Donald Stadelman

Donald LeRoy Stadelman

April 7, 1936 – November 23, 2021

Donald LeRoy Stadelman, loving father and grandfather, passed away Tuesday, November 23, 2021, at Mantey Heights Rehabilitation & Care Center. He was 85 years old.
Donald, known by family and friends as LeRoy, was born on April 7, 1936, in Fort Collins, Colorado to Nicholas James Sr and Catherine (Brungardt) Stadelman. Shortly after he was born in 1936 the family moved to Salina, Kansas until they returned To Fort Collins in 1942. In 1952 the family purchased the Frasier Valley Ranch in Frasier Colorado. The family operated the ranch until 1956 when they sold it to the City of Denver. In 2003, the city of Denver established the Stadelman Conservation Easement in the Frasier Valley on a portion of the ranch they once owned to preserve the ranching heritage of the area. After the sale of the ranch in Frasier the family purchased a ranch on the western slope of Colorado known as the Stadelman Herford Ranch near Whitewater. LeRoy met the love of his life and married Shirley Marie Myers in a double ceremony where two sisters married two brothers on July 24, 1961, at St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Grand Junction, Colorado.
From this union, six children were born, Stephen (Erin) Stadelman of Ridgway, CO; Donald LeRoy Jr. (Tracie) Stadelman of Grand Junction, CO; Mary Stadelman of Loma, CO; David (Trina) Stadelman of Mack, CO; Andrew (Heather) Stadelman of Loma, CO, and Jared Rhae Stadelman who was stillborn. LeRoy’s heart grew with his 15 grandchildren and 19 great-grandchildren with one due in August 2022.
LeRoy lived in and around the Grand Valley for over 63 years including Grand Junction, Kannah Creek and Loma, Colorado. He was a member of the Knights of Columbus (4th Degree), as well as a member of the Cattlemen's Association and German Club. He was a longtime member of St. Joseph's Catholic Church and Sacred Heart Church.  In the early 1970's, LeRoy assisted the Sisters of the Whitewater Benedictine Community, formerly known as Whitewater Visitation Community, in getting established on Kannah Creek.

LeRoy is survived by his children, Steve, Don, Mary, David and Andy; grandchildren, great grandchildren, Sister in law Virginia and brother in law Wesley, and many cousins, nieces, nephews and extended family members. He was preceded in death by his wife Shirley, his parents; brothers, Victor, Nicolas James Jr, Orville, Alvin; sisters, Rose deLima and Bernice; and son, Jared Rhae Stadelman.
A funeral mass will be held Friday, June 17, 2022, at 11:00 a.m. at Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church in Grand Junction, CO with immediate interment to follow.