William (Bill) Poitz, 84, of Fort Morgan, passed away around midnight April 10, 2021 at Eben Ezer Lutheran Care Center.

A Celebration of Life will be held at the Poitz Farms Shed (20766 County Road 23) on April 17 ^th at 3 pm.  Food will be served.  In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the William Poitz Memorial Fund, which will be distributed between Bill's favorite charities.

He was born April 20, 1936, in Boulder, Colorado to Curtis and Lula Poitz.  He grew up in the Arvada, Colorado area where he attended schools and graduated from Arvada High School in 1953.  During his childhood, Bill helped his dad farm and milk cows on their small dairy farm.

Bill was a junior in High School (15), not able to drive, when he went to work building chain link fences  in order to earn enough money to buy his first car, a 1946 Chevy Coupe.   During his senior year of high school, Bill met the love of his life, Sally Jane Miller.  Bill and Sally were married August 10, 1956, at a small country church in Arvada.  After their marriage, Bill had a variety of jobs from delivering milk and gas to being a utility man at a manufacturing company where he was offered a welding apprenticeship.  Instead, they decided to join forces with his brother Robert, who had bought a dairy farm in Fort Morgan, and packed up and moved in January of 1958.

In 1962, Bill and Sally were given the opportunity to rent a farm from Leonard and Esther Bernhardt and began their farming career on a $10,000 loan, which covered their machinery and the first year's expenses.  They farmed the Bernhardt place for 3 years and then rented the Ted Duncan farm, which later became their own in 1972.

Bill and Sally worked hard on a gopher ridden farm (with Sally trapping 103 of them the first year).   They raised sugar beets, corn and pinto beans, as well as cattle, sheep and pigs.  Their hard work paid off earning them several High Ten Awards and members of the President's Quality Club for Superior Beet production from the Western Sugar Company.

In 2003, Bill was stricken with Transverse Myelitis, paralyzing him from the waist down.  He partially recovered on his right side and fully recovered on the left, but was continually plagued by nerve pain in his legs and feet.  He and Sally continued farming until 2013.

Bill belonged to several boards; the Morgan County Planning and Zoning board, the local Sugar Beet board, and the Colorado State sugar beet board, which offered them many opportunities for travel and building lifelong friendships with fellow members.  He was also a lifetime member of the Elks Lodge.

Bill enjoyed all sports, especially the Bronco's!  He and Sally were season ticket holders for many years, attending almost every home game.  In his younger years, Bill enjoyed playing softball, bowling and even square dancing.  He and Sally especially enjoyed their monthly card games with their neighborhood friends.

Bill loved many things; he loved farming (especially planting, raising and harvesting sugar beets), he loved the Broncos, he loved his friends and neighbors, he loved driving around in the mornings looking at the crops, and most of all he loved his family.

Bill is survived by his wife Sally, his Son Curt and wife Deb, his daughter Shelly and husband Steve.  His grandchildren:  Cole (Amber) Frasier, Cady (Blair) Jess, Callie (Kirk) Crone, and Cody (Caitlyn) Poitz and his great grandchildren:  Blakely, Asher, Landree, and coming soon baby Crone, Collyns Frasier and coming soon baby Frasier, Carson and coming soon baby Poitz.