Webster Harrison Sill III, 75 years, husband of Diann Lynn Sill, passed away Tuesday, November 29, 2022, at St. Luke’s Hospital of Denver.
Born on October 28, 1947, in Parkersburg, West Virginia, he was the son of Charlyn Alice and Webster Harrison Sill Jr. Mr. Sill was raised and attended school in Manhattan, Kansas, before enlisting with the US Marine Corps in 1967. He completed Officer Candidate School in Quantico, Virginia, graduating a Lieutenant, and was then deployed to the jungles of Vietnam west of Da Nang. His time of service included jungle combat operations, serving as a liaison officer to the South Vietnamese Army, and rebuilding a school bombed by the NVA. Once returned stateside, he was stationed at Camp LeJeune, North Carolina, and following another year of service, he received an honorable discharge as a U.S. Marine Captain.
He attended Kansas State University, and later graduated in 1973 with a BA in Historical Geography from the University of Colorado, in Boulder, Colorado.
His life in Colorado was dedicated to his passions – Family, his Dog Buddy, Horses, Reading, History, The West, Rural Mountain Living, and service to the Gilpin County Community that he called his home. In 1996 he was elected Gilpin County Commissioner for the first time, again in 2000, and for the final time in 2021. His service as Commissioner to the People and the Land of Gilpin County were surely ranked among the proudest of all his life’s accomplishments, the crowning jewel of course being the facilitation, creation, and unanimous passage of the James Peak Wilderness Act.
Webster Harrison Sill III is survived by his wife, Diann Lynn Sill of Gilpin County, CO; his daughters, Laura Sill of Gilpin County, CO, Alisa Bivins and husband Elbert of Eagle, CO, Emily Riley and husband Dylan of Ridgecrest, CA; and his 6 grandchildren, James, Hunter, Cody, Quinn, Ruby, and Presley. He is also survived by his sister Susan Moore and husband Pat; his brother Warren Sill and wife Julie; and 8 nieces and nephews.
Mr. Sill will be interred with Military Honors at the Fort Logan National Cemetery in Denver, Colorado. His family will hold a private memorial at the James Peak Wilderness area to commemorate his legacy.
The family requests that any thoughts, prayers, or memories be sent to the following email address: websill@ecentral.com
