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He graduated from Longmont High School in 1962. He then attended Colorado School of Mines. He served in the U.S. Army from 1967 to 1972, serving in Vietnam, and was honorably discharged as a captain. He returned to Colorado after his military service. He then moved to California in 1973 and returned to Longmont in 1994. Mr. Colcleasure was in sales and management for Monarch Marketing in California and then worked as a U.S. Postal Service letter carrier in Longmont. He retired in 2005. He was a member of First United Methodist Church, Longs Peak Post 2601 Veterans of Foreign Wars, John Harold Buckley Post 32, American Legion and the Disabled American Veterans. He enjoyed fishing, computers and traveling. He was an avid Broncos fan, an avid reader and was fluent in German. He is survived by a brother, Eric Bounds Colcleasure and his wife Tammy of Longmont; a sister, Arliss Ann Zerbe and her husband William of Gas City, Ind.; a nephew, Clay Zerbe of Hartford City, Ind.; and a niece, Jennifer French of Blufton, Ind. A memorial service is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Ahlberg Funeral Chapel with the Rev. Dr. G. Bruce Maxwell officiating. Cremation will take place at Ahlberg Funeral Chapel and Crematory. Inurnment will follow services at Foothills Gardens of Memory with military honors provided by Longs Peak Post 2601, Veterans of Foreign Wars. Memorial
Contributions may be made to Longs Peak Post 2601 Veterans of Foreign
Wars or to the Disabled American Veterans and sent to Ahlberg Funeral
Chapel, 326 Terry Street Longmont 80501.
HONOR THE DREAM BEHIND THE HOLIDAY
Longmont Daily Times-Call Memorial Day is traditionally one of America's most solemn and patriotic days. It is certainly a sacred day to all war veterans. On this day of remembrance, we honor all of America's patriots who gave their last full masure of devotion to their country. They laid a solemn gurden in our hands, and we must ensure that death never stalks the ideals for which American men and women in uniform have risked their lives and shed their blood. Having defended those ideals, and becoming disabled in the process, the members of Disabled American Veterans can join in one great dream: That the ideals of peace, freedom, and prosperity will shine forever bright in the life of our nation and the lives of her individual people. Memorial Day is a celebration of that dream, even though there is sadness in remembering our nation's war dead. I believe, however, that they would want us to focus our thoughts on the hope of tomorrow, rather than the dark days of wars long past, to use this day to recommit ourselves to the standards for which they died. Strengthened in that hope, we see a bond of unity growing from our observance of this holiday. That bond is in the historical roots of our actions on this solemn and sacred day. Originally called "Decoration Day," the first formal observance goes back to May 30, 1868, when flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers in a small Mississippi cemetery. In 1873, it became a national holiday. But as we think of the dead, we should think of the living, too. Through our network of DAV chapters and auxiliary units across the land, Disabled American Veterans is dedicated to honoring the dead by serving the living who came home from military service sick and disabled. And we are not alone. Members of other veterans' organizations have their own stories to tell. This says something important about the extraordinary bond we share as brother and sister veterans, continuing the act of love begun more than a century ago in that Mississippi cemetery. While there are many other things we do, Memorial Day leaves few hearts unmoved in remembering the more than one million brave Americans who gave their lives in the defense of freedom and democracy. If history has taught us anything, it is that Americans will bear any hardship, overcome any obstacle, conquer any foe in the pursuit of liberty and justice -- for themselves, their children, their countrymen, and others whose faces they'll never see. In the dark hours of war and conflict, America's veterans answered her call, and they're the reason that the United States is the mightiest, wealthiest, and most secure nation on Earth today. Remembering is what Memorial Day is for, a time to remember what unites us as one America, a time to recognize that the mortar binding our society is mixed with the blood and tears of those who fought and died in battle. We can never repay the debt we owe these brave men and women, but we can honor their vision which led them into battle and their final sacrifice. No one is more deserving of our affection and honor than those who fought and died to preserve what all the world cherishes -- the American way of life. Today, as we honor the memory of America's veterans whose remains consecrate the soil throughout the world, let us promise that their lives and their sacrifice were not offered in vain, but will be remembered by us all forever. God Bless America.
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Longmont High Trojans Longmont Colorado Class of 1965 Copyright © 1999 All rights reserved. |
COLCLEASURE Jr.
of Longmont died May 24, 2006, at his home.