Jeff Morehead

Jeffrey Harold Morehead, 62, of Steamboat Springs, Colorado, passed away at home on March 11, 2026, surrounded by his wife, Lura Briscoe, and his cherished black cat, Tripp.

Born on December 10, 1963, in Moberly, Missouri, Jeff was the son of the late Harold Morehead and Libby (Baker) Morehead. He spent a carefree childhood in Park Forest, Illinois, during the 1960s and 1970s, years he affectionately called his “wonder years.” There he discovered a love for bicycling, skateboarding, Frisbee, model rockets, photography, and early video projects. He graduated from Rich East High School in 1982 and later attended Southern Illinois University. In 2023, after more than thirty years together, he married Lura, the love of his life.

Jeff worked across the country as an industrial power maintenance technician before visiting Steamboat Springs on a weekend trip in the 1990s. He instantly fell in love with the mountain town and made it his home for the next thirty-five years. In Steamboat he became a familiar face as an airport shuttle driver, welcoming visitors and sharing his deep affection for the area. He embraced the mountain lifestyle with enthusiasm, enjoying mountain biking, ski touring, gardening, yoga, photography, and video work. He took special pleasure in driving his 1967 Chevelle and 1969 GMC pickup, and he always looked forward to Lura’s Tuesday night steak dinners.

Outgoing and quick with a smile, Jeff never met a stranger. He found his greatest joy volunteering and working at the Yampa River Botanic Park, where he tended the gardens he helped create and took pride in guiding visitors along the paths and sharing the resident osprey nest. He is survived by his wife Lura; brother Mike Morehead and sister Michelle (Nelson) Gibler of Centralia, Missouri; his father’s life partner Penny Petty of Paris, Missouri; stepmother-in-law Mardee Briscoe and brother-in-law Austin Briscoe of Arizona; nieces and nephews Paige Clark, Brice Gibler, Spencer and Jamie Bagwell; step-family members Lacy Gibson and Jennifer Hill; and many other relatives and friends whose lives he touched. He was preceded in death by his parents, father-in-law James Briscoe, mother-in-law Alexis Thomas, and sister-in-law Maribeth Bagwell.

Jeff’s adventurous spirit and love for the Rocky Mountains remain a vivid part of the memories held by all who knew him. His presence will be deeply missed, yet his warmth and curiosity will continue to live on in the gardens he cared for and the mountain trails he loved.