Robert Wilber Marquiss
Obituaries
Daily Sentinel page 3D - December 20, 2020
Robert Wilbur Marquiss,
90, passed away at the
Veterans Medical Center in
Grand Junction, Colorado, on
December 4, 2020.
Robert “Bob” was born on
September 4, 1930, in Pine
Bluffs, Wyoming, to Ford and
Faye (Rinehart) Marquiss.
He attended schools (Burns, Albin, Golden Prairie) while growing
up there. His college and military careers began first with the
University of Wyoming in 1948, followed by his service in the Navy
in 1950, before finally completing his Masters in Agriculture at the
U of Wyoming in 1954, specializing in Range Land Management.
In 1958 Bob and his wife Evelyn, spent three years living on the
Souix reservation in Fort Yates, North Dakota, and the Apache
reservation in San Carlos, Arizona.
Bob had always appreciated the Native American culture and was
a collector of Apache and Navajo artwork in particular.
After completing his PhD from the University of Arizona, Bob
continued his research in Hesperus, Colorado, later becoming the
superintendent at the San Juan Basin experiment station.
By this time Bob and Evelyn had adopted two boys, Michael and
Roy, before moving to Durango, Colorado in 1971.
It was at Fort Lewis College in Durango where Bob developed and
taught a two year introductory course in Range Land Management.
In 1978 the family moved to East Central Minnesota to begin a
new life in the cattle ranching business.
During the next 17 years Bob would build a unique beef operation,
focused on improving the land for both cattle and wildlife.
In 1993 he received the award for “Commercial Cattleman of the
Year” from the Minnesota Beef Cattleman’s Association.
By 1995 Bob and Evelyn had retired, traveled throughout the
United States before settling down in the towns of Hotchkiss,
Colorado (10 years) and Grand Junction (14 years).
Bob is survived by his loving wife, Evelyn Marquiss; sons,
Michael and Roy Marquiss (Patty); grandchildren, Daniel and
Linnea, and brother, Richard Marquiss (Barb) from Pine Bluffs.
He was preceded in death by siblings, Ford, Laveta, and Hazel.
A tribute to Bobs life will take place at a future date.
