As the Steamboat Pilot & Today reports:
Holding public office wasn’t just Saed Tayyara’s pastime or just another bullet point on his résumé.
It was a hallmark of his life.
Now, Tayyara’s family members and colleagues mourn the passing of the man and the public servant.
Tayyara, 67, died shortly after 8 p.m. Saturday in Craig.
Despite having been diagnosed with stage-four lung cancer in February 2007, Tayyara ran for and won a second term as Moffat County district 2 commissioner.
His daughter, Lisa Tayyara Coffman, 39, believes his passion for the position may have been what helped him exceed doctors’ initial predictions that cancer would overtake him within a year.
“I think the thing that kept him going for the last two years was serving as (county) commissioner and serving the people of Moffat County,” she said.
Tayyara emigrated to the U.S. from Syria in 1963 and became an American citizen in 1972. He came to Craig several years later, opening a Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant in Craig in 1975.
But it was as a politician, not a restaurateur, that he left his mark on Craig. During the next 30 years, Tayyara would forge a political career that spanned periods of boom and bust.
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Saed fought hard for Moffat County, particularly for his region’s share of energy impact funds. He was a forceful reminder to the powers-that-be in Denver that there is a region called northwest Colorado with heavy energy impacts that need to be addressed.
He will be missed.
He was very very very loved in Moffat and the surrounded counties – he’ll be missed by man
He was very very very loved in Moffat and the surrounded counties – he’ll be missed by many
who chose an interesting place to live. I’ve worked with Saed quite a bit through the years and while I found him to be completely close-minded to opposing points of view, I also knew no one that loved his community more or anyone who loved holding elected office more than he. He also tried to do what he thought was best for Craig and Moffat County. He truly appreciated what people had done for him when he came to the Valley and did his best to honor those that helped him.
I’ve always found it interesting that in a place as conservative (and maligned)as Moffat County, Saed was always embraced as a son. It shows that in some places the content of your character has always been valued more than where you were born or other ancillary characteristics.