Robert Lee "Bob" Mustoe

ROBERT LEE "BOB" MUSTOE Memorial services for longtime Cortez resident Robert Lee "Bob" Mustoe will be held at 2 p.m. on Monday, August 8 at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Empire Chapel. Bishop Tim Lanier will conduct. Inurnment will follow at Goodman Point Cemetery. Robert Lee Mustoe (Bob) passed away on August 3, 2016 in Cortez, Colorado. He was preceded in death by his parents Pern Grant Mustoe and Mary Arneta Moyer Mustoe McCarty, all 12 siblings, his wife Charlotte Jean Seitz Mustoe, and sons Clay Mustoe and Grant Mustoe. He is survived by his children Craig Mustoe (Jennifer) of Spanish Fork, Utah, daughter-in-law Bonnie Mustoe (Grant) of Denver, Colorado, Aaron Mustoe of Cortez, Colorado, Brett Mustoe (Joyce) of Riverton, Utah, Brad Mustoe (Keri) of Cortez, Colorado, and Susan Mustoe Holt (Kirk) of Riverton, Utah. He leaves behind 28 grandchildren and numerous great grandchildren. Bob was born on March 2, 1927 in Del Norte, Colorado, a few minutes after his twin sister Lovena Marie. Bob was the 12th of 13 children in the family. Their father passed away in the summer of 1928. Bob attended school in Moffatt and Villa Grove, Colorado, Hopewell, Arkansas, and then Fairplay and Canon City, Colorado. Bob learned to work hard, as everyone worked to support the family during the depression. Early jobs included milking cows and driving wagons. Bob got his first truck driving job hauling mail from the railroad depot to the post office at Canon City. Bob tried to enlist in the Navy at age 17, but was rejected because he was color blind. He was sworn in to the Army just a few weeks after his 18th birthday in 1945. By the time he completed basic training at Camp Roberts in California, World War II was over. He was assigned to Camp Beal, California where he worked as a truck driver and later as a dispatcher. He re-enlisted and was sent to Camp Stoneman, California before being discharged as a buck sergeant in 1947. After the war, Bob worked as a truck driver in northern California, primarily hauling livestock. In 1950, he was recalled to active duty and given 30 days to settle his affairs. During this time, he met his future wife Charlotte Jean Seitz while visiting his brothers and sister in Cortez, Colorado. They married at Davenport Landing, Santa Cruz, California on February 14, 1951. Bob and Charlotte had six sons (Clay, Craig, Grant, Aaron, Brett, and Brad) over the next dozen years. In those years, they moved several times between California and Colorado, eventually ending up northwest of Cortez, Colorado on a homestead at Goodman Point in 1959, known as "the Homestead" or "the Ranch" to family members. In 1963, they bought a place on Lebanon Road north of Cortez. In 1966, they welcomed daughter Susan to the family. Bob worked as a truck driver most of these years, hauling raw and processed products like uranium ore, crude oil, sulfuric acid, gasoline, soda ash, livestock, wheat, and pinto beans. In between truck driving jobs, he worked as a logger and at Macorada Farm Store in Cortez. Bob loved sports. He lettered on the varsity football team in Canon City as a 9th grader. He played fast pitch softball and helped establish men's slow pitch softball in Cortez. He played softball into his sixties. He also loved the outdoors and hunting. He chased a "pinto" deer buck for several seasons before shooting it in 1969. The full-body mount of this unique 3x4 buck sat in Howard's Sporting Goods in Cortez for several decades. On his last hunting trip, he shot a spike elk on the West Fork benches east of Nipple Mountain. As his time freed up he looked forward to attending family reunions with his Kansas cousins in Colorado, Texas, Oregon, and Kansas. He especially enjoyed the opportunity to host the Moyer Family reunion in Cortez, Colorado. He was instrumental in establishing a location specific family reunion T-shirt tradition. He took pride in this tradition and loved to generously support the hand-made item auction that allows family members from across the nation to enjoy future family reunions. Bob's wife Charlotte and son Grant passed away in 1989. Bob married Marie Turner in 2002 and they lived south of Cortez for several years. Marie helped Bob through radiation treatment for prostate cancer, including multiple trips to Albuquerque, New Mexico and 40 radiation treatments. They later divorced. Bob's son, Clay, passed away in 2015. Bob spent the last 12 years in the Valley Sun Village apartments in Cortez, where he enjoyed visits from family and friends. He especially appreciated Sunday visits from Brad and Keri, and all the other days and nights of support from them as well. Weekly highlights were the visits from his VA Visiting Angels. A few years ago, his niece Pattie Ann Larson moved into the same apartment building and provided much appreciated help and encouragement. The family wishes to thank everyone who supported Bob over the years and all who took time to visit. He very much appreciated having someone to talk to and share his thoughts with. He really enjoyed having people stop by. Bob leaves behind a legacy of hard work and commitment. He will be missed by all who knew and loved him. Memorial contributions may be made in Bob's name at Dolores State Bank. The donations will be used to assist the Moyer Family Reunion Fund for 2017.