Obituary: Jonathon Edward Wangnild

Jonathon Edward Wangnild, 42, of Meeker, Colo., passed away from a horse accident on June 27, 2013. He was born Dec. 21, 1970, in Laramie, Wyo., to William and Laurel Wangnild.
Jon, as everyone knew him, was an avid outdoorsman starting in his youth on the family ranch near Glendevey, Colo. He moved to Loveland, Colo., in 1979 and graduated from Thompson Valley High School in 1989.
Following his passion of hunting and fishing, he graduated with a degree in wildlife biology and a minor in range management from Colorado State University in 1993, hoping to pursue a career as a game warden. Jon was hired on with the Arizona Game and Fish Department and worked out of the Kingman, Ariz., office until 2002. He married Shey Miller in Kingman in 1998.
He then got a job with the Colorado Division of Wildlife. After training, he got his ideal position out of the Meeker office. He referred to Meeker as the Serengeti of the West.
His family grew with the addition of a son, Charles Jonathon, and another, Kyle Miller, and his lovely daughter, Melayni Grace. His children were his greatest joy in life. He was a great father who loved every moment he spent with them.
He was also very fortunate to have a job where he could let the children tag along and observe many fun things. He enjoyed hunting and fishing with his family and friends and traveled across the Western states bird hunting with his beloved dogs.
In Meeker, he enjoyed working with ranchers and others to improve the wildlife habitat and create hunting opportunities for others who enjoyed his same passions. One of the things he always enjoyed was helping with youth hunts they would organize with local landowners and kids who were just beginning.
He also enjoyed volunteering to teach hunter education, youth shooting sports and his sons’ baseball teams over the years. Jon’s faith in Christ was strong and helped others in their faith journey too.
Wangnild is survived by his parents, William and Laurel Wangnild of Loveland, Colo.; his wife, Shey; his sons, CJ and Kyle of Meeker; his daughter, Melayni of Meeker; his sister, Holly Suess (Rick) of Loveland; his brother, Daniel Wangnild (Brenda) of Loveland; his brother, Benjamin Wangnild (Melissa) of Fort Collins, Colo.; and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.
Memorial services were held at the Meeker United Methodist Church at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, July 2, 2013. A tribute to Jon from the Colorado Division of Wildlife was held afterwards at Circle Park with a reception that followed.
Memorial donations may be made to the children’s college fund: Jon Wangnild Memorial Account at the First National Bank of the Rockies, P.O. Box 600, Meeker, Colo., 81641.