June 22, 1929 – February 22, 2024

A life well and fully lived
Donald Henry Acord passed away February 22, 2024 surrounded by family, and rejoined his best friend and beloved wife, Shirley.

Don was born in Greeley, Colorado on June 22, 1929 to Francis Acord and Rebecca (Dagle) Acord. In 1930 Don’s family moved to a ranch on the Williams Fork, near Parshall, where they raised hay and dairy cows. In 1942 the Acord family moved to a ranch between Granby and Tabernash; their property was later purchased by the YMCA of the Rockies and became part of Snow Mountain Ranch.

He worked various jobs in logging, sawmill and ranching before enlisting in the United States Navy in 1948 for the Korean War. Most notably Don served on a Landing Ship Tanker as part of the Incheon Landing, which was the amphibious assault by Allies to retake the Korean peninsula.

In 1953 he met the love of his life, Shirley Cody, when she worked in Grand Lake as a telephone operator for Mountain Bell. They married on September 11, 1954, and had five children: Terry, Polly, Mike, Pat, and Kelli.

Don was an avid reader. He also loved to hunt, fish and camp, especially with his family. He taught his three older children to ski as soon as they could walk, and he drove the ski bus to deliver his two younger children and grandson to the ski area whenever there were ski days. Don spent many hunting seasons up Ute Pass with family and good friends. Don and Shirley loved to travel, and their favorite trips were camping along the way to Alaska and then back home again.

Don was an icon in Grand County and he greeted everyone with his infectious smile. He supported the 4-H, The Middle Park Fair, and his children’s, grandchildren’s and great-grandchildren’s activities and sports. He was a proud member of Veterans of Foreign Wars, the American Legion, and a regular face at the Memorial Day and 4th of July parades. Don was always known for helping individuals anytime, anywhere, and however he could. He is already greatly missed.

A family man through and through, Don is survived by his children Terry (Steve) Zupan of Pueblo West; Polly (Gary) Allison of Granby; Mike (Kim) Acord of Florence, AZ; Pat (Cathy) Acord of Granby; and Kelli (Jon Skelly) Acord of Sandy, OR; his grandchildren Paul (Tracey) Ray, Becky Allison, Gretchen (Danny) Reynolds, Wendy Allison, Zach (Mabon) Acord, Tami (Jeff) Vague, Mary (Daniel) Scheihing, Michael Acord and Erin Swietlicki, Samantha (Doug), Marc (Katie), Dominque (Dave), David (Suzanne), and Patrick (Rhonda); and His great-grandchildren Jackson, Brendan, Brady, Layla, Charlee, Karmen, Daniel “Shug”, Kodi, Henry, Allie, Harper, Oaklee, Maverick, Trinleigh, Afton, Delante, Jenna, Jerad, Arianna, Gianna, Jordan, Salim, Callie, and Collins.

A celebration of life and memorial will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, please consider donations in Don’s name to the Grand County Library, Grand County Veterans, Grand County Seniors, or the Grand County charity of your choice.