Robert "Bob" A. Wilson

Robert A “Bob” Wilson was born on January 8, 1935, in rural Mills County, Iowa. His parents were Charles and Ruth (Kier) Wilson. Charles was a farmer and Ruth a homemaker.

Bob attended country school and graduated from Strahan High School. Bob was infatuated with airplanes from an early age and the country school teacher let him go outside to watch the planes fly over the school whenever he heard them. Growing up, Bob was involved in 4-H and won numerous awards. After high school, he attended Peru State College in Peru, Nebraska where he studied engineering. Before completing college, Bob joined the US Air Force in 1956. He was stationed at Lowry Air Force Base in Denver, Colorado.

While still at Peru State, Bob met Marlis Seipold. They began dating and continued to do so after Bob was stationed at Lowry. Bob & Marlis were married on June 22, 1958, at St. John’s Lutheran Church in rural Hastings, Iowa. Their first home together was in Aurora, Colorado.

After four years as an enlisted man in the USAF, Bob left the service and began working as a civilian for the Air Force. He was involved in the early development of closed-circuit television and its use for training servicemen. While working for the Air Force, Bob took flying lessons as he began working towards his lifetime dream of being a pilot. He obtained his private, instrument, and instructors licenses and began to teach at Clinton Aviation at Stapleton Airport in Denver. He obtained his multi-engine, commercial, and airline transport certificates during that time. He continued to teach flying as he applied for pilot jobs at commercial air lines and was hired by the original Frontier Airlines in 1967. He flew for Frontier until they closed down in 1986, after which he was picked up by Continental Airlines. He flew for Continental until his retirement in January 1995. While at Frontier Bob also moonlighted as a pilot for the US Forest Service, flying survey flights over pine beetle infested forests in the western US.

While Bob was an airline pilot, he and Marlis lived in several homes, all in Colorado. They lived on Dahlia Street and on Jewell Avenue in Denver, in rural Durango, and in Westminster. After Bob retired they moved to Longmont.

Following his retirement, Bob completed his beautiful Long-EZ homebuilt airplane, a project he began while still working for Frontier and living in Durango. Bob flew his beloved airplane to many airshows and fly-ins and received multiple awards for his craftmanship. Flying was his passion and he was happiest when spending time with his fellow pilots in the air, at somebody’s hangar or just having coffee. Bob was a member of the Experimental Aircraft Association, the QBs, and the Frontier Airlines Retirees.

Bob and Marlis travelled much of the United States in Bob’s Long-EZ, from border to border and coast to coast, as far away as Key West, Florida. That plane has so many memories for Bob’s family, like when he would do low circles over his granddaughters in Littleton, and when he gave them flying lessons as young girls.

Bob was an avid and accomplished skier, starting with his enlisted buddies at Lowry in 1957, and continuing with Marlis, his kids and his granddaughters, for over 60 years.

He passed his love for travel and the outdoors on to his children and grandchildren through those and many other memorable family experiences.

Bob is survived by his loving wife Marlis, his daughter Lisa Wilson of Longmont, his son Steve and his wife Lori of Littleton, Colorado, and his granddaughters Jessica Wilson of Pittsburgh, PA and Corinne Wilson of New York, NY.

The memorial service for Bob will be postponed until a later date. Until then, please consider making a donation in lieu of flowers to the Children’s Hospital Colorado Foundation. 13123 E 16th Avenue, Box 045, Aurora, CO 80045, 720-777-1700, [email protected]