Robert Easton Obituary

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Robert A. "Bob" Easton of Littleton, Colorado passed away peacefully on March 25th 2026. He is survived by his wife, Diane; his son, Brian (Kjesti); his daughter, Kristi (Scott Newquist); seven grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; a sister, Nancy; and a brother, John. He was preceded in death by his sister Kathy.

Bob was a friend to everyone and a devoted civil servant. He was the Executive Director of Foothills Park & Recreation District in Jefferson County, where he worked for 31 years. Upon his retirement, the district honored him by naming its newest facility, Robert A. Easton Regional Park, in Littleton. Beginning in 1999, Bob humbly served as President of the Columbine Memorial Committee, which oversaw the design and construction of a permanent memorial, completed and dedicated in 2007.

Bob was born and raised in Littleton, Colorado, and lived his entire life there, except for the years he served in the US Army from 1969 to 1971. As commander of a seven-man firing party in The Old Guard, he provided the military funeral's 21-round salute at Arlington Cemetery in Washington, D.C. It was in Washington D.C. that Bob met his wife, Diane (Kathy Diane Shaffer). After their Virginia wedding, he convinced her to return with him to Colorado by promise of the beautiful Rocky Mountains. Despite the mountains being uncharacteristically fogged in upon their arrival, they enjoyed over 54 years of happy marriage. Bob loved his wife, Diane; he loved his family; and he loved his Lord, Jesus Christ. Those three things were the source of his deepest joy.

An avid sports fan, Bob was always eager to attend a Nuggets game or a stock-car race whenever the opportunity arose. Unbeknownst to many, he was an exceptional PlayStation NASCAR driver. In 2002 Bob carried the Olympic torch through his hometown in the official torch relay for the Winter Olympics. He enjoyed music and sang in his church choir. He travelled to dozens of US National Parks, and he particularly delighted in driving friends and family along Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park. He seemed to know effortlessly the name of every road in Colorado and could be relied on to recall a story from any location you passed. He treasured the outdoors, delighted in sunshine, and was a root-beer aficionado.

Bob spent the second half of his life confined to a wheelchair due to muscular dystrophy. It didn't slow him down; it only sped him up. He completed the 1989 BOLDERBoulder 10k in his manual wheelchair, and later, when he went electric, his grandchildren and great-grandchildren became his charioteers, standing on the back declaring, "Let's go Grandpa". Bob could often be found zooming through the parks and driving his modified van around town or across the country. Yet no matter where he travelled, it was guaranteed he'd encounter an old friend exclaiming with a smile, "Hey, Bob!" He was still making new friends in his final few days.

Contributions may be made in Bob's memory to the Columbine Memorial Foundation.

www.columbinememorial.org

Internment on Friday, May 1, at 1:30pm, at Fort Logan Cemetery, 4400 W Kenyon Ave, Denver, CO.

A Celebration of Life Service, followed by a reception, will be held on Saturday, May 2, at 2pm, at South Fellowship, 6560 S Broadway, Littleton, CO.