Rolla Keigley

Rolla David Keigley, Dave to family and friends was the most loyal, honest, upstanding man and friend to many people he met in his travels.

And this is his life story:

Rolla David Keigley "Dave" was born on September 28,1929 in Pueblo, Colorado to Rolla William Keigley and Vera Fern (Roberts) Keigley. Dave was two years old when his parents divorced, and he and his mother moved back to Wray. Dave had a happy childhood, helping his grandparents, Dave Roberts and Vernie (Waters) Roberts with the animals, planting the garden, and anything else they needed him to do. There was always time to hunt, fish, and just be a kid with his friends and his dog Jerry. Many a summer day, Dave could be found with his buddies swimming in the old mill stream. During the winter, they went ice skating at Olive Lake. Later on as a teenager, he attended lots of dances at the Olive Lake Dance Hall.

Dave went to school in Wray until the end of his sophomore year when he and his Mother moved to Denver where she worked at an ammunition plant. Dave went to East High School and worked at a Safeway store on Broadway using his bicycle for transportation. At the end of his junior year, his grandmother suffered a stroke and needed Dave and his mom to return to Wray to take care of her. Dave graduated from the Wray high school with the class of 1946.  Before graduating, he wanted to join the army, but his mom would not sign the paperwork since he was only seventeen and she wanted him to finish high school. In August of 1946, Dave's mom finally signed the papers so he could join the Army.

He was sent to Moses Lake Washington for basic training. After basic training, he was deployed to Japan courtesy of a Navy baby aircraft carrier. While on the ship he worked in the galley, where he could eat as much as he wanted AND he could eat before the other soldiers. While in Japan he traveled by train to his new posting. During this trip, the train went through the city of Nagasaki where he saw the devastation of the atomic bomb. In Japan he served with F Company 21st infantry regiment as a supply clerk and rifleman. After 18 months, he was discharged receiving a WWII victory medal and an Army of occupation medal of Japan.

Once out of the service, he visited family in Colorado and bummed around San Diego. Six months later after the Army and Air Force split into separate branches, Dave joined the Air Force. His first posting after joining was at Lowery Air Force Base where he trained to repair cameras and photography. He received orders to Korea where he developed the film from the reconnaissance planes and repaired the cameras if any broke. Sometimes, he would help the other guys with loading ammunition on the fighter jets but his favorite thing was when the jets returned from being serviced in Japan they brought back steaks and ice cream for their crewmen. He received the National Defense medal, Korean Service medal, The United Nations Medal, and Good conduct medal Clasp while in Korea.

Returning from Korea, he was again stationed at Lowery Air Force Base. While there, he met Maria Cardozo at a dance and soon after that they married. When they married Dave understood NO spanish and Maria only knew a handful of english. Dave and Maria enjoyed almost Forty years of marriage together.

Dave's next posting was in England where he continued to work with photography. While in England, Dave and Maria attempted to adopt a baby. At that time, orphans were wards of the Queen and not available to be adopted. Through some friends they found out that Germany had babies for adoption, so in 1956 they adopted 3 month old Christine Maria to join their family.

After leaving England they moved to Colorado, where Maria and Christine stayed while Dave went to Illinois to train as a fuel line mechanic on B47s and 852 airplanes. The family then transferred to Clovis New Mexico. After a year they settled at the Jackson Air Base outside of Little Rock Arkansas.  While in Arkansas many weekends were spent fishing the most remote lake, river, or stream because "you could catch the biggest fish as long as you were quiet, and didn't let your shadow show in the water".

Dave was set to transfer again, so the family went on an adventure to Holyoke Massachusetts' Westover Air Force Base. Here he was still working on the big planes. This was during the cold war and Dave always had a ready kit by the back door in case he was called to be part of the flight crew. The time in Massachusetts was the first time the young family experienced huge amounts of snow and cold. Dave and Christine made the best of it. They would jump on a sled by the back door and slide all the way to an abandoned dairy barn about Yi a mile from their home. As in Arkansas many lake and streams were visited. Unfortunately, there were far fewer fish for other people to catch.

After two years the family transferred to Wichita Falls in Texas for further training as a telecommunications repairman. After the training, Dave received orders to report to Moron de La Frontera Air Force Base near Madrid Spain. The four years in Spain were spent exploring castles, museums, and religious fiestas. They discovered numerous beaches along the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean where they camped in military tents for weeks at a time, fished in the ocean, and enjoyed spanish paella with friends they met from all over Europe. After three years Dave was ready to retire, but the air force was not willing to let him go just yet, so the family stayed one more year before returning stateside.

Dave retired in Albuquerque New Mexico, after 22 years in the air force returning to school to become a journeyman machinist. Every move Dave would make every house a home, doing home repairs both inside and out, with the assistance of his handy side kick Christine. After three years of being so far from his home town, the move was made back to Wray. Dave, who was a jack of all trades worked at the golf club mowing the greens and putting areas.While there he also worked at the Brass Rail bartending for his old friend Ted Thompson.

Again on the go, the family moved to Denver and Dave started working for Sunstrand as a machinist. Dave took advantage of his GI bill and attended a junior college adding math, poetry and English to his list of accomplishments. A new stomping ground meant that it was time to explore the lakes and streams to fish and camp. Many weekends were spent camping in their trailer and cooking their catch of the day. Dave was happiest with a fishing pole in his hand and Maria by his side. After Christine left home, Dave and Maria moved back to Wray in 1975,Dave and Ted Thompson started their rug cleaning business, many a home was cleaned by the working duo. Dave and Maria finally retired and became snow birds going to Texas and Las Vegas until warm weather returned to Wray.

They made several trips to see Maria's family in Venezuela, enjoying the beautiful country and fish the local rivers for piranha. Dave and Maria where in Las Vegas when she died from a massive heart attack, leaving Dave to snow bird with his close cousin VernaLou Boyes. Dave moved to the Towers on Canyon Ridge Drive on September 1st 2011. He made friends were ever he went and the towers was no exception.

Dave passed away in the early morning of January 2nd. He was preceded by his Grandparents, his Mother and Father, his loving wife, Maria, various family members in Venezuela and in Wray.

He leaves to mourn his passing, daughter Christine and her husband Eddie of Wray Colorado, grandchildren Kiel and his wife, Cheryl of Hampton Virginia, Tyler and his wife, Jenny of Columbia South Carolina and four great grandchildren Sara, Ethan, Eric, and Spencer.

Funeral services were held Thursday, January 8, 2015, 2:00 p.m. at the Wray United Methodist Church in Wray, Colorado with Rev. Norman Stott officiating. Interment was held in the Grandview Cemetery in Wray, Colorado. Memorials may be made to the Wray Color Guard or the Wounded Warrior Project, 1 South Nevada Avenue, Suite 205, Colorado Springs, Colorado 80903. Schmidt – Jones Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.