Ron Bookman Obituary

It is hard to believe that it has been
20 years since Ron´s passing! In many ways it seems like it was yesterday. So many things have happened since his passing but I know he´s watching from above and still sends us rainbows. He is missed everyday and is loved so much!

It was one year ago today that Ron left us. In many ways it seems like it was only yesterday. He is loved and missed everyday. Our family is got together today to celebrate Ron's life. Ron passed away on Mom and Dad's 56th Wedding Anniversary. I know he was with Dad today.



Ron still sends rainbows to let us know that he is still around. A rainbow appeared a few days ago and it gave us a sense of peace. He has been known to send Dragonflies too.



We have good days and some really bad ones, but we take it day by day.



I really miss his smile and great laugh. He could always cheer up someone if they were having a down day.



We released balloons in Ron's honor today. We had 1 red balloon to signify Ron and 3 white balloons to signify Mom, Gary and me. Jill released a balloon with Mickey, Minnie, Donald Duck, and Pluto on it. She said she was Pluto. It had been raining all afternoon and during a small break, we released the balloons. There was one small opening in the clouds of blue sky. The balloons drifted straight to that opening and up towards the heavens. We watched the balloons for as long as we could see them.



We love you, Ron!

It was one year ago today that Ron left us. In many ways it seems like it was only yesterday. He is loved and missed every day. Our family is getting together today to celebrate Ron's life. Ron passed away on Mom and Dad's 56th Wedding Anniversary and I know he will be with Dad today too.



Ron still sends rainbows to let us know that he is still around. A rainbow appeared a few days ago and it gave us such a feeling of peace. He has been known to send Dragonflies too.



We are taking each day as it comes and there are good ones along with some very hard ones too.



He will never be forgotten. He had the greatest smile and laugh and that is what I really miss.



I am so proud and fortunate that Ron was my brother and I will forever love and miss him.

Helen & Karen

Ron's birthday being last week was a day to celebrate such a wonderful man. He was the love of my life and will always be in my heart. Today I feel so lucky to have both of you in my life.

To Ron's family,

I'm grateful to you for the person Ron was. He sometimes made me laugh so hard I cried. He sometimes was the most aggravating person on the planet. Even in the worst weather his truck was always the cleanest vehicle in the parking garage. He loved dawn, his rescue work, Mr Goodbars, standing in a river, green chile, beer (even bad beer), Friday afternoon at the Taste of Colorado, a new thriller to read, and Jill more than everything and everyone else he loved combined. For almost twelve years, through countless conversations, we used each other as a sounding board for all of life's issues, from the inconsequential to the profound. We challenged each other's thinking. We learned things we never would have but for the interest of the other. We shared the gift of music.



Years ago he bought me a book on friendship. A small book, 52 pages, one saying about friendship for each week of the year. Separately we read through it and picked out several sayings we found especially meaningful. One we both chose said this: "My friend picked me up when I was down; made me laugh though my eyes were full of tears; held me close when there was nothing else to do." To be there for the good times is easy. To accompany another through sorrow, for as long as it takes, forges a particular kind of friendship. One whose loss leaves empty a place of safety and comfort.



Eight months: the blink of an eye; an eternity; at the same time. The presence of his absence remains.

Today is the one year anniversary of the day that Ron and I looked at each other and realized that we had been looking for each other all our lives. He is sorely missed!!

Ron is still so missed, everyday! He was such a loving, great guy. I just hope that he & his Dad are together.

Robin

It is four months today since Ron died and he is still so missed and I have such wonderful/fun memories of him. I feel so fornuate to have loved someone so much and to be loved by him so much. Robin

My heart felt sympathy to the Bookman family and friends of Ronnie. Just today, I learned that my first best friend had died. I met Ronnie when we were 4 years old. For the next three years, until my family moved home to Canada, he was my best bud. He was Roy Rogers to my Dale Evans, Dr. Dan to my Nurse Nancy, and we took turns being Superman in our endless attempts to achieve flight by leaping off of my family's picnic table. We mastered roller skating and bike riding together and enjoyed countless hours of hide and seek. All of which turned out to be a great prelude to Ronnie's accomplishments and contributions as an adult. Although we never saw each other again, I always looked forward to reading his parents' Christmas letter each year to get an update on what Ronnie was doing. I've carried him forward in time as my gold standard for what I expect from relationships with boys and men - how lucky I have been. Now I think I'll climb on my bike and take a ride on a moutain to say farewell to a great friend. How fortunate we are that a life as rich as Ronnie's leaves so many happy memories.

