Cover photo for Robert Sickafoose's Obituary
1933 Robert 2022

Robert Sickafoose

1933 — January 1, 2022

Littleton, Colorado

Robert Louis “Bob” Sickafoose passed away on June 10, 2022, at the age of 89, in Littleton, Colorado. He was the oldest son born to Paul E. and Elizabeth (Betty) (Zintel) Sickafoose on April 24, 1933, in Elkhart, Indiana. He had two younger brothers, William Dean and James Dale.

Bob completed high school in 1951 at James Whitcomb Riley High School in South Bend, Indiana, where he sang in the glee club and was a straight-A student. He loved reading and playing card games. He also loved sports but was hampered in his athletic endeavors by asthma which could be quite severe in the Indiana heat and humidity. He briefly attended Notre Dame University.

Bob was drafted into the US Army for the Korean War in 1953. He was trained to be a forward observer. While on his way overseas to Korea, the armistice was signed and the Korean War ended. He served in Korea and Japan and was honorably discharged in 1961.

The family enjoyed many road trips to Colorado when the boys were young. In the mid-1950’s, Bob’s family finally moved to Fort Collins, Colorado, and opened a candy shop north of the Colorado A&M campus (CSU). When Bob returned from Korea, he worked with his family in the business known for their caramel corn and potato chips. The family eventually had to close the candy storefront due to the demand for their potato chips which included daily deliveries to the college. The potato chip business proved to be very competitive in northern Colorado, and while their product was successful, they decided to close the business for various reasons and move to Lakewood, Colorado.

Bob was employed by The Martin Company (now Lockheed Martin) for nine years as an Illustrated Parts Breakdown (IPB) engineer, examining the blueprints to ensure all parts were documented and properly listed. During this time, Bob helped his parents buy the only house they ever owned which they built in Wheat Ridge, Colorado, in 1963.

The Colorado climate was kinder to Bob with his asthma, and he was able to pursue his sports interests: tennis, golf, skiing and bicycle riding. In 1965, he rode his Schwinn original 3-speed bike, which he converted to a 5-speed, from Wheat Ridge, through Boulder to Rocky Mountain National Park, Estes Park and up over Trail Ridge Road. He packed most of his gear in a basket on the front of his bike (clothing, food, etc.) with a few larger items strapped to a rack on the back (camping equipment). He peddled many miles and 7,000 feet in elevation gain. His first attempt was thwarted by a bad migraine not too far into his trip. In a later successful attempt, he said his bike was going so fast on the way down the mountains that it wobbled terribly due to all his heavy gear. Quite a feat considering bicycle technology of those days.

Bob married Dorothy E. (Dotty) (Gossenberger) Burk in January of 1968, acquiring a daughter in the marriage and having two sons with Dotty. He always purchased new homes for his family, finishing the basements for extra space for game rooms. He completed an electrical apprenticeship, earning his journeyman electrician, which was what he did for the rest of his working career.

Bob loved camping, bike riding, walking the Cherry Creek Trails, hiking, skiing, bowling, hard work, reading, watching old Western movies, English sports cars, solving Sudokus, card games, puzzles, remodeling, vanilla bean ice cream with chocolate sauce, making fruit pies and, especially, eating them.

Bob enjoyed being outside the most.  He loved growing flowers and veggies. He had an ability to create beautiful landscaping by laying brick walks and edging, building fences, growing grass from seed, planting trees and flowers, and growing vegetables. He was an excellent gardener, always having the greenest lawn and the prettiest flowers on the block.

He loved watching the birds and fed them faithfully. Bob had amazing eyesight until the end. Never wearing glasses, he could spot birds from even a great distance. He loved sitting on his deck in the sun even with sparkling snow swirling off the roof.

Bob had a kind spirit and was very patient. He carried on the tradition of making apple pies using the apples from his mother’s apple tree. He loved spending time in the kitchen, making delicious breakfasts for his children before sending them off to school. Later on, he helped his kids with their house projects as much as he could—painting, building sheds, electrical and remodeling, laying brick walks, yardwork, whatever was needed.

Many will remember him in his baby-blue bucket hat – he wore it wherever he went. He walked the Cherry Creek Trail, often going two miles on many days at age 88, saying ‘Hi’ to everyone who went by. Many who rode and walked the trail will remember the friendly man who was always wearing his blue bucket hat which was with him to the end.

Bob was preceded in death by his mother and father, aunts and uncles.

He is survived by his 3 children, sons Scott D. and Greg M. (Venus), and daughter Julia L. Pomeroy (Blair), six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Also, his brothers William (Nan) and James, a nephew, three nieces and their families.

Committal Service with Military Honors will be held for Bob on July 11, 2022, 10am, Staging Area A, Fort Logan National Cemetery, 3698 S. Sheridan Blvd, Denver. .A portion of his ashes will be spread at his mountain property overlooking the Sangre de Christo Mountains, his favorite camping place.

To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Robert Sickafoose, please visit our flower store.

Service Schedule

Past Services

Committal Ceremony

Monday, July 11, 2022

10:00am - 7:00 pm (Mountain (no DST) time)

Fort Logan National Cemetery

3698 S Sheridan Blvd, Denver, CO 80236

Enter your phone number above to have directions sent via text. Standard text messaging rates apply.

Guestbook

Visits: 18

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the
Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Service map data © OpenStreetMap contributors

Send Flowers

Send Flowers

Plant A Tree

Plant A Tree