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Eleanor M. Leeper
Eleanor M. Leeper
Obituaries
By News Staff, on January 6, 2022
Eleanor M. Leeper

Eleanor Mae Leeper, 95, died of heart failure at her son’s home in Montrose, Colorado. She was the daughter of Lelia and Oscar Linn in Canton, IL. She graduated from Canton High School and attended Knox College. She happily married Jerry Leeper on Oct. 26, 1945. They had 5 children and lived on the family farm for many years. They built an arts and cultural center, Shad Hill in Farmington, IL which they operated for 27 years. After they retired they built an earth shelter home on a beautiful forested area near Lewistown, IL and lived there for 20 years. They moved to Ouray in 2000 to be closer to their son Larry and his family. They loved their home in Idlewild, the beauty of the mountains, their many friends, and the hot springs pool.

Eleanor enjoyed her RV, traveling, the warm winter sun in Arizona, friends, family and reading. She read her Bible daily. When asked how she was, she always replied ‘I’m blessed.’ She was a member of the Ouray Christian Fellowship church and a Gideon. She was preceded in death by her husband, her sons, Larry and Randy, sister Margaret Glen, and brother Ed Linn. She is survived by daughter Jean, son Leon (Joanne), son Lindell (Jamie), and daughters-in-law Alice and Sue. She had 4 grandchildren, and 5 great grandchildren.

Services will be held at Ouray Christian Fellowship on Saturday, January 8 at 11 a.m. Memorials can be made to the Black Canyon Gideons Camp, P.O. Box 222 Montrose, CO 81402, Hope West, or the Ouray Christian Fellowship.

Fire surges into Cimarrons
Main, News...
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By Mike Wiggins and Erin McIntyre mike@ouraynews.com erin@ouraynews.com 
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Main, News...
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Blaze forces evacuations, destroys family cabin
News
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Looking Back
News
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July 1, 2026
Compiled from the files of The Ouray County Herald, The Ridgway Sun, and The Ouray County Plaindealer 60 Years Ago July 7, 1966 Dynamite charges started Ouray’s Independence Day Celebration with a ban...
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Ouray County commissioners responded to the good, the bad and the ugly from the “2026 Employee Viewpoint Survey,” saying they were pleased county employees said they generally like their jobs, committ...
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Towns must tighten taps, but shortages could have been worse
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Historic water shortages are drying out the scenic mountains that anchor Colorado’s tourist economy, prompting the state to issue emergency orders earlier this month allowing water to be shifted to th...
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The emergency response to the Gold Mountain Fire has been sudden and information is changing from day to day. Here are some answers to questions we have received from readers you might find helpful. I...
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Calendar & Events
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July 1, 2026
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UPDATE at 3 p.m. Wednesday – ALL THE ANIMALS HAVE BEEN EVACUATED Second Chance Humane Society is evacuating today due to the Gold Mountain Fire now burning east of Ridgway. The shelter, located on Cou...
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Ouray businesses and residents will have to hold their collective breath awhile longer until city officials decide whether the Fourth of July parade will go on as usual. City officials will announce b...
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