Robert Houser

Born July 28, 1929 in Peoria, Illinois to Robert Ernest Houser and Virginia Iola Botorf-Houser, Robert “Bob” Earl Houser passed away peacefully on March 3, 2016 at Four Corners Health Care Center, Durango, Colorado. Bob Houser graduated from Chillicothe Illinois Township High School in 1948 and Bradley University in 1950 with an associate degree in civil engineering. On November 24, 1950 he married his high school sweetheart, Edith “Joanne” Kehlenbach. Bob was an outstanding athlete, enjoying football, basketball, and baseball in high school, and was drafted to play on the Three-1 Minor League Hiram Walker Baseball Team in Peoria, Illinois from 1953-55. In 1956 Bob moved the family to Sierra Madre, California where he worked as a civil engineer for Santa Fe Land Improvement Company and obtained his land surveyor’s license. In 1963 the family moved to Durango, Colorado where Bob worked as a civil engineer/land surveyor for the United States Forest Service. In 1971 Bob was transferred to Pagosa Springs, Colorado, then Glenwood Springs, Colorado in 1981 where he retired from the Forest Service in 1988. After his retirement, Bob and Joanne returned to their Pagosa Springs home that had been designed and built by Bob and his sons. In 2005 they sold their Pagosa Springs home and moved to Dolores, Colorado. Bob loved to hunt, fish, hike, ride his horses, and make furniture. Robert “Bob” Earl Houser is preceded in death by his parents and his brother, Richard Houser, and is survived by the love of his life for 65 years, Joanne Houser who resides at Four Corners Health Care Center; a sister, Marilyn Wheeler of Lake Havasu, Arizona; a brother Larry Houser of Bozeman, Montana; children Sheryl Kaufman of Durango, Colorado, Steven Houser of Castle Rock, Colorado, Mark Houser of Farmington, New Mexico, Eric Houser of Highlands Ranch, Colorado, five grandchildren, six great grandchildren, and two great-great grandchildren. Memorial services are pending.