Robert Cruzan Obituary

Memorial services for Cortez resident, Robert Neil Cruzan will be held at 10 a.m. on Thursday, Sept. 18 at the Cortez First Baptist Church. Chaplain Marvin Graves will be officiating. Military honors will be provided by Ute Mountain American Legion Post No. 75.

Robert Neil Cruzan was born on Oct. 6, 1939, in Borger, Texas, the son of Herbert Logan and Flora Opal (Roundtree) Cruzan. He was one of three children; Herbert Duane, born April 3, 1941, and died July 3, 2005, and Linda Carol "Linda," born Oct. 26, 1944. Bob passed away on Thursday, Sept. 11, 2014 at his home in Cortez at the age of 74.

Bob started school in Cortez in 1945 and graduated from high school in Cortez in 1957, after having attended a total of 13 schools in five states. Bob attended Colorado State College (now the University of Northern Colorado) during the 1957-58 academic years.

Bob enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in October, 1958. He was honorably discharged in October, 1962 after being released in July, 1962 in order to take math and chemistry refresher courses at the Colorado School of Mines where he enrolled as a student in the fall of 1962.

While Bob was in the military his specialty was the Russian language. He learned Russian from Russian refugees for nine months at the U.S. Army Language School in 1959 at Monterey, Calif. This school is now known as the Defense Language Institute.

Bob served a total of 26 months in Air Force Intelligence at air bases in Germany and Southern Italy. Bob served the last few months of his active duty at Kelly Air Force Base in Texas.

Bob attended Colorado School of Mines from the summer of 1962 through spring 1968. He earned an Engineering Degree in Metallurgical Engineering in 1966 and a Master of Science Degree in the same field of study in 1968.

Bob married Carol Jean Reed of Denver, Colo. in April, 1963. They were divorced in April, 1973. They did not have any children.

He worked for the General Electric Tube Technology Department from mid-1968 to mid-1970. This was near the end of vacuum tube technology which was replaced by transistors and other scientific developments shortly thereafter.

Bob enrolled in the Materials Science and Engineering School of the University of California at Berkeley to work on his Doctor of Science Degree.

Bob left the academic life and returned home to Cortez early in 1972. He worked with his parents in the new and used furniture business south of Cortez. He worked in this business until 1983 and during that time the Cruzans expanded the business significantly. Bob often stated that these 11 years working with his parents were the most enjoyable times of his life. After his father's untimely death in August, 1980 Bob and his mother continued the business until 1983 when they closed. They auctioned off the remaining inventory in 1984.

Bob married Marsha Duncan Humphrey in April, 1973 and instantly became the father of three children who he later adopted; Donnie, born September, 1967; Kyle, born June, 1970; and Rechelle, born July, 1971. Bob and Marsha were blessed with another son, Jay, who was born in April, 1974.

Bob served eleven years on the Board of Directors of Montezuma-Cortez School District RE-1. He was elected to the board in the spring of 1979 and resigned in 1990 in order to avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest between two elected positions, as he was also serving as county assessor during most of those 11 years. This 11 year period was made quite challenging because of the teachers' strike of 1981. This strike caused substantial turmoil in the district and eventually about 40 teachers lost their jobs.

Bob was appointed to fill a vacancy in the position of Montezuma County Assessor in June, 1983. His intent was to stay in this position until he could find a "real job" which better suited his academic training. He retired from this temporary job in 2002 after serving as the assessor for over 19 years.

Bob often said he couldn't even spell "assessor" at the time he was appointed. But, in his usual diligent manner, once appointed, he attended many assessment and appraisal courses where he learned the requirements of the job. During Bob's time as assessor, property assessment was radically changed by the voters' approval of Amendment 1 in 1982. This Constitutional Amendment required that property values be standardized statewide and that the annual tax roll be audited by the state. He was able to perform his duties as assessor in a professional manner and always submitted a tax roll that passed the state audit. Bob spent much time operating and maintaining the computer system for the county (assessor, treasurer, and administration offices). He was very proud of his contribution as the county's de facto computer department. He was honored to serve the citizens of Montezuma County.

Bob was fortunate to see much of the world during his time in the military and when he attended various schools. However, he loved Montezuma County and he and Marsha never considered leaving the area. They were blessed with many friends, a fine family and many wonderful grandchildren.

Memorial contributions can be made in Robert Neil Cruzan's memory to Hospice of Montezuma.

Services are under the direction of Ertel Funeral Home. For further information or to send condolences, log on to www.ertelfuneralhome.com and click on the obituary section.