Obituary of Philip Blandford

Burlington, Colorado resident Philip Todd Blandford passed away on March 21, 2011 at the St. Anthony’s Central Hospital in Denver. He was 45 years old. Phil was born on October 9, 1965 in Pueblo, Colorado to Robert and Patsy (Robinson) Blandford. He was one of three children. Phil grew up in Pueblo, CO and attended school there, graduating from Pueblo East High School in 1983. He then went on and completed his bachelor’s degree and graduated from New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, NM in 1990, with a degree in Agricultural Biology with an emphasis in Entomology. On October 9, 1992, Phil married Barbara Sue Riggs in Gypsum, Colorado. They have been blessed with three children, Melissa (17), Maggie (14), and Todd (10). After moving to Burlington, in the spring of 2005, Phil took a job working at Dorman Brothers. While working in the agriculture business he befriended many farmers in the community and he recently started his own business selling Fontanelle and Triumph seed. Prior to his career in Burlington he managed the grounds of the Eagle Bend and Northern Pines golf courses where he lived with his family in Kalispell, Montana from 1995-2005. Phil had a strong faith that guided him his entire life. It led him to choose his wife, Barb, and directed the type of endeavors he chose to pursue with his family. He was an active member at the Burlington United Methodist Church where he was involved in Bible studies, served as a Trustee and many other activities. Phil loved to fish at the lake where his parents live, hunt pheasants, train his Border collies and enjoy camp fires out behind the barn. He was active with his family in 4-H, hauling horses and many other animals and pinning bugs, to name a few things. He spent lots of bleacher time donned in cougar red and black supporting his kids at softball, basketball, football and volleyball. He loved cooking, holidays, family board games, rodeos, Colorado professional sports and he could fix just about anything that broke. If there was any time left, he would take his wife, Barb, out to dinner and to the movies . Phil is survived by his parents Bob and Pat Blandford of Conchas Lake, New Mexico; his wife Barb and their three children, Melissa, Maggie and Todd, all of Burlington. He is also survived by two sisters; Donna Blandford and her husband Scott Degraffenreid of Dallas, Texas and Laurie Hanson and her husband Jeff, along with their two children Jonah and Micah of Burlington.