Earl Leslie Rohrbaugh

EARL LESLIE ROHRBAUGH Memorial services for longtime Cortez, Colo. resident Earl Leslie Rohrbaugh will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday, September 18 at the First United Methodist Church in Cortez. Reverend Al Strauss will officiate. The son of Roy Preston and Lillian Esther (Dahlin) Rohrbaugh, Earl was born on August 12, 1924 in Denver, Colo. He died on Sunday, September 5, 2010 at the Heart Hospital of New Mexico at the age of 86. Earl was a man who valued education, independent thinking and most importantly, diversity. He obtained two Master's degrees and staying true to his love of knowledge, he devoted 25 years educating individuals in political science at Emporia State University in Kansas. During Earl's sabbatical, his passion for study took him to China on two trips, one of which he led. Earl felt that involvement in one's community was crucial. He was President of the Cortez Democratic Party and the Southwest Colorado Concert Series. Earl was a devoted member of the First United Methodist Church and was part of the founding board for the Pinion Project. He had a great interest in Native American culture as well as local culture here in the Four Corners. Earl married Helen Marie Jordan on August 15, 1971 in Emporia, Kan. The couple recently celebrated 39 years together. Earl was a man who always put his family and their needs first. He was a wonderful husband and father. In his free time, Earl enjoyed reading and woodworking. He will be forever remembered for his strong beliefs, wonderful ability to listen, and his equal treatment of those with whom he came in contact. Surviving Earl are his wife, Helen Rohrbaugh of Cortez; their children, Amy Palermo and husband, Michael of Grand Junction, Colo., and Karl Rohrbaugh of Trinidad, Calif.; his grandchildren, Eric Downing, Michael James Palermo and Alexia Palermo, all of Grand Junction, Colo.; and numerous nieces and nephews. Earl was preceded in death by his parents; by his sister, Lois Butto; and by his first wife and mother of his children, Marjorie McCulley. Memorial contributions may be made in Earl's name to the First United Methodist Church, 515 N. Park St. Cortez, Colo. 81321, for Hope's Kitchen or Pakistani Flood Relief.