Bob was born Roman Roberto Martinez in Erie, Colorado on July 16, 1940 to Eusebio and Beatrice Martinez. He was ninth of ten children. He was then adopted by his uncle and aunt, Jake and Amelia Jaramillo, when he was an infant. His name was then changed to Robert Roman Jaramillo. Bob was raised on a farm in Berthoud, Colorado; where he learned all aspects of farm life, a physically demanding but soul rewarding way of life. While in high school, Bob joined the Future Farmers of America and also played football from 6th to the 12th grade. Football became a life-long love for him, as could be seen by his passion for the Denver Broncos.
He learned to work hard early in life, which translated to his professional work life. Bob worked for a small highway construction company during his high school years with his father. Throughout his life, he worked at the Loveland Steam Laundry, Idaho Falls Frozen Storage, H.W. Moore Equipment Co., Midwest Steel and for the City of Commerce City.
Bob was a very intelligent man who could talk about numerous subjects from: historical events, to car repair, politics, and sports. One of Bob's mottos was, "Give me some bailing wire, a pair of pliers & duct tape; and I can fix just about anything!" Bob had a love of Ford pickup trucks and motorcycles, especially his 1984 Yamaha Virago 1000. He also had a great sense of direction, and as such, Bob was Barbara's GPS. Bob loved all kinds of music, from hard rock to country. He was especially fond and really loved animals. This fondness lead to the four canine companions he had throughout his life: Snuffy, Sandy, Chica, and Dottie. Bob was very artistic and could create just about anything this side of the moon. One year in typical Bob "fashion", he decided that there were not enough carved pumpkins on the porch. He grabbed an extra one and started carving. The end result was not a traditional jack-o-lantern face, witch, ghost, or other scary face; instead it simply said, "GO BRONCOS!"
Diabetes became his nemesis. In time it took much of his eyesight and eventually forced Bob to start dialysis and continued for 6 years. In 2009, Bob endured a kidney transplant with that surgery, he was able to enjoy the next 8 years of being dialysis free. This past September, his transplant began to show signs of rejection and he had to start dialysis again. Bob then, inexplicably began to feel weak and began to suffer from a lot of pain. He was admitted to the hospital, where they found the cause of his weakness and pain, a massive infection; that came from a temporary stint that was needed for his second round of dialysis treatment. As the days passed, the infection began to weaken and actually caused Bob's body to fail. Bob was mentally sharp until the end. His strength and perseverance impressed doctors and nurses, but the good fight can only be fought for so long.
On Thanksgiving morning at 7:28 AM, November 23rd, 2017; Bob left us. He was the consummate family man and he loved each of them dearly. He is survived by: his best friend & love of his life for 49 years, Barbara, his children: Chris, Amelia, and Elena. Bob had 8 grandchildren: Sarah, Kevin, Kristan, Athena, Rachael, Kyle, Roman, & Lauren; and 2 great grandchildren: Esmeralda & Abbey. He is also survived by his sisters: Sarah Whalin & Nettie Perry. Bob was preceded in death by: his son Ken, who passed away on October 15th, 2017.
Bob had a compassionate heart and was a man among men. He was the epitome of the loving husband, devoted father, and provider. He was a good listener, easy to talk to, and was always willing to offer advice and refrained from judgment. He also, had a great sense of humor and could make you laugh. Bob will be missed dearly, by all who knew and loved him.
A visitation will be held from 5 to 7pm, with a Catholic Vigil Service beginning at 6pm on Friday, December 1, 2017. The funeral service will take place at 1:30pm on Saturday, December 2, 2017. All services to take place at the Olinger Highland Mortuary Chapel located at 10201 Grant Street in Thornton, Colorado.
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