Robert Willard ""Bob"" Kleeman

95, passed away peacefully on February 21, 2019. Born on November 24, 1923, Bob, the only child of Genevieve and Henry Kleeman, was raised on a ranch near Elizabeth, Colorado. One could say Bob's story begins with a trusted ranch dog. If it were not for Binx pulling the toddler out of a freezing creek, what follows would not have come to be. As a child, Bob's best friend was his horse named Brownie, who would patiently wait whenever he fell off. While a student at Elizabeth High School, Bob played the saxophone (as well as in local bands) and competed on the speech and debate and basketball teams. Most importantly, though, while there, Bob met his sweetheart and future wife of 72+ years, Dorothy Tapparo.

At the age of 19, Bob enlisted with the Army Air Corps and was trained as a B-17 radio-gunner. On its first combat mission to Berlin, Bob's plane was shot down over the North Sea. Thirteen months and two prisoner-of-war camps later, Bob and his fellow servicemen were liberated by the Russians. Upon his return home, Bob married Dot on March 28, 1946 in Elbert. In April of that same year, Bob embarked upon a 42 year career with The Denver Dry Goods-working from electronics salesman to store manager. After retiring from The Denver, Bob worked in the Centennial AAA office for 15 years.

In his retirement, Bob enjoyed volunteering for the church as a eucharistic minister and volunteering for the library. An avid reader, skier, hiker and birder, Bob loved nature (as well as the Broncos and the Rockies!). Arguably, Bob's favorite place on earth was a peaceful hill, ""the Ranch"" in South Park or, as he termed it, ""God's Country"". A humble, loving, and devoted husband, father, grandfather/great-grandfather, Bob took an active interest in the lives of his children and grandchildren, especially as a vocal fan on the sidelines of the many teams on which the kids played.

He is survived by his wife, Dorothy; daughter, Sharon (Tom) Dobson; son, Gary (Katie) Kleeman; son, Lary (Sue) Kleeman and son, Patrick Kleeman. Also, eight grandchildren-Hillary (Andy) Sherwood and Martha (Ryan) Carr; Harry, Riley, Vinnie, Charlie, Joey, and Nikolai Kleeman-and one great-grandson, Luke Sherwood.

Visitation at 4p.m. and Rosary at 4:30 p.m., Sunday, March 3, Horan & McConaty, 1091 S. Colorado Blvd., Denver. Funeral Mass at 11 a.m., Monday, March 4, St. Thomas More Church, Centennial, with a reception to follow in the Parish Hall. Interment at Elizabeth Cemetery following the reception. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Habitat for Humanity or the Wounded Warrior Project.

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