Gregory Gale Fairchild
Marriages
Kathleen Shepard-Fairchild
Burial Details
Obituaries
Grand Junction Daily Sentinel page 8A Death Notice - January 19, 2015
Gregory Gale Fairchild, 62, Fruita, died Jan. 16, 2015, at his residence.
Services are pending with Fruita Funeral Home.
Grand Junction Daily Sentinel page 5 B Obituary - January 20, 2015
Gregory Gale Fairchild
August 1, 1952 - January 16, 2015
On this day a man who lived up to his strong name went home to meet his Lord. Gregory "Greg" Fairchild died, comforted by his wife and beloved cat, in his home in Fruita, CO due to complications from a procedure to find a terminal cancer in the liver. It was a storm that sent him adrift.
The kindest man known spent the last few months of his life
suffering into a deeper spiritual understanding and a bigger
inner man as his body wasted. He was an example to his fellow man in how to battle illness with dignity, always expressing deep gratitude and appreciation for all the caregivers who helped him through his final journey, especially his wife who refused to leave his side.
Greg was the youngest child, born on August 1, 1952, to Gale
Fairchild and Marguerite (Folk) Fairchild in Santa Fe, NM. His
family moved to Denver, CO when he was 12, and he graduated high school at Northglenn High. His siblings, Mike, Lester and Toni; his mother - whom he loved dearly, and his three sons he fathered in his youth, Nathan, Gabe and Lance Fairchild survive. His father preceded him in death.
He was attracted to her "beauty, strength and intelligence," he’d say, and spent his adulthood as the beloved and much cherished husband of Kathleen Shepard-Fairchild, who he built his life with. They were together for 25 years; "too short," he’d say.
Greg raised his two step-daughters, Phaedra and Michelle
Melgares, as if they were his own and there is a place in both of their hearts that called him father. His grandchildren called him Opa: Nathanial Severance, Emmalynne Melgares, Roman and Alexander Fairchild. Greg always thought of, and raised Nathanial as a son - not a grandson. He was so bonded with Emmalynne that it was said he never really knew love until that spirit entered his life.
Greg only wanted the best for people. He believed in people,
always being one to give a person a chance - several if that is
what they needed. He was dependable, reliable and a strong
provider in this lifetime. His legacy is his hard work and the
example he put forth in his work ethic. He died an active, 33
year, employee of Xcel Energy working in Arvada, Rifle and
Grand Junction. He loved you all as his Union brothers and
knew you all carried him when he could no longer carry on as
the man he was.
When his business was finished and the furnace was fixed,
Greg left this earth without saying goodbye. He expressed that he wants people to know that it is essential for them to stay connected to important people in their life because these people are not always "there" just because they are in your mind - they can slip away in a heartbeat.
His wife wants him to know: I thought of you more often than
you will ever know and I will continue to do so. There was a
gentle persuasion in your ways that always challenged others to encompass a broader thought and to improve oneself. In our talks you always left me with encouragement. Without end, you let me know how loved I was by your unfailing positive acceptance of me. You are my heartbeat. I am blessed that I have known you and I will miss sharing time with you - my good man you will be so, so missed.
Greg is a full-body donation and considered it an honor to
serve his fellow man in the end. Those who know Greg know he was a very private person and at his request there will be no open services.
Donations can be made to HopeWest Hospice in his name.
