. Logging to the Colpitts’ was the family business. At age eight Ken was diagnosed with Epilepsy and was unable to get a license till 17, despite not ever being held back from anything by his parents. Epilepsy stopped him from participating in sports but that was it. At 19, with a fairly new car and money in his pocket he went to Houston, Texas to make his fortune. He lost the cockiness working in whatever he could find; overhead cranes, machine shops, and the oil field work. In 1966, he married Francis Taylor. From this union came Mona in 1967 in Houston. They moved as a family of three back to Halfway, OR where in 1968, Lucretia Ann (Lucky) was born prematurely. Lucky lived three months in the hospital in Pendleton, OR where both her parents made the long journey to visit every weekend. The stress of the premature birth and the missing of family he moved his now family of four back to Houston. In 1971, he and Francis divorced, and Ken moved back to Oregon but to Hereford this time, where he met Phyllis Butts. On June 10, 1972, he and Phyllis were married. Later in 1972 they decided to be forest service contractors and helped with thinning and started their business with one CAT and a second joined the business two years later. Ken hired Phyllis’ cousin, Wes Morgan to help run the business. Ken and Wes walked 99 miles of fence every spring repairing it from winter damage.
In a twist of fate in 1975 Ken and Phyllis went to Texas to fight for the girls. In the end of the two-week jury trial, Ken was awarded sole custody of Mona and Lucky. Due to the seasonality of the logging work Ken worked for ranchers feeding cows in the off season. In 1979 the forest service began shutting down the logging industry which in turn shut down fire suppression and thinning.
In 1980, Ken and Phyllis moved to Gillette, Wyoming, where Ken started in the coal mines. During his time at the mines, he gained a few members of the family. Mona married Kevin in September of 1983, Whitney (Ken and Phyllis’ daughter) was born in August of 1984, and KC (Ken Colpitts Jr) was born in August of 1988. He also gained two grandchildren, Erick Schram (1985) and Mike Schram (1987). In 1989, Ken supported Kevin when Mona and Kevin divorced, and Kevin got full custody of the children. In 1992, Kevin (the now son not in law anymore) married Lori Jacobson, and Ken gained two granddaughters with Jaci (1984) and Kim (1988). These grandchildren and Whitney and KC were all raised together….two sets of triplets. In 1995 he gained chosen daughters Kaycee and Kristin Smelser, which turned into two sets of quadruplets when all the kids were camping together.  He took early retirement from the coal mines in 2000 and started working for Campbell County. In 2002 with a horrific car accident Ken ended up disabled and in pain for the rest of his life.
He is proceeded in death by both his parents; daughter, Lucky; and son, KC; sister, Betty; brothers, Hap, Bob, and infant brother Jimmie Bert; and nephew, Tony Guy.
Ken is survived by his wife of almost 52 years, Phyllis; daughter, Mona (Mike) Miller; daughter, Whitney (Travis) Llewelyn; chosen daughters, Kaycee Smelser and Kristin (Nick) Theilen; grandchildren, Erick (Ember) Schram, Mike (Rachel) Schram, Jaci (Adam) Mathes, Kim (Phil) Fry, Caleb and Eli Miller, Spencer (Kristyn) Smith, KaCe Llewelyn, Ethan Llewelyn, and Aedan Llewelyn. He has 15 great-grandchildren, and numerous nephews, nieces, and cousins all over the country and Canada.
Black Hills Funeral Home and Crematory assisted with the cremation and care of Ken’s body. A Celebration of life will be held at Pat Mueller Shelter at Dalby Fishing Lake in Gillette, WY on August 3, 2024 from 12-4pm.
