Charles Richard "Dick" Bottinelli
Marriages
Marion Rudmann - 1951
Obituaries
The Daily Sentinel page 6C - October 30, 2022
Charles Richard (Dick)
Bottinelli, passed on
October 19th, 2022, at
age 96. The son of a coal
miner, he was born on
December 9th, 1925, in
Louisville, Colorado. Dick
graduated from Louisville
High School in 1943. In
December 1943, he joined
the Army Air Corps
during WWII and served
as a radio operator in the
Pacific Theater.
In 1951, Dick married
Marian (Rudmann)
Bottinelli after she declared, “Dick, we should get
married.” At which he replied, “I don’t have any money
for a ring.” “I do,” she stated matter of factly. “Ok.” And
so it was…they were married 68 years until her passing
in 2019.
While attending Denver University and upon
graduating from DU Law School in 1952, he worked
as an insurance adjuster in Denver and then opened an
independent insurance adjuster’s office in Grand Junction
in 1954. While raising a young family, Dick maintained
a remarkable work ethic, investigating myriad claims
across Western Colorado and Southeastern Utah. It was
a career he thoroughly enjoyed. He operated McMillan
Claim’s Service until his retirement in 1994.
Dick’s loyalty, positive spirit, and genuine interest in
others created life-long friendships. Making the most
of his retirement years, he played tennis until he was
93. In 2000, he was honored to receive the Outstanding
Senior Player of the Year from the Colorado Tennis
Association. Dick was ranked at both the state and
national level. He cherished the many friends he made
on the court. Doubles partners or opponents, it didn’t
matter to Dick. He and his sweet wife, Marian, always
had a wonderful time traveling to the numerous tennis
tournaments he played in. They also created many fond
memories on Maui where they made even more friends,
reconnecting every year on the court and beach. Dick
also enjoyed skiing, basketball, softball, fishing, and
bowling. He could often be seen at the GJ Tennis Bubble
or Canyon View Park accompanied by his beloved
Golden Retrievers, Betsy and Bella.
Dick was an incredibly engaged father to David
(Sheilah) Bottinelli of Grand Junction, Dan (Kathryn)
Bottinelli of Arvada, and Carolyn (Kit) Jackson of
Telluride. He is also survived by grandchildren Chenoa
Jenkel, Lucas Bottinelli, Kelsey Fullerton, Lisa Budge,
and seven great-grandchildren.
A heartfelt thank you to everyone at The Center at
Foresight for the dedicated and compassionate care
Dick received during his stay there.
If you are lucky, you get a good father; if you are
really lucky, you get a great father; if you are really,
really lucky and blessed, your father becomes your
friend. Today we lost a great father and a dear friend.
Dick’s life was a life well-lived. A Celebration of Life
will be held in June.
To continue the love of tennis to our local youth,
please consider a memorial donation to Mesa County
Tennis, 658 Kapota St., Grand Junction, Colorado
81505, or Louisville Historical Museum, 1001 Main
Street, Louisville, Colorado 80027.
