Russell Anthony Hargreaves

Russell Anthony "Russ” Hargreaves, 63, died Thursday, Jan. 7, 2021, at Medical Center of the Rockies in Loveland, Colorado of injuries sustained in a fall on Dec. 22, 2020. His daughter Mary Pauline "Polly” Pryor was by his side during his two-and-a-half-week stay at the hospital. Born June 4, 1957, in Newton, N.J., he spent most of his childhood in Salisbury, Md., with is father, Bernard Crosby Hargreaves, his mother Katherine "Kit” Smith Hargreaves and his sister. He was predeceased by his mother, who died of cancer when Russ was 9 years old, and his father, who died of heart failure at age 95. He attended high school at the Miller School of Albermarle in Charlottesville, Va., after which he enlisted in the U.S. Navy and worked two years as an aircraft mechanic. He returned briefly to Salisbury before making his way to Estes Park, Colo., where he worked several jobs and enjoyed long-distance bicycling from Estes Park to Fort Collins. In addition to his daughter, Polly, Russ is survived by his son-in-law, Johnathan Pryor, and a sister, Susan Hargreaves Parker, her husband, Robert, and their children, Kimberly Austin (Gary), Todd Benjamin Parker and Chad Goodman Parker (Elizabeth) all from the Salisbury, Md., area. In 1994 he met Janet Sutton through a story in a local newspaper. She had just moved from Pennsylvania to Colorado with her three children with hopes of starting a new life for her young family. They were married on March 8, 1996, and Russ could not have been more thrilled to become a father to her three children – Brockton Sutton, Annastasia Sutton and Polly Frishkorn. He hoped to adopt all three children, but Brock and Anna’s father would not agree. Polly was only about a year old, and her birth father was not involved in their lives, so he was able to adopt Polly Hargreaves. The couple divorced a few years later but he continued to help raise all three children. He was always there for Brock and Anna throughout their childhood and adult lives, but he made raising Polly his sole focus for the remainder of his life. She was always first in his eyes and he loved making her childhood fun and exciting. Russ was passionate about spreading the word of God. He wrote poems, stories, songs and played guitar for church groups, friends and family. A hard-working man, he worked all sorts of different jobs, including 26 years at Sears in Fort Collins and 12 years at Poudre Valley Hospital in patient transport. The remainder of his time was spent with his daughter Polly. Another passion for him was riding his motorcycle. He would take his Harley to Sturgis every year, and it was there that he met Valerie Vose, who also loved riding. They spent about 12 years together and were best friends. He loved animals, and during his marriage with Janet they had all sorts of farm animals on their property at Carter Lake. Later in life, Polly, Valerie and Russ got involved with reptiles together. They owned a variety of snakes and lizards, and would use these animals to further educate the public about their importance in our world. He remained passionate about reptiles until the end. Russ was known as a loving, caring and goofy man, always smiling and trying to make everyone around him happier. He was a free spirit who just wanted to live life to the fullest, while being an amazing father and role model. On July 14, 2018, Russ welcomed Johnathan Pryor into the family as his son-in-law when they exchanged wedding vows. It was one of his happiest days in recent years, as he had the privilege of walking his daughter down the aisle on top of a mountain near Keystone, Colo. He always wanted the best for Polly and knew Johnathan would take care of her the same way he had done for her. Russ will be greatly missed by his family and friends, and remembered as having lived a full, happy and meaningful life.