William "Bill" Rutledge
Obituaries
William “Bill” Rutledge died
July 12, 2020, at The Valley
Inn Nursing Home in Mancos,
Colorado, at the age of 91.
Bill was born in Hesperus,
CO, to John W. Rutledge and
Margaret (Shea) Rutledge,
the third of five children. He
attended elementary school at
the original Fort Lewis campus
at Hesperus and graduated from
Durango High School in 1948.
He grew up around horses and
during his late teens and early
twenties worked as a jockey, then
later as a trainer for various local
race horse owners. Bill’s adult
career was centered around law
enforcement. As a U.S. Marine
during the Korean War, he was
a military policeman stationed
in Hawaii. Upon leaving the
military, he became a member
of the Cortez Police Department where he met and married his
wife, Lois Roe, in 1952, and began his family consisting of two
daughters, Shannan and Kerry.
Bill served as Chief of Police for two years on the Ute Mountain
Indian Reservation at Towaoc, Colorado, where he learned the
Ute and Navajo languages. He then served several years as a
Montezuma County Sheriff’s Department deputy and undersheriff
until becoming a Parole Officer for the Colorado Department of
Corrections. In 1970 Bill was transferred to Grand Junction as
Parole Supervisor and in 1980 became the Regional Manager
for the Western Slope of Colorado. In 1982 he was recognized
as the “Outstanding Manager of the Year” by the Department of
Corrections.
Following retirement, Bill and Lois moved back to Cortez for 19
years where he served a term as a city council member, then moved
to Grand Junction again in 2009, to be near immediate family.
Bill was predeceased by his parents; siblings, Margaret Klatt,
Veronica Phelps, and John Rutledge; and daughter, Shannan.
He is survived by sister, Virginia Bechtolt (Don); daughter, Kerry;
granddaughter, Megan (Jeromy); great-grandchildren, Kaylea and
James Kaus; wife, Lois, and many nieces, nephews, and friends.
Bill loved hunting, fishing, camping, traveling, reading, spending
time with all his family and friends, and commuting with his special
horse friend, Nugget, that he acquired after retirement.
Bill was a man known for his integrity who cared about people
and served the public well, helping many people make better
choices in their lives. He was a proud Irishman with an infectious
sense of humor and had hundreds of stories to tell from his own life
experiences. Bill never met a stranger, and will be well remembered
by everyone who knew him.
Services will be held Wednesday, July 29, 2020, 10:00 a.m., at St.
Joseph’s Catholic Church.
Contributions, in lieu of flowers, may be made in Bill’s name to
the Catholic Outreach in Grand Junction or to Project Outreach
Center for Veterans, DAV Chapter 44, 432 N. Broadway, Cortez,
CO 81321.
