William Joseph Fritzel

William Joseph Fritzel passed away January 7, 2023 at the age of 79 in Greenwood Village, Colorado. He was born in Pueblo, Colorado on July 20, 1943 to William and Mary Fritzel. William was a WWII baby and did not get to meet his Dad until he was two years old. William lived a beautiful life spanning major periods of our country’s history. He lived through WWII, the incredible 50’s, crazy 70’s, space exploration, and the rapid advance in technology, which he always kept up with. He was a devout Catholic who attended primary Catholic school at St. Mary's in Pueblo, serving as an alter boy. He graduated from Pueblo Catholic High School where he met the love of his life, Judy Swick. They were married December 1, 1962 and celebrated 55 years of marriage together. They lived in Boulder, Colorado for over 30 years, where they raised their two children together, Michael William Fritzel and Cynthia Marie Fritzel-Owsley. William moved his young family to Boulder to go to Law school. He was an incredible inspiration as he was the first in his family to graduate from college and forge a new exciting life. He graduated in 1969 from CU Law School and had a very successful career as the Assistant District Attorney, started his own private practice, and retired after 30 years as a judge for the Colorado Public Utilities Commission. The light of his life were his two grandchildren, Jessica and Jimmy Owsley. William had many interests including gardening, reading, fast cars (he was so proud of the yellow 1976 Stingray Corvette he owned). William was a devoted husband, father, son, grandfather, uncle, and friend. He kept his family heritage alive and passed on many Slovenian and Austrian traditions. William was preceded in death by his grandparents, parents, uncles, son, wife, and brother. He is survived by his daughter, precious grandchildren, and many loved nieces and nephews. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you make donations to the Muscular Dystrophy Association. William and Judy lost their precious son to Muscular Dystrophy at age 17.