Those of us that knew him called him Tink, Gup, Dad, and Grandad. Arlen was born to Lyle Day Gupton and Eunice Elaine (Gillispie) Gupton in Seibert, Colorado on August 23, 1936. He was the brother to Lavern (Bub), Ronald (Ron), Carolyn Valesquez, and Adrienne Kunce.
Arlen was preceded in death by his father, Lyle, his mother, Elaine, his brother, Lavern (Bub), his sister, Adrienne Kunce, and his son-in-law, David Paulsen. He is survived by his wife Della (Jo), (Ward) Gupton, his children; Keith Gupton, Teresa Thomas (son-in-law, William Thomas), Pamela Paulsen, Kevin Gupton, Kenneth Gupton, daughter-in-law, Michele Gupton, his siblings; Ron (sister-in-law, Doretha) Gupton, Carolyn Valesquez, his uncle, Howard Berger, his cousins; Vee Padilla, Cheryl (Mark) Wolf, and many nephews and nieces.
Arlen loved his children, but his grandchildren were his pride and joy; Dustin Buesser, Calais Thomas, Tyler Thomas, Kristina Paulsen, Aspen Gupton, and Samantha Gupton.
Arlen was born in a small town on the western plains of Seibert, Colorado. One of the stories he would always talk about was going down to Blakes grocery store where Katherine Clark, a clerk there used to give him lots of candy.
Later in his younger years they moved from Seibert to Englewood, Colorado where his family rented a house on 3001 S. Galapago St., and eventually purchased a house on 2720 S. Bannock. His dad, Lyle, worked down the street as an X-Ray Technician at the General Iron Works and his mother, Elaine, was a Homemaker.
He attended North Elementary School in 1942. Upon reaching 10th grade, he joined the high school wrestling team as a heavy weight, but had a losing season. The following years his wrestling improved and he decided to join the football team. During his senior year, he briefly volunteered for the Naval Air Reserve, working on airplanes. He graduated from Englewood High School in 1954. After high school, he worked about a year at Bredan Creamery, driving a truck down to Union Station to pick up soured cream, which was shipped from Kansas and eastern Colorado. They would turn it into butter, cottage cheese, and buttermilk and eventually deliver the products to restaurants and hospitals in the Denver area. Arlen and other former football players were approached by an Englewood High School teacher who took them to Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado, where he decided to continue his education. This is where he met his future wife, Jo. They were married in Aztec, New Mexico in 1956.
Upon graduating from Fort Lewis, they moved to Denver and lived with his parents for a short time while waiting for the birth of their first child. After a couple of months, they moved to Fort Logan. Two years later their second child was born. Arlen worked odd jobs, delivering bricks and working at Jeppesen Sanderson stamping pilot names on flight manuals, when he was encouraged to go back to school to become a teacher. Arlen continued his education and moved the family to Greeley, Colorado to attended Colorado State College, where their third child was born a year later. After receiving his Bachelor of Arts in 1961, they moved to Louisville, where he taught history and coached wrestling. He had a home built in Broomfield, Colorado where their fourth and fifth children were born. Arlen decided to further his education and attended the University of Colorado, where he graduated in 1966 with his Master of Arts. Arlen was able to secure a teaching job at Broomfield Jr. High School, where he taught Industrial Arts for many years.
Having summers off to spend with the family, he decided to purchase Lake Theatre, in Grand Lake Colorado in 1976, where he employed the whole family, instilling in them the importance of good work ethics. The cabin the family lived in was a one-bedroom forestry cabin which he added an addition to. In 1988, the theatre business served its purpose and he moved on to his next adventure.
Arlen retired in 1991 and purchased a casa on the sandy shores of Puerto Penasco, Mexico. Mexico was where he loved to be and host family. He enjoyed the many friendships he acquired there as well.
Arlen loved to travel and spend time with family and friends, taking trips to Canada, Western and Southern United States, Italy, and Australia.
Services will be held May 29, 2021 at Kenny’s home in Brighton, Colorado.
In Lieu of flowers donations can be made to:
Muscular Dystrophy Association
PO Box 97075
Washington DC 20090-7075
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