Robert James Stahlecker

Bob was born at home on a farm 7 miles North of Bethune, Colorado on July 31, 1936 to Otto and Margaret Stahlecker. He was the 4th of 9 children. The Stahlecker family’s adobe farm had no electricity or indoor plumbing, and they burned wood and coal for heat & cooking. The Stahlecker family even had their own Lutheran church and cemetery which they started with several other homestead families in Bethune. Bob had the opportunity to visit his old family church in 2021, and the church still had photos displayed of Bob’s great grandparents.

In February 1945, the Stahlecker family moved to a small farm east of Berthoud, Colorado. They were overjoyed to have indoor plumbing & electricity. Bob attended Berthoud schools and graduated from Berthoud High School in 1954. Bob enlisted in the U.S. Coast Guard in Dec. 1954, spending 4 years in the Coast Guard.

After being honorably discharged from the Coast Guard, Bob took a job with Trans World Airlines (TWA) and moved to Kansas City, Missouri in 1960. He started out working as a ramp serviceman, loading cargo and fueling the airplanes. After 5 years, he transitioned to working with passengers as a customer service agent.

Bob married Sharon Travis on August 29, 1965. Although they were only married for 13 years, they had a wonderful family of three daughters: Shelley, JoDee & Janet.

Bob and his family enjoyed traveling with his pass privileges on TWA. He traveled to many different countries, including England, France, Germany, Italy, Denmark, Sweden, Portugal, Ireland, Switzerland, Israel, Egypt, China, Hong Kong, and Australia. Bob worked for TWA for 36 years in both Kansas City and Denver. He retired from TWA on December 31, 1995 (age 59) and happily never worked another paid job after that.

Bob’s retirement years were spent baby-sitting many of his grandchildren. He became known as “Grampy” to his family and neighbors. He even bought a minivan so he could drive his grandchildren around. He also enjoyed gardening and yard work, including maintaining the lawn at his church. Bob was a lifelong Christian and he believed strongly in being a servant to others. Because of this, his weeks living in Arvada were filled with volunteer work at Gethsemane Lutheran Church, Community Table/Arvada Food Bank, and Orphan Grain Train.

Bob passed away unexpectedly from a heart attack, surrounded by his family in Wheat Ridge, CO, on May 21, 2023. He is preceded in death by his parents and siblings Laverna Depperschmidt, Leonard Stahlecker, Mabel Crites, and an infant sister who was stillborn. He is survived by his daughters Shelley (Greg) Rodriguez, JoDee (Carl) Kuehn, and Janet Enderle along with grandchildren Jaime (Steve) Parker, Samuel (Moriah), Nathan (Jena), Joseph, Daniel and Gabe Rodriguez, Nicholas (Taylor) and Emma Kuehn, Sarah (Jeremy) Brown, Ashley Moore and great grandchildren Mason and Alessandra Parker, Alyssa and Clara Brown, Benjamin and Mia Moore and Walker Rodriguez. He is also survived by his siblings Ervin Stahlecker, Irene Aschenbrenner, Linda Schroetlin and Denise Schleiger, as well as nieces and nephews.

There will be a visitation held at Gethsemane Lutheran Church in Northglenn on Friday, June 9th at 1:00 PM followed by a service at 2:00 PM. A private burial will take place on Saturday, June 10th at Olinger Highland Cemetery in Thornton.

Grampy was a hero to his family, known for his wisdom, generosity and kind-heartedness. His legacy of love lives on through his family.

“Well done, good and faithful servant!” (Matthew 25:23).