Fred Alan Willis, 71, of Boulder, CO, died at home on June 26, 2016 after 10 months of treatment for a difficult, late stage cancer. Fred was born on September 17, 1944 in Tulsa, OK, to Walter and Mildred Willis and grew up in Dardanelle, AR. He graduated from the University of Arkansas in 1967 with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. Fred worked for IBM for 30 years in Lexington, KY; in Tucson, AZ; and in Boulder, CO; and for 5 years with Exabyte Corp in Boulder after his retirement from IBM.
Fred loved the mountains and the outdoors and spent as much time as possible hiking, backpacking and skiing. He climbed 41 of Colorado’s 54 Fourteeners, Mt. Kilimanjaro (Tanzania), Mt. Cotopaxi (Ecuador), and hiked the Colorado Trail, the Teton Crest Trail, and John Muir Trail. He and Barbara hiked to Pangboche, Nepal and enjoyed the Milford Track in New Zealand. Fred also climbed the cable route on Half Dome in Yosemite and has been on Mt. Whitney twice at sunrise. Part of his legacy is the love of the mountains he instilled in his children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and so many others, far and wide.
Fred is survived by his wife of 48 years, Barbara, and their three children and families: Allison, Ken and Patrick Rehor of Grand Junction, CO; Mary, Mike, Allison and Connor Griffin of Lincoln, IL and Tucson, AZ; and Craig Willis, Cheryl Thompson and Cannon Willis of Champaign, IL. Fred is also survived by his siblings: Bob and Abigail Willis of Dardanelle, AR; James and Carol Willis of Victoria, TX; and Margaret and Dallas Barker of Flint, MI.
Just as he wished, the family is planning a party and a memorial hike in his honor that will take place in the Fall, when his mountains are in full glory. Memorial donations may be made to The Fred Willis Memorial Bench Fund in person at any 1st Bank location or mail to: The Fred Willis Memorial Bench Fund, 1st Bank, 4770 Baseline Rd, Suite 100, Boulder, CO 80303; or to CaringBridge (www.caringbridge.org).
Barbara, Allison, Mary and Craig would like to express their gratitude to the doctors, nurses and staff of Rocky Mountain Cancer Center and Halcyon Hospice & Palliative Care for their warm and compassionate care of both Fred and the family during his illness.
Fred loved the mountains and the outdoors and spent as much time as possible hiking, backpacking and skiing. He climbed 41 of Colorado’s 54 Fourteeners, Mt. Kilimanjaro (Tanzania), Mt. Cotopaxi (Ecuador), and hiked the Colorado Trail, the Teton Crest Trail, and John Muir Trail. He and Barbara hiked to Pangboche, Nepal and enjoyed the Milford Track in New Zealand. Fred also climbed the cable route on Half Dome in Yosemite and has been on Mt. Whitney twice at sunrise. Part of his legacy is the love of the mountains he instilled in his children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and so many others, far and wide.
Fred is survived by his wife of 48 years, Barbara, and their three children and families: Allison, Ken and Patrick Rehor of Grand Junction, CO; Mary, Mike, Allison and Connor Griffin of Lincoln, IL and Tucson, AZ; and Craig Willis, Cheryl Thompson and Cannon Willis of Champaign, IL. Fred is also survived by his siblings: Bob and Abigail Willis of Dardanelle, AR; James and Carol Willis of Victoria, TX; and Margaret and Dallas Barker of Flint, MI.
Just as he wished, the family is planning a party and a memorial hike in his honor that will take place in the Fall, when his mountains are in full glory. Memorial donations may be made to The Fred Willis Memorial Bench Fund in person at any 1st Bank location or mail to: The Fred Willis Memorial Bench Fund, 1st Bank, 4770 Baseline Rd, Suite 100, Boulder, CO 80303; or to CaringBridge (www.caringbridge.org).
Barbara, Allison, Mary and Craig would like to express their gratitude to the doctors, nurses and staff of Rocky Mountain Cancer Center and Halcyon Hospice & Palliative Care for their warm and compassionate care of both Fred and the family during his illness.
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