Robert Wendell Field

Robert Wendell Field was born October 28, 1930, to Alve and Ethel Field at St. Luke's Hospital in Montrose, Colorado. He died at his home early Friday morning, May 10, 2024.

Robert (always called Bobby by his siblings) lived a true and full rancher's life in western Colorado. Growing up through the Great Depression and World War II, Robert lived and worked with his family's sheep ranching and hunting businesses in the Uncompahgre Basin.

Robert attended Frost and Johnson Elementary Schools and Montrose High School where he graduated with the class of 1948. He was an active tumbler at Montrose and very involved as an agriculture student under the instruction of Mr. Dee Clark at Montrose's FFA (Future Farmers of America) Chapter where he served as chapter president in 1947-48.

Robert was elected Secretary of the Colorado FFA Association in 1948 and served that year representing the future of the agricultural industry in Colorado. Robert always admired and appreciated Mr. Clark's influence in his life and attributes a large part of his lifetime success to his association with such a dedicated high school agriculture education instructor and FFA Advisor. Mr. Clark, Robert would reminisce, was responsible for enrolling him as a student at Colorado Agricultural and Mechanical College (CSU-Colorado State University) in the fall of 1948 and taking him, John (Hoot) Hoffman, Francis Belgardt and Bernard Chuchuru all to Fort Collins to begin their studies in the business of agriculture. Robert graduated from Colorado A & M with a degree in Animal Science in 1953.

Robert worked nights at the CSU sheep livestock barn lambing sheep, worked evenings as an assistant at the CSU library through his college years in addition to working for various range sheep operations in western Colorado to pay for his college degree.

It was in the CSU library where he met his lifetime sweetheart, Beverly Ann Bond, who was raised in Denver, Colorado and Yellowstone Park, Wyoming.

Just after his tour with the United State Air Force in Korea on June 5, 1955, and before his honorable discharge in 1955, Robert and Beverly were married in Denver, Colorado and shortly thereafter began their life together in Steamboat Springs, Colorado where Robert served as the Routt County Extension Agent.

Their western adventure continued when Robert took the job as the Colorado Woolgrowers Association's Executive Secretary, headquartered in Denver, and traveled the state and nation extensively promoting legislative and sheep industry issues.

After the birth of their three children, John, Brian and Kelley, Robert and Beverly moved home to Montrose in 1962 where they purchased the first portion of the family ranch.

Robert supplemented their move by serving as the Manager of the Tri County Water Conservation District for almost the next decade and later, Beverly began a 33-year career as a teacher in the Montrose County School District.

When asked, Robert commented that one of the most striking accomplishments of his working career was his involvement with the Tri County Water Conservation District and the Dallas Dam project helping to create the vast domestic water system throughout the Uncompahgre Valley during the late 1960's and early 1970's.

Robert and Beverly accomplished their dream of an independent sheep ranching operation in the early 1970's and, before Robert's death last week, he could honestly say with his normal western humor, that he had been in the sheep business for over 75 years, and he had "already seen at least three good years".

In his later years, Robert was able to significantly help with the family sheep business where he would always accompany his son, John, in the annual trek up to and from the summer rangeland in the beautiful San Juan mountains above both Lake City and Telluride. He was also so very proud of and very much enjoyed helping his daughter Kelley with her cattle and guide and outfitting business (Coffee Pot Outfitters - named for the original summer range that Robert's father, Alve, operated in during the early 1900's), in both Cimarron and Lake City. Robert lived to personally see all three of his granddaughters in Oregon graduate from high school and college as well as each one of their marriages and was able to listen to his granddaughter's retiring address as a state officer of the Oregon FFA Association.

Robert is survived by his oldest son, John (Linda) Field of Montrose, Linda's daughter, Kassie Medulla (Joe) and her children, Landry and Remy - all of Vidor, Texas, his son Brian (Laurie) of Canby, Oregon and his daughter, Kelley (Monte) Sanburg of Montrose, his granddaughters; Lyndsay (Tim) Dyk of Milwaukie, Oregon, Bailey (Tyson) Corcoran of Myrtle Creek, Oregon and Madison (Gordon) Iverson of Hubbard, Oregon, his great grandchildren, Jubal Brian Corcoran (three years old) and Marlow Esther Corcoran (one year old) and Robert's youngest brother, Gerald Field of Montrose.

He was preceded in death by both of his parents, Alve and Ethel (McCormick) Field, his beloved wife, Beverly A. (Bond) Field, brothers Shirley F. Field, Ken Field, Dale Field, Dean Field, and his sisters Marge (Field) Marvel and Marilyn (Field) Roth.

The immediate family will have a small service at Crippin Funeral Home on May 22 followed by a celebration of life get together at John and Linda Field's home in Montrose sometime in July of this year.

The Field Family would like to convey their appreciation and thanks to all the health care professionals and HopeWest for the care they provided to Robert and family.

In lieu of flowers please consider donating in Robert W. Field's name to the Colorado FFA Association or to the Colorado WoolGrowers Association where Robert's vision for the future of agriculture and the sheep industry is still at work.

Crippin Funeral Home is assisting the family (970) 249-2121.