Paul Michael Villa

Paul Michael ""Mike"" Villa, 67, of Canon City, Colorado, passed away September 16, 2018 at Swedish Medical Center in Englewood, Colorado after losing his 8 year battle with Alzheimer's. He was born January 10, 1951 in Oak Ridge, Tennessee to Beatrice Ann Wahl and Paul Marion Villa, both of whom preceded him in death.

He is survived by his daughter Jessica Leiser, ex-wife Jennifer Villa, son-in-law Christopher Leiser, grandson Casen Leiser, and his sister Toni Streety.

Mike was proud to serve his country in both the US Army and US Army Reserves from 1970 to 1996 working his way up the ranks to Lieutenant Colonel and was honorably discharged at the end of his tenure. In 1996, his reserve unit, the 5502nd US Army Hospital, was mobilized to Heidelberg, Germany during the Bosnian Conflict where he worked as a Nurse Anesthetist. He received numerous awards during his time in service including an Army Commendation Medal, an Armed Forces Service Medal and a National Defense Service Medal.

He worked as a Nurse Anesthetist for 26 years, with upwards of 10 years at St Thomas Moore Hospital in Canon City and was greatly respected by his colleagues.

He was an avid outdoorsman who grew up surfing in Florida and climbed every Fourteener multiple times during his 30+ years in Colorado. He loved to hike and snowshoe and spent the majority of his spare time at his cabin in Cuchara, Colorado. He loved baseball, jazz music and German beer.

He was dearly loved by all who knew him and will be greatly missed.

A Memorial Service will be held at Fort Logan National Cemetery at 3:15 pm on Friday, October 19. A Celebration of Mike's Life will follow on Saturday, October 20 at 5 pm in Centennial, Colorado.

Memorial Service: October 19, 2018 3:15 pm

Fort Logan National Cemetery
3698 South Sheridan Boulevard
Denver, CO 80236
(303) 761-0117
https://www.cem.va.gov/cems/nchp/ftlogan.asp

Celebration of Life: October 20, 2018 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm

Rock Bottom Brewery
9627 E County Line Rd
Centennial, CO 80112