Rodney Lloyd Dornan

Rodney (Rod) was born April 12, 1939, in Denver, CO to Donald Dornan and Elfie Dornan nee: Baker. Rod had no children but helped raise Nathan, Tammy, and Bruce Shotts. Rod had an older sister, Flora Lee Haskins who preceded him in death, and a younger brother, Dave Dornan who survives. Rod is further survived by Dave’s wife, Jill, their children Katie and Grant (wife Emily and great niece Josephine)), nephew Ron Worthington (wife Jennifer) and great niece Patty Moreno (husband Sonny).

Some things about Rod Dornan’s life:

Compassionate/Caring… Unselfish… Resourceful… Independent and protective of his independence… Great with his hands… Creative… Frugal… Self-conscious… Long suffering BUT defensive if he felt pushed too hard or unfairly.

Rod’s nickname as a kid was “Tinker.” He was always building something with his hands. He loved being outdoors. He felt confined, shy, self-conscious, defensive and different from the other kids at school. As a result, he didn’t finish high school. He aspired to be a park ranger so he could be in nature and away other people’s judgement of him. But to be a park ranger Rod needed further education so that dream was never realized.

Rod was a man of modest financial means but was resourceful and had a full life. He could make a dollar go farther than anyone. Here are just a few of the things he did… He went to barber school, then became a ladies hair dresser. He moved to California and the hair dresser for several movie stars. He drove cattle trucks across country. He was an irrigation company ditch rider. He owned a hamburger shop in Perth, Australia. He managed the I-80 motel in Roggen, CO. He owned the Whistle Stop Café in Roggen, Colorado. He was a tremendous cook. He built and sold furniture made from scrap wood. He was the handyman at the Fairplay Museum.

With minimal resources and with his ‘tinkering hands,” he built some amazing things… He converted the old Roggen school house into an eight bedroom home. He transformed the abandoned Roggen gas station into a beautiful retirement cottage for his mom and dad. He built the Whistle Stop Café. He created a small duplex in Roggen for his sister and his nieces to occupy. He built a Hobbit-like home on 5 acres, nestled against national forest in the mountains outside of Hartsel, CO.

Though Rod felt himself different from others, Rod had compassion for people. He acted on this compassion. He cared for his mom so that she could stay in her home until her death. His niece was in an abusive relationship… To shelter his niece and her daughter, Rod sold a mountain lot that he loved in order to finance and build a small house behind his residence in Roggen.

Rod’s dream was to live in his mountain cabin in South Park. Remember Rod wanted to be a park ranger. His isolated mountain home scratched that itch. But after his partner left him, Rod remained in Roggen and cared for his mom so she could stay in her home until she passed. After his mother died, Rod finally got to live in his mountain cabin full time, and he became beloved in that community because he generously helped his neighbors in need.

Rod’s cabin was as cute as it could be, but it was very rustic. He cut down trees for fuel. He hauled in drinking water. He was off grid and had only a tiny solar panel for very minimal electric power. He loved his little mountain critters, voles, chipmunks, birds, etc. He enjoyed feeding them. In 2015, as Rod was working as the handyman at the Fairplay Museum, he fell from high scaffolding. This was the beginning of Rod’s decline. Rod declined physically and cognitively but lived in his cabin for eight more years. His brother Dave, who lived 250 miles away, managed more and more of Rod’s finances and medical treatment from behind the scenes. A neighbor, Bob Stefanski, graciously helped Rod in many ways. Our family cannot thank Bob enough for the role he played in helping Rod remain in his beloved cabin as long as he did. Rod resisted any thought of moving out of his house. He would defiantly tell his brother Dave that he would never move. Really, this defiance reflected Rod’s independence. It should be noted that Rod was his brother Dave’s hero.

In 2023, Rod drove from his home in South Park, over Wilkerson Pass, to go to Wal Mart in Woodland Park. His mission… to get seed food for the wild birds and critters that he fed. Coming out of Wal Mart, he made a wrong turn and instead of going home he ended up at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado Springs. A police officer was called to help him. The police officer seeing how confused Rod was took him to the hospital. From the hospital, his bother Dave had him transferred to a skilled nursing facility in Colorado Springs. From there, Dave had Rod transferred to Fairacres Manor in Greeley, CO on November 22, 2023. Dave did this so he could regularly visit Rod. Rod was well cared for by the kind people at Fairacres Manor.

Plans for Rod’s celebration of life will be made later. It will take place near this cabin in South Park.