I think of Ron every minute and everyday and one of the only things that gets me through is knowing how happy he was when he died. He truly died a very happy man, he felt he had it all. He was the kind of man that is so worth remembering!!!

I would like to thank all you those who participated in Ron's memorial service on Saturday 8/20 up in Pine Valley. The service was lovely, he would have loved it.

THERE IS A PICTURE OF RON FROM LAST SPRING IN THE PHOTO GALLERY.

Ron, I thank you for loving me with all your heart, I will never forget that. Robin

Ron, Honey, you are always in my thoughts and I will always LOVE YOU!!!!!

Ron was my oldest big brother and like all siblings, there were times we didn't get along. Fortunately for me, the past 2 years we had grown very close and for that I will be forever thankful.

He will always be in my heart and whenever I see a rainbow, I will know that is Ron's way of saying "HI - I'm OKAY" Ron loved rainbows and he always felt that if a rainbow came into your life, then everything would be OKAY. I will take comfort with that. The night after Ron passed away, my parents and I were on the way home from Evergreen and the sky was very black, except for one large rock that was illuminated all by itself in the town of Castle Rock. When we rounded a bend in the road, there was the most beautiful rainbow in the sky. The colors were the brightest I think I've ever seen. The rainbow accompanied us for at least 25 miles. I had never seen a rainbow last for the length of time this one did. Sometimes it landed in the road right ahead of us, sometimes it was in a meadow, sometimes it was a double rainbow, sometimes just a small portion. But we knew it was a sign from Ron and that he was OK.

I was extremely proud of Ron and all he had accomplished in his life. Jill was and always will be his pride and joy.

I love Jill with all of my heart and will always be there for her. I miss Ron, but I have many, many happy memories that will carry me through.

There's no other way to say it... Ron was a GREAT Guy!



As a member of Alpine Rescue Team, he was always an inspiration. To honor his memory, I wrote down some of my thoughts, along with some other members rememberences in our regular column "Lost and Found" in Colorado Serenity Magazine. You can read the article online on our website, there is a link on the left under Alpine News Breifs.



Ron will be remembered and missed. On behalf of everyone at Alpine, our thoughts and prayers are with the family and especially Jill.

I knew Ron from Alpine during the 90's. He was always such a great, level-headed and kind person. I have very fond memories of him and his leadership. He will be dearly missed. My deepest sympathies.

Your family is in my thoughts & prayers. Ron was a wonderful man.

I sat on the Horizon Adventures Board with him and he will be missed by all.

Ron was a very special friend during my teen years. A fellow boy scout who loved the mountains, camping, and fishing. He was always gentile, kind, and had a strong personal integrity. He loved the outdoors and also marveled at the stars,... many nights camping at Goose Creek or in his backyard we would search the sky for shooting stars. My thoughts & prayers are with his family.

Ron is and will be sorely missed every minute of every day!!!!

Ron

YOU WERE THE LOVE OF MY LOVE AND I KNOW I WAS THE LOVE OF YOUR LIFE, AND I THANK YOU FOR THAT.

Robin

Aunt Helen, Uncle Jack, Gary, Karen & Jill,

It was with great sorrow that I learned the news about Ron. Although we had much different paths in our adult lives I can clearly remember our young days growing up together, from the days at Sunday School and the Sunday meals at Grandma & Grandpa's house with all the cousins, to the Boy Scout softball games, to rabbit hunting where Academy Blvd nows resides, working the power raker with Grandpa Schooley, to fishing at Eleven Mile. We had wonderful times together growing up and I am so thankful that my family had the opportunity to meet Ron while we were in Colorado Springs for Aunt Helen's birthday. Time seems to pass by way too quickly, but the little things certainly come to the for front in times like these. Ron will be missed by all of us and we certainly share your pain, but Ron always had the nack for leading the way and one thought that comes to mind was giving Grandma a preview of Heaven from the basket of a hot air ballon. We were all lucky to have known and lived with Ron. I look forward to seeing him in the future.

Love Rick, Kim, Brian & Jenny Hood.

To Aunt Helen, Uncle Jack, Gary, Karen, and Jill,

My soul has thought of you all in this time. I admire Ron for his life, his impact on people, and his ability to do what he loved. The mountains were Ron's world, and I am so glad he got to live his life in them. My heart is with you all, please take care of yourselves, and know he was a good son, a good man, a good father, and a good person in this world of so much less.

