Harold Golus

Harold M. Golus, 86, of Grand Junction, CO, died Wednesday, December 30, 2015 at his home in Grand Junction. Funeral services will be at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, January 5, 2016 at St. Josaphat’s Catholic Church in Loup City with Father Martin Egging officiating. Burial will be held at the Evergreen Cemetery at Loup City with military honors by the Loup City American Legion Post #48. Visitation will be from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Tuesday at the church. Memorials are suggested to St. Josaphat’s Catholic Church or to the donor’s choice.

 Harold was born on February 27, 1929 on a farm near Rockville to Peter and Cecelia (Kuta) Golus. He attended school in Loup City and graduated from Loup City High School in 1946. After high school he worked on a dairy farm and then entered the Air Force during the Korean conflict. He married Rita Ann Hammett on August 30, 1958 in Ft. Collins, CO. He graduated from Colorado State University in Ft. Collins, CO with a B.S. in agronomy in 1960. He earned a master’s degree in 1974. In 1977 he and his family traveled to Egypt on a USAID project, where he spent two years helping Egyptian farmers improve their irrigation methods. Mr. Golus was an agronomist for Colorado State University's Western Colorado Research Center in Fruita, CO for 38 years. He served as its superintendent from 1984 until his retirement in 1998. His research included work on soil salinity, sugarbeet fertility, and small grain variety performance testing. He played the accordion and enjoyed polka music and classic cars. In later years he spoke often of his happy childhood in Loup City. He is survived by his son John of Grand Junction, CO; daughter Carrie of Chicago, IL; four sisters, Loretta Drake of San Diego, CA; Marjorie Whalen of Baton Rouge, LA; Virginia Lucero of San Diego, CA; and Patricia Asher of Washington, IL; and two grandchildren, Ben and Alex Welch. He was preceded in death by his wife Rita Ann; four premature babies; parents; brother Theodore and sister Jeanette Guynes.

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