Cecil Gritz
Age - 79
October 13, 2023
Services are entrusted to the care of the Brown Funeral Home in Hugo, CO. Cecil D. Gritz passed away unexpectedly on September 26, 2023, at the age of 79; two months short of his 80th birthday. He was born November 11, 1943, in Dodge City, Kansas. He grew up in Eastern Colorado in a town called Flagler. He knew at a very young age that he wanted to be a Petroleum Engineer Cecil spent nearly 60 years of active experience in the exploration, drilling, completion, and production phases of the oil & gas industry and was working up until the day he passed away. Upon completion of his academic requirements for a professional engineer's degree in petroleum engineering from Colorado School of Mines, Cecil joined Shell Oil Company in the Denver Area/Rocky Mountain Division with main office in Denver. He worked on projects in areas throughout the Rockies including Montana, North Dakota, Wyoming, Colorado & Utah, followed by subsequent assignments involving activities in the Permian Basin, Midcontinent, and Northern Michigan. After leaving Shell, Cecil was involved at various levels with several public and private entities, and had extensive experience in the formation, administration, and direct implementation of activities for companies with operations throughout most onshore and inland waterways US producing areas. His international experience included projects in Canada, Indonesia, Colombia, Egypt, Germany, Hungary, and Romania. Cecil had comprehensive experience with deep directional drilling projects in East Texas, Permian Basin, Southeast New Mexico, Western Oklahoma, Louisiana, Paradox Basin, Piceance Basin of Western Colorado, Germany, and Egypt. He designed and implemented multistage fracture stimulation projects in Piceance Basin, Fort Worth Basin, Permian Basin, and Deep Powder River Basin of Wyoming and handled large multi well production operations on Cedar Creek Anticline in Eastern Montana, on Navajo Reservation in Northwest New Mexico, and in Indonesia. He married Victoria Crisp on May 29, 1966, in Flagler, Colorado. They knew each other from first grade. Given Cecil's involvement in many locations in the oil & gas industry and while serving in the US Army Core of Engineers during the Vietnam conflict, they made their homes in Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, and Texas. They also spent one year living in Alexandria, Virginia during Cecil's military service. In 1973, their daughter was born in Midland, Texas and 18 months later, in 1975, their son was born in Englewood, Colorado. Although Cecil lived and travelled extensively to many places, he was a resident of Pecan Plantation, Texas for nearly 40 years. He was a past Pecan Plantation Owners Association (PPOA) BOD President and served on numerous committees. He first visited Pecan Plantation in the early 1970s and worked with the original developers on many initiatives to better PPOA. He was a Christian and a member at the Acton United Methodist Church for many years and their family attended the United Methodist Church in Littleton, Colorado. He was raised in the Baptist Church in Flagler, Colorado. He was an avid snow skier until the age of 75 something he did with his, wife and two children from the time they were two years old. He loved the outdoors especially the Rocky Mountains. He also enjoyed cycling and their family shared many wonderful experiences in Summit County, Colorado at their place in Frisco. Cecil also served as a board director for the Ten Mile Island Owners association in Frisco, Colorado and was part of establishing the Orchard Creek Owners Association in Greenwood Village, Colorado. He was also a 'MacGyver'. If something didn't work or needed fixed, he could make anything happen. Cecil is preceded in death by his mother, Edith Gritz and father, Charles Gritz; his brothers Melvin and Orville Gritz. He is survived by his wife of 57 years, Victoria Gritz; daughter, Juliet Gritz; and son, Matthew Gritz; numerous extended family, friends, and business associates around the world. He was dearly loved and an amazing Dad and husband. He never missed an opportunity to lend someone a helping hand even if it meant he went without. This was true in his personal and professional life. One of his nieces has remarked that he lived big and well. In lieu of flowers, a memorial donation can be made to the Pecan Planation Volunteer Fire Department & EMS or to Colorado School of Mines. To plant Memorial Trees in memory of , please .Show more
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