Darrel Stiger

Darrel Eugene Stiger was born to Clarence and Maude Stiger at Wellington Hospital, Wellington, Kansas, on April 21, 1924. He died on April 5, 2009, in Cottonwood Heights, Utah. He was raised with his brother Clarence, Jr. on his parents' farm, and after attending rural Sumner County, Kansas, schools, graduated from Mulvane High School in 1941. He enlisted in the U.S. Army on December 7, 1942, and served as a weather observer until his discharge with the rank of Sergeant in February 1946. He immediately enrolled at Kansas State University where he met Gail Groberg. They were married in Clifton, Kansas, August 15, 1948, and Darrel graduated in May 1949 with a B.S. in Architecture. His first job was with a private architect in Winfield, Kansas, but in early 1950 he was hired by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation in Heart Mountain, Wyoming. Wyoming was a fisherman's paradise for the two Kansas flatlanders, but in the fall the office was moved to Billings, Montana. They lived in Montana until spring and then moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico, when the U.S. Coprs of Engineers hired Darrel. He worked for Phillips Petroleum in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, in 195, while maintaining hisown architectual office in Coffeyville, and later in Hutchinson, Kansas. Colorado and the Rocky Mountains beckoned in 1957 and the family moved to Littleton, Colorado. Darrel was employed in the Denver area by the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs, U.S. National Park Service, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, retiring as Regional Supervisor in 1985. While in government service, he did consiterable traveling, mostly in the U.S. One memorable trip toNew Delhi, India turned out to be a round-the-world journey as he left Denver for New York, then flew to London, New Delhi, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Tokyo, Hawaii, San Francisco, and finally back to Colorado. The trip was interesting, but long and tedious and he was glad to return home. In his retirement years Darrel devoted even more time to his favorite pastime, golf, as a member of Pinehurst Country Club in southwest Denver. He thoroughly loved the game, participated in many tournaments, and developed many friendships. Additional hobbies included woodworking, watching the local pro sports teams, and gardening. His farming background was evident in his abundant vegetable harvests. To be nearer to the family, he and Gail left Denver for Fort Collins, Colorado in May 2005, and then on to Utah in October 2008. He is survived by his wife Gail, brother Clarence, Jr., children, Pam (Wally) Jacobson of Fort Collins, Mark (Lora) of Gunnison, Colorado, and Kim (Jordan) of South Jordan, Utah, niece Julie and her daughter Christina, and five grandchildren, Erik, Leah, Alex, Aubrey, and Megan. A service honoring his memory will be held Friday, April 10th, at 10:00 a.m. at the Horan & McConaty Funeral Home, 3101 South Wadsworth Boulevard, Lakewood, Colorado. Interment will follow at Fort Logan National Cemetery, Denver.