Robert Marquiss

Robert Wilbur Marquiss [90] passed away at the Veterans Medical Center in Grand Junction, Colorado on December 4th, 2020.
Robert "Bob" was born on September 4th, 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 3 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 2 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 yrs) and Grand Junction (14 yrs).
Bob is survived by his loving wife Evelyn Marquiss, two sons Michael and Roy Marquiss (Patty); his two grandchildren Daniel and Linnea; his 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.