Helen and I had our sons only 7 months apart. Ron and my son were our eldest children, and my heart is breaking at his departure from those who he loved, and loved him back. Ron was a wonderful man, who lived life to the fullest, and made such a difference in the lives of those he shared his time on earth with. I remember him as a child, and a man. My heartfelt condolences to Helen, Jack, Karen, Gary, and Jill. God Bless.

Dear Bookmans,



You are all in our thoughts and our prayers.

Dear Jack, Helen, and Family: I am so saddened over the loss of your Ron. He was just the nicest boy there on Warwick Lane. Mac just thought the world of him -- Ron was so dependable and kind-hearted. My heart-felt thoughts are with you and your family, at this sorrowful time.

Kathy McIver

To the Bookman Family -- When my brother Doug called the other day and told me about Ron, it took right back, to those few wonderful years on Warwick Lane. Ron was a great friend and a positive influence to me during those formative years. He stood above us all, not only in stature, but in spirit and heart. Though I hadn't seen him in years, I will miss him. Jim McIver

Our sympathy and prayers are with you, Uncle Jack, Aunt Helen, Gary and family, and Karen. We will miss Ron greatly. Although we didn't see him very often, we feel a void in our lives. We pray that God gives you special strength during this time. We love you.

Our deepest sympathy and prayers are for the entire Bookman family. I always looked at Ron as a hero for all the courageous things he did.

He will be greatly missed.

To Jack & Helen Bookman and Family: We would like to express our deepest sympathy on the lost of Ron, who will be missed by everyone. Our thoughts and prayers are with you at this time.

Jack, Helen & Family,

Harry & I want to send you our sincere and deepest sympathy on the premature death of your son Ron. Our prayers are with you during this time of your bereavement. Please accept our heartfelt condolences.



Maxine & Harry Niemann

Our thoughts and prayers are with you all.

I've known Ron for 25 years. If I were asked to describe him, I would say that he was a gentle spirit, loved life and lived every moment as if it were his last.



I took Ron on his first fourteener and he took me on my first x-country ski trip. He had a passion for the outdoors.



Words cannot describe the emptiness he has left in my heart. My thoughts and prayers are with all of his family and friends.



So many of us loved you Ron and we will miss you sorely. But God must of needed you more.



Char

Our hearts are saddened for the loss of your dear son, Ron. We grieve and sorrow with you,and feel your pain in so many ways. Our love to you and all of your family.

Our prayers, and our sympathies, are with you, Jack and Helen, at this sorrowful time. As a friend

of mine once said when he lost a

son, "No one should live longer than

their children." God bless and

give you strength.

Ron will be greatly missed. He was such a gentle and good man, but so vital and engaged in life.



I've known Ron for 25 years...he was my mentor in oil and gas and in life. He helped teach me the business and he gave me my first (and only) hot air balloon ride. But more than that, he was always a friend. We might not talk for a couple of years, but once we did, time melted away.



My heartfelt condolences to Jill, his family and friends.

Uncle Jack & Aunt Helen - so sorry to hear about Ronnie. Our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family during this time of sorrow.

Uncle Jack, Aunt Helen & Family ~

Mom just told me last night about Ronnie. I am so sorry for your loss. She said he had been riding bikes for a long time. I guess a small consolation would be that at that unfortunate time, he was doing something he loved. My thoughts and prayers are with you as you go through this difficult time.

I am Operations Manager for KOGI. Ron and I worked together often (along with Eric Fee from Havre) on the many land issues in Montana. KOGI is very active exploring for gas and oil in Montana, and Ron was an integral part of that process. Because of that, we became friends. I was looking forward to our next opportunity to share a few cold micro brews. Ron will be sorely missed. He was not only a great resource for KOGI, but was a wonderfully positive man.

We are so sorry for your loss; my daughter Alannah Hobson is a friend of Jill's, and her (and our) heart goes out to Jill and all of Ron's family and friends. He was a terrific person and great dad, and will be very missed.



Connie Walker

It was wonderful working with Ron during the Carbon years. His calm, gentlemanly manner will be missed in the oil business.

Our thoughts and prayers are with your family. God Bless you Ron. You truly loved and lived and appreciated life.

I am so very sorry for your loss. Ron was a wonderful person to work with. He always had a contagious smile and a kind word. He will be deeply missed.