Joseph "Fritz" Gobbo

Was born on August 25, 1933 in Grand Junction, Colorado to Anna Margaret Mudrock (Mudrack) and  Gioseppi  (Joseph) Gobbo.

He was the eldest of two children with his sister Betty Irene who was born three years later. He was born in St. Mary’s Hospital. His maternal aunt tagged him with the nickname “Fritz” when he was very young, exclaiming, “That’s a Fritz if I ever saw one” and his parents and sister would attest to that with many stories of his infamous escapades as a child.

The family lived in the Appleton area and Fritz attended and graduated from Appleton High School in 1952. He was always available to do farm work and was trained to operate farm and construction equipment including a road grader and caterpillar.

He attended Mesa College, Barnes Business School and Denver University studying accounting.

He was called to service in the United States Army and because of his farm training on heavy equipment was attached to an  Air Force unit and served in Korea, and Guam, where his assignment (because of his heavy equipment experience on the farm)  was to repair airfields after the war. He was honorably discharged in 1955. A quote from Oliver Wendell Holmes depicts his military attitude toward his service. “Those who serve in the military, have hearts that are touched by fire; having known great and horrible things they are often content with silence.   He married Jo Ann Stimbert on March 9, 1958 in Grand Junction, Colorado. He worked for his father and uncles farming until 1979 when he and his cousins purchased the farmland in Appleton and established Gobbo Farms. He later established Gobbo 7 Produce along with his wife, Jo Ann. He was a life member of the Elks Club, a member and past president of Farm Bureau, and the Western Colorado Horticultural Society, and served on an agricultural advisory committee to the Colorado State University. He was a member of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Church and helped in the construction of the original church building on North 7th street. He served as secretary to the Board of Directors of Gobbo Land and Livestock.  He was a hard working dedicated agriculturalist and took great pride in the stewardship of his orchards, garden, and farmland.  He enjoyed his family, and traveling and will be especially missed by his canine companion Rio de Janeiro II.

He is survived by His wife of 60 years, and children, Gayle Mccleary Gobbo, Kevin L. Gobbo (Ginger), and Lora K. Moore (Dean). Eight grandchildren and their spouses, and ten great-grandchildren, He was preceded in death by his parents and beloved sister Betty Irene Schneider of Baltimore Maryland.