Wyoming Rep. John Eklund dies

Wyoming State Rep. John Eklund, a Laramie County Republican and rancher, died Friday after a battle with cancer. He was 74. 

First elected to the House in 2011, Eklund focused much of his tenure on agricultural issues and water policy. His colleagues told WyoFile they’ll remember him for his mentorship, kind spirit and his thoughtful approach to lawmaking. 

“John Eklund was one of the finest people I have ever known,” said former Speaker of the House Albert Sommers, who served alongside Eklund for 11 years. “It was an honor to serve with someone who had his incredible heart and integrity.”

Gov. Mark Gordon ordered the Wyoming State Flag to remain at half-staff at the Capitol and in Laramie County until sunset on the date of Eklund’s interment. It was already at half-staff in honor of former Vice President Dick Cheney, who died Nov. 3.

“Wyoming has lost a dedicated public servant, a steadfast advocate for agriculture, and a man whose kindness touched everyone who had the privilege to know him,” Gordon said in a statement. “Jennie and I hold his wife, Suzi, and the entire Eklund family close in our thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.” 

Eklund “brought a steady hand, a gentle spirit, and a deep commitment to Wyoming’s agricultural community, work that earned him respect on both sides of the aisle,” Gordon said. 

That respect included Laramie Democrat Rep. Karlee Provenza, who served with Eklund on the House Agriculture, State and Public Lands and Water Resources Committee. 

“There was never a doubt in anyone’s mind that John Eklund cared deeply for the people of Wyoming and his district,” Provenza told WyoFile. “He led with his heart and treated everyone with compassion and kindness despite any contention our chamber was grappling with. I will miss his calming and loving presence and think about him often.” 

Jackson Democrat Mike Yin said, “it’s going to be hard for Laramie County to replace him,” and “I am thinking about Suzi and their family during this time.”

In the 2025 general session, Eklund co-sponsored successful bills to limit eminent domain for energy collector systems, to bolster private landowners’ rights to build fencing along state land and to create easements for local roads on state lands. 

He also brought legislation earlier this year to support veterans, including a bill to update the Wyoming Veterans Memorial Museum in Casper and to build a new veterans’ home in Buffalo. 

Eklund chaired several committees throughout his time in the Legislature, including the House Agriculture Committee, Select Water Committee, as well as the House Transportation, Highways and Military Affairs Committee. 

During its Friday meeting in Cheyenne, the Joint Education Committee took time to reflect on Eklund’s service to the state. 

Eklund and Sen. Chris Rothfuss, D-Laramie, were part of the same freshmen class of lawmakers in 2011. 

“So I’ve served with him my entire time I’ve served in the Legislature,” Rothfuss told the committee. “He was such an incredibly positive, kind, friendly, supportive person that really thought highly of the Wyoming Legislature, the institution. And so he served with class and with honor and certainly with endless hard work.”

“John was kind of a mentor to me, a great encourager in my first term,” Rep. Martha Lawley, R-Worland, told the committee. 

“He cared about new legislators, and he was willing to step in if you were open and receive that encouragement, guidance, those kinds of things. So it’s a loss, and we need more men and women like him in the Legislature,” she said.

Rep. Bob Davis, R-Baggs, told WyoFile he also benefited from Eklund’s mentorship. The two had first met about a decade earlier when Davis was a conservation district representative. 

“But then it was really unique when I got elected as a representative. John was there to greet me as a freshman,” Davis said. “And he helped me, showed me the path in the House, and what to look for and things like that. His insight was tremendously helpful to me.”

Speaker of the House Chip Neiman, R-Hulett, said that he admired Eklund for his kindness and his devotion to his community — as was shown, Neiman said, by his district’s decision to have him represent them for so many years. 

“I think he did a wonderful job of trying to be very fair, and really kept his constituents, I believe, at the forefront of his mind,” Neiman told WyoFile

The Wyoming Republican Party, the Wyoming Freedom Caucus and Secretary of State Chuck Gray also issued statements of remembrance. 

Long before he was a legislator, Eklund grew up in Albin, where he was boyhood friends with former lawmaker Dan Kirkbride. The two played sports and did FFA together. 

“He was just one of your nice friends from a good, rural family growing up,” Kirkbride told WyoFile. “And that’s who he was, and then he became all of that when he was an adult.”

As a lawmaker, Kirkbride said, “for him, it wasn’t war. It was an opportunity to serve.” 

“His family should be very proud of the man that he was,” Kirkbride said. “I’m sure that they are.”

(Disclosure: Kirkbride serves on WyoFile’s board, which does not have authority to direct news coverage or news content.)

Sen. Barry Crago, R-Buffalo, served with Eklund when he was in the House. The two ranchers would go on to become family friends. 

“He was the epitome of a family man,” Crago said, adding that Eklund would travel all across the state to watch his grandkids run track and play sports. 

“He was just a great human being,” Crago said. “It’s a huge loss for the Legislature. Huge loss for the state. We were lucky to have him while we did.”