Obituary of Bev Bledsoe

Carl Beverly Bledsoe age 88 of Aroya, Colorado, peacefully passed away Tuesday, June 5, 2012 at his home in the presence of his loving family. He was born October 6, 1923 at Aroya, Colorado. He was the son of Carl and Josie Main Bledsoe. Carl attended grade school in several different locations in the country, and then Aroya. He graduated from Kit Carson High School as president of his class of 18. After graduation he attended Colorado University for one year prior to enlisting in the United States Army in 1942 at Fort Logan in Colorado. He attended basic training at Camp Crowder, Missouri and then teletype repair in Fort Monmouth, New Jersey. It was in New Jersey where he met his future wife, Alice Elizabeth Cotellessa, daughter of his mothers’ college roommate, Helen Dodds and Joseph C. Cotellessa, a banker in Paterson New Jersey. From New Jersey he was sent to Pendleton Air Base in Oregon and then on to San Francisco where he sailed under the Golden Gate Bridge on the old tramp steamer the US Cape Flattery. His destination was Townsville, Australia with the trip taking over 30 days. The ship made a huge circle south to avoid Japanese submarines. He was assigned to the Signal Corps as a teletype for the Fifth Air Force in the Pacific Ocean. As the Japanese retreated he was sent to Port Moresby, New Guinea; Nadzab, New Guinea; Islands of Leyte and Luzon in the Philippines and Okinawa where the war came to an end. His return journey to Seattle took 16 days and then home for Christmas in 1945. In January he traveled back to New Jersey to see Alice and she agreed to marry him. They were married on September 14, 1946 in Paramus, New Jersey. After his return to Colorado he attended three years of college at Colorado State University where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Animal Husbandry. In 1949 he moved his family to Hugo and began ranching. After two years they built a house on the ranch and that has been his home ever since. While living in this area he served as the president of the Kit Carson School Board and also the president of the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. In 1972 he was appointed to fill out the term of Robert Schafer in the Colorado House of Representatives and was then elected to a full term in that year. He served 18 and ½ years in all, with the last 10 years as the Speaker of the House of Representatives, longer than any previous Speaker had served before him. His goal was always to do what he thought was best for the state, always keeping in mind the welfare of agriculture and rural Colorado. He was the recipient of awards for service ranging from Denver University in the educational community, to the Future Farmers of America, to the Independence Institute for his work on Tort Reform, Colorado Bankers Association, he was named the Outstanding State Legislator by the American Legislative Council, he has received his honorary FFA Degree, was named Co-Legislator by the Colorado Vocational Teachers Association, received the Independence Institute Zebulon Pike Award, Colorado Cattleman’s Association Honorary Life Member award, the Colorado Association for Rural Education for Outstanding Service to Rural Schools, Colorado Farm Bureau Service to Agriculture Award, the Colorado Veterinary Medicine Association Distinguished Service Award and was inducted to the Colorado Agriculture Hall of Fame and many more. He and his wife Alice had three sons: Robert Carl, Thomas Beverly, and Christopher Joel. Each of his sons remained in the field of agriculture. Tom works for the state of Colorado as a brand inspector in Greeley and Bob and Chris have remained working on the family ranch outside of Hugo. Beverly once stated: “To continue to be successful, our system needs the participation of every citizen in some dimension. The reward for this participation will be personal gratification for the individual far greater than the effort required.” This was a philosophy throughout his entire life and words he lived by. Beverly is survived by his loving wife, Alice Elizabeth of the home; three sons, Robert Carl Bledsoe (Cathy) of Aroya, CO, Thomas Beverly Bledsoe (Mariann) of La Salle, CO and Christopher Joel Bledsoe (Patricia) of Aroya; one brother, William E. Bledsoe of Aroya, CO; four grandchildren, Gregory Carl Bledsoe, Brian Douglas Bledsoe (Dale Ann), Angela Kay Daly (Jack) and Christopher Joel Bledsoe II (Tara); seven great grandchildren, McGuire Carl Bledsoe, Kendrick Soren Bledsoe, Emma Kay Daly, Camden Christopher Bledsoe, Allison Danielle Daly and Cadence Bevann Bledsoe. Mr. Bledsoe was preceded in death by his parents, Carl and Josie Bledsoe and one sister, Mary Jo Rubright.