David Millard Kuklish

David was the first born to Millard and Irene (Dlugosh) Kuklish on December 27, 1942 in Ord, Nebraska. David was raised in the Ord and Anselmo area of Nebraska where they farmed and ranched cattle. He graduated from Myrna High School in May of 1961 and entered the Navy in San Diego CA. He was a pipe fitter on the USS Princeton. He served four years in the Navy during the Vietnam War and would often tell of his stories of his time spent on the ship. They were close enough to Vietnam in what was classified as “brown water” that he could hear the gunfire coming from the ground troops. David was very honored to serve his country and was thankful to his father for recommending the Navy instead of the Army.

After leaving the Navy, David returned to his family who had relocated from Nebraska to the western slope of Colorado in Montrose. It was there that David met his first wife Pennie Louise Scott and they married in June of 1967. David and Pennie built their life together while he went to Mesa College to earn his Associates Degree and moved to Colorado Springs to work for Command Nuclear. After leaving his position there he started working in the home building industry as a plumber and would go on to own Ponderosa Plumbing and Heating and earning his Master Plumber’s license. They had four children and finally settled down on a small farm outside of Palisade CO where they raised their family. There was never a dull moment in the Kuklish household between all of the activities of the kids and running a business but David always made time for his family and friends doing the things that he loved.

David was an avid outdoorsman and loved spending time in nature. Even during his last weeks, he would sit outside listening to the birds and feeling the fresh air on his face. He grew up bird hunting in Nebraska with his dad and brother and eventually started big game hunting with his friends in Colorado. It was one of the most special times of the year for him and they would all spend many weeks ahead of time planning the hunt. David would refer to his hunting friends as his second family, many of them he has known for the past 45 plus years. He would return to Nebraska every fall with his brother Bobby for pheasant hunting and to visit their uncle Lumire and friends and family in the area. David and Pennie and the kids would often spend their summer weekends camping with friends and family in the mountains. He was never more at home than he was riding a horse on the farm, hiking and fishing in the mountains or simply going for a walk and taking in the world around him.

In 1997 he married his second wife, Barbara Garrison, and they made their home on Cedar Mesa in Cedaredge CO. The log home they built ended up being one of David’s favorite places, with 360-degree views of the mountain ranges from the Wet mountains, the San Juan’s, the Uncompahgre, the La Salle’s and the Grand Mesa. This home offered him respite and joy as he would sit out on the patio sipping a cold beer watching the deer and wildlife. In his later years David and Barb would spend the first part of every year travelling with their 5th wheel to get away from the cold and enjoy camping and the life they built together, often meeting up with friends and family. Their last stop was usually in Scottsdale to enjoy spring training for the Colorado Rockies. When not traveling they would spend their time with family and their grandchildren supporting them in all of their sporting events, choir concerts and just spending time with them doing the things they loved. Barb introduced David to the joys of live music and they would often travel to hear a band play or a concert performed.

David was known for the funny phrases he would say, or messing up a really long joke and getting embarrassed about it and then trying to retell it so it would make everyone laugh. When little did he know that the messed-up joke was often funnier than the actual joke. He was meticulous when it came to his work ethic and how he ran his business. David would pride himself on completing a job that was more than someone asked for because his name was on that job. One thing about David is that he was consistently thoughtful and kind to other people. He was a man of integrity, honor and kindness. He had a gentle soul and a strong faith in the Lord. He would go out of his way to make sure he would visit family when they were in town, call his children when they were away and treat people with love. Family was everything to David and he would often spend his down time with his siblings and children playing cards or a round of pool at the Elks Lodge in Montrose where he was a member until his death.

He is preceded in death by his father and mother, his sister Susan and his first wife Pennie. He is survived in death by his wife Barbara, his children Laura Kuklish-Triest and her husband Jeff and their boys, Connor, Garret and Nicholas. Karrie Kuklish and her daughter Emily. Kevin Kuklish and his daughter Lyla. Lindsay Kuklish (David Grove- Fiancé) and her daughters LiLu and Sam. Barb’s children Gabe Stokes (Erica), Katie Garrison and her son Colter, Tyler Garrison (Carol). His sisters Patti Bohall (Lance), Judy Burke (Dan) and his brother Bobby Kuklish (Heather), his Aunt Dorothy Setlik of Sacramento, countless nieces and nephews and hundreds of friends.

There will be a Celebration of Life event to be held on July 31, 2021 at 9:30 am at Riverbend Park in Palisade.