Thaddeus Joseph Englert
Nov. 14, 1934 ~ Dec. 29, 2022
Thaddeus Joseph Englert, son of Leo Francis Englert and Agatha Olivia Ohmes Englert, brother of Rosetta Land, Leo “Steve” Englert, Jr., Timothy (Leanna) Englert, and Mary Ann (Tim) Sheridan, and husband of Sue Ellen Englert made his great crossing to the other side, peacefully, on Dec. 29, 2022, at his home on the “L backward E” ranch near Moffat, Colorado.
Thad was born in Garden City, Kansas, on Nov. 14, 1934, survived the Dust Bowl, a rattlesnake bite, and a school bus wreck as a child, and moved with his family to Ramah, Colorado in the late 1940’s. There he spent his youth helping on the “L backward E” family ranch, serving as an altar boy at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, playing high school sports, graduating valedictorian, and later marrying his high school sweetheart Shirley Robertson in San Antonio, Texas, where he was stationed in the United States Air Force (studying Russian and later serving in Japan).
To that union were born two sets of twins: Mark and Cathy, Lois and Lori. His kids remember him, fondly, as the dad who was always ready to play. Be it cribbage, horseshoes, wild horseback rides (on his shoulders), bedtime guitar songs, hunting, camping, fishing, the big black bug, or just a good laugh, he was the best. More importantly he, by example, taught them to love the Savior and to walk in His ways, to live by a strong work ethic, and to value education.
After a wise father-in-law asked him if he was sure he wanted to milk cows twice a day in Ramah, Colorado, for the rest of his life, the family headed for Greeley, Colorado, where Thad completed his bachelor’s degree at UNC, then his master’s degree at ISU Ames, Iowa. Returning to Colorado, he was a physics and calculus professor at CMC in Glenwood Springs and began the rigorous challenge of pursuing a PhD in physics.
Thad married his beloved Sue on Aug. 11, 1979, in Laramie, Wyoming, where they both earned their doctorate degrees at the University of Wyoming. They finished raising Sue’s Eric and Heather, then moved on to New Mexico, conducting research at Kirkland Air Force Base, and running cattle. Thad spent the last 20-plus years of his life, with Sue, on the Moffat ranch. There, he lived the dream of a rancher on his own spread and served and got to know the good people of the San Luis Valley.
For years, he and Sue sang and played banjo and mandolin hymns in the choir loft at Saint Agnes Catholic Church and at Majestic Mountains Cowboy Fellowship. They entertained and comforted, as a duo, with the “Seat of the Pants Philharmonic,” and others at many a gathering, volunteered at the Saguache County Museum (including being part of the “Old Fart Roofing Crew,” painter, flapjack cook extraordinaire, and 2012 parade grand marshals). He championed local agricultural water rights, leaving state authorities “head-scratchin” over the physics of irrigation. Their good times were from the simple to the sublime, and their 40-plus years together made for the greatest adventures of his life. Flying their Cessna 152, fly fishing favorite “holes,” pack-horse trips across the Rockies, the physics of life, moving irrigation pipes and checking the herd with dog pals Binky and Olie, fun-filled Englert family rendezvous, and the rosy sunsets reflected on his cherished Sangres filled their days. Thad was always willing to help a neighbor, share a joke, a cup, or a “snort.” He will be deeply missed.
He is survived by Sue; his sisters; children, Cathy (Brit), Mark (Janine), Lori (Bill), Lois (Greg), Eric, and Heather (Michael); grandchildren, Jessi (Bo), Nattie (Craig), Marc, Cody (Alex), Kaitlyn, Patrick, Sarah, Steve (Michelle); and great-grandchildren Benjamin, Jesse, Scarlett, Stella, Roe, Odessa, Cole, Riley, Alexis and Kemper.
He would say—and has said—to us all, “No tears. Make peace with your Savior and your family; live a life so you leave good tracks and can say, ‘What a ride…be amazed!’”
Thad and his first wife Shirley leased and ran the Sleepy Cat Guest Ranch for several years in the mid-1970s. His three daughters, Cathy, Lori and Lois all graduated from Meeker High School.
In lieu of a funeral service, Thad requested a bluegrass “shindig” this coming summer (TBA).
His family thanks you for your many friendships and memories, prayers, and caring.
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