Former Leadville Mayor Bud Elliott, well known for his tireless generosity, volunteerism and community service, had a familiar response for anyone who inquired about his well-being — “Sparkly!”
Elliott, 70, died Sunday after testing positive for COVID-19, according to the current Leadville mayor and his son’s Facebook post.
A Leadville resident since 1994, Elliott served on the city council from 2000 to 2004 before becoming mayor from 2005 to 2013.
Friends and colleagues described him as a big man with a big heart.
“That is what he said every time I asked him how he was doing, ‘Sparkly!’ ” said Judy Mayne, Aging Well Coordinator at the Lake County Senior Center. “He was well-known for that, he just had that joy for life.”
Elliott volunteered for the senior center as a Meals on Wheels driver, Mayne said. And as a former nurse, Elliott “cared about how everyone was doing, he cared about the little things,” she added. “He was a very good-natured, very positive, very optimistic type of guy.”
Lyn Alweis, The Denver Post
Bud Elliott, then the mayor of Leadville, waves to a passing police car on March 8, 2007.
Elliott, who remained a dedicated presence in Leadville after leaving office, was as comfortable having a conversation over a cup of coffee as he was over a pint of beer.
“We use to have some fairly animated conversations,” Leadville Mayor Greg Labbe said.
For the most part, Labbe and Elliott are at different ends of the political spectrum, but both men agreed when talking about the community itself, Labbe said.
“The good thing about Bud was that we’d have those political conversations and put it behind us,” Labbe said. “We were always of a like mind when it came to the local community’s needs and we discussed it very often.”
On Monday, Lake County Public Health issued a news release announcing the “first known” COVID-19 death in the county. The department didn’t identify who it was, though described the victim as having “underlying health conditions and COVID-19 was believed to be a contributing factor to the death.”
During his political tenure, Elliott cited among his biggest achievements the development of the National Summit of Mining Communities, establishment of Leadville’s Historic Preservation Commission and preservation of the bus barn off of U.S. 24, according to Leadville Today.
Elliott also volunteered with St. George’s Episcopal Church in Leadville, which runs a community meals and food pantry program.
His son, Evan, shared the news of his father’s death on Facebook.
“My dad loved Leadville and its people,” the post said. “Caring for people was my dad’s passion, and his last conversations with us were about his volunteer work, his concern for friends impacted by dangerous winter storms, and his love for his granddaughter.”
Elliott was preceded in death by his wife, Heidi Davenport Elliott, in December 1989.
Plans for a service, to be held outdoors in Leadville, are pending. Contributions may be made to St. George’s Church, or to Advocates of Lake County, a nonprofit support network for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault.
