Galen H. Poyser

Galen Henry Poyser, of Cheyenne, died on September 26th, 2017 in a one car rollover accident near Fort Morgan, Colorado. It is believed that heavy fog played a role in the accident, and Galen was ejected from the vehicle.

Galen was born on July 20, 1968 to Ronald Gerald and Molly "Kearney" (nee George) Poyser, the third of four children. As a child, his family moved to Idaho, where Galen would go on to graduate from Idaho Falls High School, and attend courses at Idaho State University.

Some of Galen's fondest memories were of spending his summers as a young man working in his father's hotel, the Coast River Inn, in Seaside, Oregon. Galen soon found his niche as a talented automotive technician, working for businesses such as Napa Auto Parts, Joslins, Davies and Motor City in Pocatello, Idaho. He went on to work for several years at Wright's Auto Repair in Aberdeen, Idaho, where he found a dear friend in Tom Wright. After moving to Cheyenne, Galen worked for Halladay Motors. In 2013, Galen, spurred on by what family and friends were convinced was a midlife crisis or mild insanity, moved to Saint John in the US Virgin Islands, where he worked at the Saint John Repair Shop. Thankfully, ten months in the Caribbean was enough for a Ginger with very little skin pigment, and he returned to Cheyenne in the Spring of 2014. It was such a relief to his girlfriend to be able to nag him face to face, instead of from 3,000 miles away. Currently, Galen was the Service Manager of Transwest Auto Center in Fort Morgan, Colorado. In his relatively short tenure with them, he made many friends and garnered much respect.

Galen was preceded in death by his parents.

Galen is survived by his sister and two brothers, Tobi Alexander, Morgan (Tiffanie) Poyser and Jerry (Kristin) Poyser, nephew Jeremy (Cassie) Haynes, nieces Hailey, Ava and Emerson, great-niece Harper, his step-children Zac Korrell and Zanna Caudill, and his ex-wife Teresa Caudill. Galen is also survived by his long-term girlfriend, Holly Krahling, and their four-legged family members, dogs Smudge, Annie, Otis, Gus, and Emma, and cats Minnie and Newt.

Galen was incredibly kind and the first person to offer help to someone in need. In a much maligned industry, Galen was committed to quality, honest service for all his customers. Galen was a huge fan of sci-fi movies and novels. He loved loud, metal music and considered Clutch to be his favorite band. Galen spent a lot of time and money working to restore classic Toyota Land Cruisers. He enjoyed playing Quake online, and he counted Coors Light, bacon and butter as a few of his favorite things. He had a quick smile and always said that he could get along with everyone. His absence leaves a devastating void.

Family and friends are planning memorial services in Pocatello, Cheyenne, and Fort Morgan. Details will be forthcoming. Contributions in his name may be made to the Cheyenne Animal Shelter, or to Saint John for hurricane recovery at www.gofundme.com/stjohnrelief .




Article taken from the Fort Morgan Times, written by Paul Albani-Burgio, Times Staff Writier:

A Fort Morgan man died Tuesday morning after being ejected from his vehicle in a rollover crash on Highway 52.

Galen Poyser was ejected from his 1994 Blue Nissan after it went off the road and into a field where it rolled over.

Rick Stroh, the Sales and Finance manager at Fort Morgan's Transwest Auto Center, said Poyser was the Service Manager at Transwest. Stroh said Poyser was a native of Cheyenne, Wyoming, who had been living in Fort Morgan for a little over a year.

Stroh described Poyser as soft spoken but hard working and very well-liked.

"He would go to dinner with us every Wednesday and Thursday night and I still don't know a whole lot about Galen because he was more of a doer and less of a talker I would say," Stroh said.

Stroh said Poyser had earned the respect of both his coworkers and customers.

"We had a lot of customers that would deal only with Galen because he wouldn't BS anybody," Stroh said. "If one of his customers or coworkers needed something done in the back he never told anyone no."

Stroh also said that sometimes meant "working overnight to get cars done for customers" and "often staying late on weekends to help people from out of town who had broken down."

"Galen would do whatever he could for people," Stroh said. "He made an impact on everyone who worked with him here and is leaving behind quite a void because he was such a damn good man."

Stroh said Poyser is survived by his longtime girlfriend, Holly Krahling, who lives in Cheyenne.

According to Sgt. Rob Madden of Colorado State Patrol, the accident was reported at 7:41 a.m. It occurred about eight miles north of Fort Morgan near the intersection of Highway 52 and Morgan County Road AA.

Madden said that further details about the accident that may be contained in the complete accident report were not yet available due to an email attaching error made by the trooper who investigated the accident.

However, Madden said he had spoken with dispatch about the crash Tuesday and had been told that speed, alcohol and drugs were not being considered as factors in the crash. Madden said the crash remains under investigation and that there did not appear to have been any witnesses. He also said he would be getting in touch with the investigating trooper in order to get the complete accident report.

According to the Colorado Department of Transportation, Highway 52 was closed until about 9 a.m. following the accident.