Claire "Charleen" Knickerbocker

1922 - 2025

Claire "Charleen" Knickerbocker
August 11, 1922 - April 27, 2025
Claire Charleen Knickerbocker was born on August 11, 1922, on a farm near Macksville, KS., to parents Charles and Claire Smith Graebner. She attended elementary school in Louisiana and Wisconsin. After graduating from high school in 1942 in Colorado Springs, CO., Charleen attended Sterling College in Sterling, KS, for two years. She met her future husband in 1940. Roy was in the Navy during the time of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. They got married when Roy was home on leave on July 1, 1945. Before Roy was discharged from the Navy, Charleen worked as a typesetter for the Daniels & Fisher Tower department store in downtown Denver, which was one of the tallest buildings in Denver at that time. After Roy finished his tour with the Navy, they made their home in Colorado Springs, where they welcomed their first child, Mary Helen, on July 7, 1946. Then along came their son, Roy Dean, on May 5, 1949. When the children were very young, they moved their family to Naturita, CO., where Roy was employed by the VCA Corporation. Upon the closure of the VCA enterprise, Roy started his own bookkeeping service. Charleen went to work as the Nucla High School Secretary back when the "Old" high school was brand new. During the summers, Charleen would take her two young children with her to Gunnison, CO., to attend Western State College. Four summers later, Charleen graduated with a Major in English. After teaching for 56 years, Charleen finally retired. During those 56 years, she taught 3rd, 7th, 8th, and 9th grades. She was also the Nucla High School cheerleading sponsor and speech and drama coach, and she taught high school English and creative writing. During that time, her passion and love for helping students had her taking busloads of students to the theater of Drama at Mesa State College (now CMU) so they could experience the excitement of live performances. She touched so many lives, which was attested by the over 250 people who attended her 100th birthday celebration in August of 2022. Most of them were former students! Charleen was still playing Cribbage at age 102! Charleen was preceded in death by her parents, her brothers Donald and Robert Graebner, her husband Roy Knickerbocker, and her only son Roy Dean Knickerbocker. She is survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Mary Helen and Russell Mendelson of Grand Junction, CO; daughter-in-law, Phyllis Knickerbocker of Bloomfield, NM; grandsons, Phillip (Jenny) Mendelson of Ogden, UT, Russell Jr. (Alisha) of Grand Junction, CO., and Mike (Julie) Mendelson of Spearfish, S.D; granddaughters, Kathy Knickerbocker of South Dakota, Melissa (Greg) Cooke of Virginia Beach, VA, and Anna (Shiel) Costello of Denver. Charleen is also survived by ten great-grandchildren. Charleen's ashes will be laid to rest beside her husband, Roy, in the Nucla Cemetery.
Services are pending but will be held at the New Hope Church at 135 Crystal Drive in Naturita, CO., with Pastor Dan Williams officiating. There will be a luncheon at the church following the service. In lieu of flowers, PLEASE make a contribution to one of the following (that Charleen was so passionate about): Hoof & Paw Animal Shelter & Rescue in Naturita, P.O. Box 292, Nucla, CO 81424. PayPal link PayPal.e/hoofandp. OR to the Rim Rock Museum at P.O., Box 913, Nucla, CO 81424, OR to the Nucla-Naturita Cemetery District, P.O. Box 561, Nucla, CO 81424. Family and friends would like to extend a special thank you to the caring staff at the Lodge Assisted Living Facility in Grand Junction, CO, who gave Charleen the absolute best care and respect while she was there. If you have any questions, please call Shelley Kelly at 970-209-2970.