ELKO - Funeral services for Elko County Commissioner Grant Gerber, 72, who was knocked unconscious after his horse stumbled Oct. 7, were held Nov. 1 at the LDS East Stake Center in Elko. He died Oct. 25 in Salt Lake City.
The injury was suffered while Gerber, who joined the commission in 2012, was carrying petitions to Wash., D.C., for the Cowboy Express Grass March, undertaken to protest the Bureau of Land Management's handling of grazing issues in Lander County.
"Lander County is shocked and saddened to learn of the recent passing of Elko County Commissioner Grant Gerber," Lander County Commission Chair Brian Garner said last week. "Mr. Gerber was extremely involved in the community and had attended several Lander County Commission meetings over the past years. We would like to extend our sincerest condolences to Grant's family and friends. He will be truly missed."
Elko County Commissioner Demar Dahl was a longtime friend of Gerber's.
"I can tell you that they broke the mold when they made him because there's never been another one like him," Dahl said. "He had a great appreciation for the free country that
we all live in and he had a lot of appreciation for those who created the country that has provided all the opportunities for us that we have had over the years."
Gov. Brian Sandoval issued a statement Oct. 28 regarding Gerber's death.
"Commissioner Grant Gerber was a tireless advocate for access to, and management of, Nevada's treasured public lands and natural resources," Sandoval said. "Grant was fearless in expressing his beliefs and never hesitated to share his convictions. He was a passionate public servant with a deep love for his state and country."
Gerber, an Elko native who was also an attorney, died at a Salt Lake City hospital after undergoing surgery for his head injury. After the fall, Gerber was examined and released from a St. Louis hospital with no signs of bleeding.
After the petitions were delivered Oct. 16, he began having headaches and went to a hospital in Cheyenne, Wyo., on his way back from the march, reported the Elko Daily Free Press. It was there that doctors discovered internal bleeding and he underwent surgery in Salt Lake City Oct. 23.
Gerber was active in land management issues and the Smoked Bear campaign. He served on the Great Basin College Foundation's planned giving committee and the Northeastern Nevada Museum Board.
His 2012 commissioner campaign focused on the freedom of citizens in Elko County.
Assemblyman John Carpenter told the Elko Daily Free Press that if an injustice occurred, particularly in relation to the rights of landowners and resource users, he wouldn't quit working to right the wrong.
Contact Heather Hill at h.hill@winnemuccapublishing.net.
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