Roberta Futterer
Age - 78
November 29, 2023
Roberta (Bobbi) Futterer (nee Irwin) left this world on November 25, 2023 at the Medical Center of the Rockies in Loveland, Colorado due to a sudden, massive brain hemorrhage.
Bobbi grew up in Plainfield, Illinois and has lived in Colorado for the past 33 years.
She was the daughter of Robert and Edith (Bertino) Irwin and daughter-in-law of Bill and Dorothy (Volgrin) Futterer, all of whom preceded her in death.
Bobbi is survived by her loving husband, Jim, her siblings Mary (Bob) Gerhke, Margie (John) Mostyn, Skip (Sandi) Irwin, Trudy (Bob) Wille, along with her in-laws Tom (Sue) Futterer, and Barb (Ralph) Bruno, and many cousins, nieces, nephews, and friends all over the world.
Bobbi did not want a resume-like obituary, so we are not going to tell you what an accomplished secretary, legal secretary, office manager, cook and baker, or co-executive director of the National Dude Ranchers Association she was. Here is an attempt to share a little of her as a person.
Bobbi was a loving and devoted wife, best friend, and life partner with her husband Jim. She shared a love with her husband and partner to a depth that is rarely reached. Their 56 years of marriage and five years of dating before marriage were filled with joy and exciting adventures that she treasured and loved sharing with others. They met between their junior and senior year in high school at a beach where she was a lifeguard. she often said that all she knew at that first meeting is that she was destined to spend her life with this guy. And she was right.
Bobbi was a very courageous woman who met all that life presented with a can-do, confident attitude. She loved how, as a relatively new wife, she travelled from Illinois to Germany to join up with her husband at his military assignment in Stuttgart. He didn't know she was coming (for, in the 1970's, there was no internet or cell phones). Once she learned that he had obtained living quarters, she didn't wait for an official travel, but took it upon herself to go to the nearest military post and make travel arrangements. After landing in Frankfurt, she asked a soldier with lots of stripes (a senior sergeant) how to get to her connecting flight to Stuttgart. He asked where specifically she was going. When she told him, he said he was picking up some other soldiers and they would be going right past that location. With a smile of delight, she got in the van with 5 or 6 soldiers and travelled to her husband's base. That is courage.
Bobbi always loved the idea of being a cowgirl. She delighted in the little ranchette in Washington State where she and her husband raised cows and chickens and had a huge garden. Her face would light up when she talked about the time they drove a herd of cattle across the Crow Indian Reservation and over the Pryor Mountains while at a working dude ranch. Later, she love wearing her custom-made chaps and her special cowgirl hat when vacationing at other ranches. She and her husband enjoyed these adventured so much that they eventually became the co-directors of the National Dude Ranchers Association. The plaque inducting her into the Dude Ranchers Hall of Fame speaks to how accomplished she was in that position and it proudly hung in her craft room work area.
Her love of the cowboy life carried with her playing classic country music as she worked in her craft room. Her caring nature was shown in many ways, but particularly in her dedication to bringing joy to others through creating personalized greeting cards for family and friends' birthdays and special occasions. She kept yearly lists by the month of when the hundreds of cards she made each year needed to be mailed. Her creativity and eye for matching details in her cards and selecting special inspirational messages for the cards were exceptional. When people called to express their thanks and amazement at what she had done, you could see her whole person light up with a glow. She would never brag, but she had won several awards in the few art competitions she had entered her cards.
Again, later in life, she worried that since her mother had died in an Alzheimer unit that she might develop the same disease. Instead of avoiding her fear, she volunteered for two years on an Alzheimer unit with an organization called Memories in the Making that helped patients draw pictures and tell stories of their memories that could then be passed on to their relatives. This was both true courage and caring on Bobbi's part.
Bobbi always approached life with a smile and happy eagerness and she always wanted those she met to share that happiness. If you were waiting in a grocery line near her, your spirits were uplifted with her friendly conversation. If you were standing next to her in Yellowstone National Park watching wildlife, you were soon her friend. Her ability to make friends knew no limits. New neighbors were always welcomed and had an immediate friend and a warm plate of cookies or loaf of homemade bread. It is hoped that these few examples of Bobbi's many positive attributes provide a sense of what a wonderful, special person she was.
May her memory serve as an example and motivation for all of us to be as loving, kind, caring, creative, and courageous as she was. God bless you, Bobbi. You will be missed deeply by all who knew you.Show more
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