Burson Leon Koppenhafer

 Burson L. Koppenhafer of Cortez, Colorado, passed away February 21, 2025, at the age of 80. Burson was born in Cortez, The tenth out of thirteen children of Ellen (Wofford) and George Koppenhafer. He attended school at Blue Door Elementary and graduated from Cortez High School in 1964. He got his bachelor’s in business at Western State College in Gunnison, Colorado, and completed a major in history and teaching credentials the following year. He met and married his wife of 57 years, Cynthia Stafford Koppenhafer, while attending Western State College. They have three sons.

Burson’s first teaching job was at Lone Star School on Colorado’s eastern planes southeast of Sterling, Colorado. He always laughed about the boys on his football team taking him to see a “mountain” as he told them he missed seeing his mountains. It was just a large hill! He guessed they had never seen a real mountain. It was at Lone Star that he was introduced to and coached, six-man football. Coach K taught and coached football and wrestling for 9 years at Norwood, Colorado and ll years in Hayden, Colorado, spending a couple of years in between working in the oilfields in Wyoming and Colorado and several summers as a seasonal ranger at Mesa Verde National Park. 

Burson and Cynthia returned to Cortez in 1995. Burson got his CDL and drove over the road for three years, then worked for CDOT for nine years in Telluride and Dolores. He retired in 2007 to enjoy his small farm, fishing, hunting, and spoiling the grandchildren.

Surviving Burson are his wife Cynthia Koppenhafer of Cortez, CO; his sons Thad Koppenhafer and wife Katie of Cortez, Chad Koppenhafer and his wife Brandy of Aledo, TX; Brad Koppenhafer and his wife Shannon of Loma, CO, sister Dorothy Carver of Dolores, CO; brothers Vern Koppenhafer and wife Anna Ruth of Cortez, sister DeVota Goad of Fruita, CO, sister Charlotte Veach and her husband Jerry of Omaha NE, brother Gerald Koppenhafer and wife Carla of Mancos, CO, sister Nita Koppenhafer of Fruita, CO, brother-in-law John Stafford of Austin, CO; five grandchildren, Zayne, Ellen, Grace, Isabella and Faith; four great grandchildren and many nieces, nephews and cousins. 

 Burson will be remembered as a caring friend and mentor, a fun and loving husband, father, grandfather, brother and uncle.