Courtesy photo
December 19, 1944 – October 7, 2019
Jo Laird, the girl from the trailer park, made her final journey to a better place Monday, October 7, 2019 free of the devastating ALS disease she battled for more than three years.
Jo arrive in Colorado on her 125 Honda motorcycle to find a new life for her 3 children. Jo landed a job immediately at a Chevrolet dealership as a cashier and shortly thereafter met her husband of 45 years, Larry Laird. Jo encouraged Larry to find a better life in the Colorado mountains and ended up in Dillon, Colorado where Larry and Jo started their Colorado real estate careers, eventually opening The Real Estate Group in the old town of Dillon across the street from the original post office.
Jo was a strong force in the Summit County real estate community and served several positions including 2000 President of the Summit Association of Realtors, Realtor of the Year in both 1992 and 2002 and the SAR representative to the Colorado Association of Realtors. Jo was known for her integrity and honesty.
Jo loved the town of Dillon and served on the Economic Development Committee, Dillon Town Council and Dillon Architectural Control Committee and was instrumental in bringing the development of the Dillon Ridge Commercial Center where The Real Estate Group moved their offices and ended when Jo’s health forced Jo and Larry to relocated to a lower altitude in Steamboat Springs, CO, recently making a permanent move to Payson, Arizona, where the Laird’s purchased a home overlooking the Chaparral Pines Golf Course where Jo could see the many Elk graze
On the lush fairways.
Jo was most known for her generosity, her humor and charming personality and had a motto, “You Will Never Regret Being Kind”. You could find Jo painting the Old Dillon Museum (by herself), spreading sand on the steep driveway to the old Dillon Post Office across the street from her office after seeing many fall and be injured on the ice, helping someone move furniture, driving a friend to Vail for cancer treatments and helping Larry as the Broker of Record for The Real Estate Group.
Most of all, she loved her daughter Shelly Laird and Jo’s Yorkies, in the end of her life caring for 3 Yorkies, Bailey, Halley and Tasha, who were inherited from Larry’s sister and mother, along with her treasured long haired Chihuahua, Emilee. Jo rescued Emilee who was found in the Arizona desert.
Jo never complained about her ALS disease and her Arizona friends started the Westbrook Village Annual ALS Golf Tournament two years ago where the Lairds have a second home, raising thousands of dollars for ALS research. “I have never met a person who knew Jo that did not love her,” remembers Larry.
She was a Guardian Angel to many and wanted nothing in return other than friendships. Remember Jo by making a contribution to ALS Research at webaz.als.org. There are no services planned at Jo’s request.