Longtime Bayfield resident, town board and planning commission member Ed Morlan died Tuesday morning after complications from surgery. He had retired at the end of September after 27 years as executive director of the Region 9 Economic Development District, which serves the five counties in Southwest Colorado. He was intending to stay involved with economic development, contracting with First Southwest Bank to launch a venture capital fund and doing some consulting with Region 9.
A Celebration of Life ceremony will be Saturday at 10 a.m. at the Bayfield High School Performing Arts Center, followed by a potluck reception at the Pine River Senior Center.
The Region 9 SCAPE business accelerator program has established the Ed Morlan SCAPE Entrepreneurs Fund to accept donations in his honor. Donations may be made at any First Southwest Bank branch or they can be mailed to SCAPE, 1211 Main Avenue #1, Durango CO 81301. For information, call Elizabeth Marsh at 317-0880.
Morlan started with Region 9 in 1989 when it inherited $30,000 in debt to a federal grant agency from mismanagement by its predecessor agency. That had to be paid back before Region 9 could apply for other federal grants. Morlan told the Times in late August, "We cleared that up. In looking at my retirement, I feel fortunate that I can look back and say I did something, something right along the way."
Gov. John Hickenlooper declared July 28 this year to be Ed Morlan Day, complete with an official framed proclamation that Moran had on his office wall along with many other awards and mementos.
Morlan is survived by wife Jackie in Bayfield; a sister, Anny Taylor; daughters Amber and Kinsee Morlan; a son-in-law, Jeff Hammett, and two grandsons, Huxley and Harper Purl.
