James Jordan

James Laurence (Larry) Jordan, was born September 16, 1936 and passed away July

24, 2023 at the age of 86.



Larry was born in Meeker Colorado in a log cabin to Raymond (Ray) and Ethal Jordan.

He was the first of four children. He lived on the family ranch on Morapos. For the first

three years of his education, Larry would ride five miles, one way, on horseback, to the

Morapos School. During the winter his dad would take him to school on the horse-drawn

sleigh. Sometimes when the winter weather was cold and stormy, Larry would stay with

the teacher until his dad could come and get him. During the summers, Larry would stay

on the ranch and help his Grandmother Ruth Jordan.



By the time Larry was entering fourth grade, his parents moved to Hamilton, Colorado

so his dad could work in the oil fields. He attended fourth through eighth grade at the

Hamilton School. He was the only student in his class. Upon completion of his

elementary program at a country school, Larry proceeded to high school in the big town

of Craig. This was quite the culture shock for Larry who preferred to saddle a horse and

ride from sunrise to sunset returning by the light of the moon.



During his high school years, Larry participated in football and track.

He brought home many ribbons for the mile run and high hurdles.



After graduation Larry worked for the Rio Blanco Guest Ranch. He met many

interesting people from the East coast to the West coast while taking them on pack trips

into the Flattop Wilderness.



After four years at the guest ranch, Larry’s childhood dream to work in the forest

became a reality. His expert horseback riding and mule train packing skills were noticed

by the Forest Service and he was asked to go to work for the White River National

Forest Service. Initially, he was their Head Packer. He would carry supplies into the

wilderness on horseback with a pack string of horses and mules where he would help

with trail work. This continued for two years at which time, the Forest Service decided

Larry should become a Forester. He attended Forestry School in Durango, Colorado.

Upon completion of his education, Larry, scaled logs and laid out timber for sales in the

Routt National Forest. Early on in his career, he quickly learned how to identify the

species of tree, its age, defects, and volume of board feet on a logging truck.

In 1963, he married Linda Loudy of Craig, Colorado. On March 26, they eloped to Fort

Collins, Colorado. Larry and Linda resided in Craig where they began their family.



In 1964 their first daughter, Laurinda was born. Daughter, Edwina followed in

1967 and son, Bruce rounded out the family in 1969.



In 1974, Larry moved his family to Kalispell, Montana where he continued his career

with the Forest Service.



Five years later in 1979, Larry transferred to the Bureau of Land Management and

moved his family to Dillon, Montana.



In the fall of 2001, after 38 years for the Federal Government, Larry retired. During his

career Larry had many memorable experiences. He covered a great deal of territory

seeing all kinds of wildlife and beautiful landscapes.



One of the responsibilities given to Larry during his time at the BLM was the

construction of the Continental Divide Trail between Montana and Idaho. Larry, worked

with the work crews for seven years toward the completion of the sixty-mile portion of

the Red Rock Pass/Centennial Mountain segment of the Continental Divide Trail. This

was some of his proudest work. Larry spoke of it often and his face would light up when

he told stories about this job.



Larry always carried a camera with him. This started at a very young age. After

retirement, he decided to take his hobby to a new level and begin a career as a

photographer. His first job was photographing the contestants at the Equestrian

Jumping Horse show in 2004. He continued as a photographer for many years with

Linda at his side.



Larry was a member of the Montana Back Country Horsemen and enjoyed many

wonderful rides with his fellow members.



Larry was an avid hunter and Denver Broncos fan. Fall was his favorite season

because he could go hunting for a big bull elk and watch the Broncos. When Larry

wasn’t hunting or watching football you could find him riding his horses, fishing or

irrigating his twenty acres of hay.



Every Fall, you could find Larry and Linda in one of their most loved places,

Yellowstone National Park. Larry loved to take photos in Yellowstone especially

of the elk. He could never get enough photos of them. He thought they were

the most amazing creature created.



Larry was a kind man with a huge smile and great sense of humor. He loved

life and his family and will be greatly missed.



Larry was preceded in death by his parents, Ray and Ethal Jordan, sisters; Peggy

Bailey, Mary Ryan and Donna McAnnany. Two nephews, Michael Bailey and Eric

McAnnany



He is survived by his wife, Linda, daughter Laurinda Stokke (Jade), daughter Edwina

Jordan, and son Bruce Jordan. Grandchildren; Ashlie Kalawaia (Kimo), Teron Stokke,

Trevor Atcheson, Trinda Atcheson, and Liam Ferriter. Great grandchildren; Joey,

Moana, Ulla-Pelle, Tristan, Darla, Hayden and Mikey. Brother-in-law, Bill Loudy (JoAnn)

and their 3 daughters and niece Kathy Bailey White.



Graveside services will held Monday, July 31, 2023 at the Mountain View Cemetery in

Dillon, Montana.