Rollin Keith Wilson

Services will take place at a later date at Crossroads United Methodist Church.

Survivors include his wife, Joan; four sons, Terry Wilson of Columbia, Maryland, Tim Wilson of Denver, Craig Burdette and Ron Burdette, both of Grand Junction; two daughters, Linda Campbell of Katy, Texas, and Monna Fisher of Grand Junction; one sister, Anita Daily of Grand Junction; and numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Memorial contributions to HopeWest, 3090B N. 12th St., Grand Junction 81506; or to the NRA Foundation, P.O. Box 1546, Merrifield, Virginia 22116-9851.

Rollin Keith Wilson

May 3, 1925 - June 15, 2016

Rollin Keith Wilson was born in Grand Junction, CO, on May 3, 1925, the son of Bernice and L.W. ""Bill"" Wilson. He really loved to hunt and fish with his father, who taught him how to do both, especially on the Grand Mesa. Rollin graduated from Grand Junction High School in 1943, where he played basketball and football and was known as an outstanding swimmer. He skied on the Grand Junction ski team and was on the ski patrol.

Shortly after high school graduation, Rollin joined the Navy and was sent to the University of Colorado (Boulder) in the V-12 program. While at CU, he swam on the Navy swim team and won a number of first place finishes in AAU swim meets in Denver. He also played on the Varsity football team and was president of his Phi Delta Theta fraternity.

Rollin was an outstanding chemical engineer with a Master's degree from CU, and was named in the 1977 edition of ""Who's Who in Engineering"" in the U.S. He lived in a number of places in the U.S., and also Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and his business travels took him to 18 countries around the world. After retiring in 1989, Rollin returned to his beloved Grand Junction, about which he said, ""This area has better weather year-round than any place in the United States.""

Rollin was happily married to his high school sweetheart, Patricia Jean Gawf, for 55 years, until she died suddenly of lung cancer. They had three sons, Terry Lee; Rollin Keene, who died too young at 44; and Timothy Kirk. He met the second love of his life, Joan Burdette, and they were married in 2001. This was a near perfect marriage; Rollin often stated that ""they had never said a cross word to each other."" People also commented that it was obvious they were deeply in love by the way they looked, smiled and treated each other. Rollin passed away peacefully on June 15, 2016.

He was preceded in death by his first wife, Patricia Gawf Wilson; son, Rollin Keene Wilson, and sister, Doris Goodwin. He is survived by his wife, Joan Wilson; sister, Anita Daily of Grand Junction; sons, Terry Wilson of Columbia, MD, and Tim Wilson of Denver, CO; step-sons, Craig (Shelley) Burdette and Ron (Karen) Burdette of Grand Junction; step-daughters, Linda (Jesse) Campbell of Houston, TX, and Monna (David) Fisher of Grand Junction; granddaughter, Krista Beth (Matt) Mitchell and great-grandsons, Ryan Matthew Mitchell and Justin Kristopher Mitchell of Sykesville, MD; several step-grandchildren and several step-great-grandchildren; numerous nieces and nephews in Colorado, California and other states.

A memorial service will be held at Crossroads UMC, 599 - 30 Road (at Patterson), on Wednesday, June 22 at 11:00 a.m.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Hospice of the Grand Valley and/or the National Rifle Association.