Merlyn ‘Pink’ Queen

    Merlyn Ellery Queen was born Oct. 28, 1943, to LaVerne Charles and Esmerelda Helen (Hume) Queen in Lodgepole, Nebraska. He died May 20, 2018, at the Life Care Nursing Home in Greeley.
    Merlyn “Pink” wrote this about his career with the Soil Conservation Service and his time served in the military: Pink started his career with the Soil Conservation Service when he applied for a summer job while attending CSU in 1965. He was assigned to the Fleming SCS office the first year, working with Walt Campbell and Paul Grimm. The next summer he was stationed at Akron with Tom Skillman and Gene Hoyer. The third summer he was stationed in Haxtun with Wally Bruce and Jack Falk as trainers.
    After graduating from Colorado State University in May of 1967 with a Bachelor of Science degree in agronomy, Pink was drafted into the U.S. Army. He was first stationed at Fort Bliss, Texas, for basic training and then at Fort Polk, Louisiana, for advanced training. In June of 1967, he was sent to Bein, Washington, Vietnam Replacement Center and from there to Vung Tau, Vietnam, where he was assigned to the 805th Transportation Company and spent the remainder of his one year in Vietnam. The last six months of his Army time was at Peterson Field in Colorado Springs. Pink was honorably discharged from the U.S. Army in January 1970.
    Pink Queen’s first permanent assignment with the Soil Conservation Service was in Greeley with district conservationist David Suddith. He was in Greeley for a year and a half and then was sent to Wray, where he worked with district conservationist Robert Altstadt and technician Bill Brown. After one and a half years in Wray, he was promoted to district conservationist and was sent to Yuma with technician Marvin Salvador.
    In August of 1974, he was again promoted and was stationed at Las Animas for about 9 1/2 years. When Chuck Allen retired in December of 1983 from the Haxtun SCS office, Queen applied for a lateral transfer to get back to northeastern Colorado. It was granted, and he moved to Haxtun in February of 1984, where he spent the remainder of his career with the Soil Conservation Service, renamed Natural Resources Conservation Service. Merlyn E. “Pink” Queen retired Oct. 28, 1998, after 33 years with the service.
    There was a family and friends viewing on May 25 at the Haxtun United Methodist Church. A graveside service followed at the Pleasant View Cemetery in Lodgepole, with Pastor Jeri Soens officiating.
    Baucke Funeral Home directed the service.