Robert Allen Kettle

Robert “Bobby” Allen Kettle, age 66 died September 30, 2024, following complications during a hospital stay for a broken hip. Leukemia had left him unable to fight infections and after discovering a significant heart issue, covid, and pneumonia he decided his body had had enough and it was time to go home to be with his parents. 

Bobby was born in Montrose, Colorado but grew up in Uravan, Colorado. He attended elementary school in Uravan and then finished school in Nucla. He was proud to be part of the class of ’77. Bobby spoke often of the lifelong friends he had growing up and the adventures they had in their small, close-knit town. 

After leaving high school Bobby briefly lived in Denver at an institution designed for adults with disabilities. Bobby suffered a great deal of abuse at that facility and his family brought him back to the Western Slope. He came to Grand Junction shortly after and with the support of Mesa Developmental Services and later Ariel Clinical Services, he lived an incredibly happy and independent life helping others and riding his bike all over town. Bobby really enjoyed meeting new people and quickly became friends with them. He is known for giving great hugs. 

Bobby loved semi-trucks. He could tell you all about them and one of his favorite activities was to visit the truck stop so he could look at all the trucks. One of his cousins had built a truck cab with the dashboard, steering wheel, and gear shifter; it was a prized possession, and he spent hours pretending to be on the road. Bobby’s other love was donuts. He especially loved going to the donut shop with friends and family. He always had a hug for the staff that worked there. 

Bobby felt like it was important to help others however he could, and he had a good sense if something was wrong. One morning he had a feeling that something was wrong at a coffee shop where he worked sweeping and shoveling snow, he went to check on it. He discovered that someone was breaking into the store and was able to alert the police and prevent the burglary. Another time a neighbor was driving past his house and her car had an engine fire. Bobby’s quick thinking prevented the whole car from burning up, the fire department celebrated this and brought the fire truck to his house later that week to present him with a t-shirt and show him their truck. 

Bobby was preceded in death by his parents, William and Alice Kettle; his sister, Connie Langford; and brother, Billy Kettle. Bobby is survived by his niece, Jennifer (Mike) Osborn; nephew, Eric (Heather) Langford; brother-in-law, Jim Langford; and great-niece and nephews, Glen (Araiya) Langford, Emily Osborn, Joe Osborn, Hayden Langford, Justin Langford. He also leaves behind many cousins and friends who were like family to him.

A service to honor Bobby's life will be on Wednesday, October 9, 2024, at 1:00 PM at Brown's Cremation and Funeral Services. In lieu of traditional contributions, the family requests that individuals perform acts of kindness, donate to their favorite charity, or help a stranger, reflecting Bobby's lifelong desire for kindness and mutual support among people.