Robert Benjamin Koops

Robert (Rob, Robbie, Bob) Benjamin Koops, 67 of Fort Collins, CO, went to be with his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ to live forever in heaven on Friday, February 26, 2021. Born December 16, 1953 in Camden, New Jersey, he was the first born son of Gail and Martha (Marah Gesink) Koops. He was a very loving brother to Karl (Kathy), Ben (Julie) and Willie (Maureen). He was also a very special uncle to eight nephews, one niece, seven grand-nephew's, one grand-niece and always very present in the lives of Jean (Alsum) Koops, Gail's wife, and all of her four children and numerous grandchildren. As a child, Rob grew up in southeast Denver on Dexter Street and attended Third Christian Reformed Church and the Denver Christian elementary and intermediate schools through the ninth grade. Whenever there was something he wanted, he would work hard to earn the money to get it, whether it was a merit badge in the church’s Calvinist Cadet Corps by selling lightbulbs, or mowing lawns to save for his first brand new "Sting Ray” bicycle, or odd jobs for his first car, a 1965 VW bug (that he was happy to share with Karl), or his extensive LP music collection. When living in Denver as a youngster, he loved to spend the night by himself or with his brothers or cousins at his Grandma (Gertie) Koops‘ house and fall asleep in her back porch room at night looking at the bronze-framed picture of the "Lone Winter Wolf,” after helping her clean the office next-door and downing a special vanilla flavored bottle of pop as a reward. In the morning he would mow his grandma’s yard and the yard of the Sweetmans’ Realty office next door. In the late summer of 1969, Rob moved with his family from the larger Denver metropolitan area suburbs to life in the country in the very rural area of Myersville, Maryland, located approximately 50 miles west of Washington DC and Baltimore, Maryland. That move was a huge adjustment for Rob as the family moved into an abandoned old stone farmhouse with no running water or bathroom on an overgrown 10 acre property that held the promise of being able to raise beef, have a huge garden and orchard, a horse to ride, a tractor to drive and all the privileges and challenges of finding your place in the world in a whole new rural culture. Rob rose to the occasion, rarely complaining about his loss of the familiar, but courageously engaged the opportunity for a new experience and adventure. During his high school years Rob was immensely helpful to his parents and labored hard, assisting them in numerous remodeling projects and various farming activities from feeding cows, fencing pasture, carrying water, mixing cement, planting, tending and harvesting a huge garden, caring for an orchard and most of all, watching over his younger siblings. . In his youth Rob loved to read and learn about everything. He spent many hours exploring the world beyond his reach through the family’s set of Encyclopedia Britannica and monthly subscription to the National Geographic. After moving to MD and feeling stranded in the "boondocks," he would reach for anything current to read that he could get his hands on, from TV Guide, to Time Magazine, to the local Frederick News Post and his favorites, the Sunday Washington Post and the Sunday Baltimore Sun. To cope with the frustrations of life and to celebrate the good times, Rob turned to music of all kinds and developed an appreciation of all types, from sacred to folk to classical to rock and country. Another pastime that became a dedicated hobby for Rob was photography. Once he got that first used 35mm camera at around age 18, he was off and snapping photos of everything. Toward the last several years of his life, he would consistently take stunning pictures of nature and wildlife. He sent those photos regularly to groups of different people along with any other photos of people and important events he knew would be encouraging and also demonstrate the grandeur of God’s creation. One of his favorite things to do was to create an annual family calendar with corresponding seasonal photos. Rob’s motivation to gift people with photos was always to lift the viewer’s spirit and share so generously what God had allowed him to experience and enjoy. His photos will always be treasured and continue to give inspiration and comfort to many for years to come, a true gift, just like Rob, that keeps on giving. Rob also loved to play drums and everything percussion in high school and was a proud member of the Middletown High School Marching Knight Band. After graduating from high school, Rob slowly taught himself how to play guitar and spent much of his spare time practicing and playing the hours away. He was always happy to jam and sing with anyone who was willing. He would also compile vast amounts of music on paper to share with anyone, including most of his nephews whom he thought would appreciate having access to user-friendly guitar chords for many contemporary songs. And in the last few years of his life it was not unusual to receive an email recording of him singing and playing a special song for your birthday. Beyond that, he became an expert in analyzing the theological appropriateness of various songs to be used in church and would insist, if not lobby for, the inclusion of many hymns that would otherwise be perceived as too difficult to pull off. Rob graduated from Middletown High School in 1972, Hagerstown Junior College in 1974, Frostburg State College in 1976 and later studied theology at Regent College in British Columbia, Canada, where he was a student of the infamous theologian JI Packer. Rob’s undergraduate degree was in geography and it served him well for his interest in studying the weather and then later when employed as a cartographer. Rob held a variety jobs over the years, including employment with Fedders Air Conditioners, Lehigh Cement Co., Eastalco Aluminum Co., United Parcel Service, National Park Service, Peter Pan Seafood Co., Kinko’s, and most recently for the last 22 years FED-EX. His fellow workers there loved him and will miss him dearly for his hard work ethic, loyal friendship and positive attitude. No matter the challenge or the task, he was always there to get the job done, always offering his unique brand of humor to everyone to ease the strain. Rain, snow, sleet, ice, wind, hot or cold, Rob showed up and always delivered the goods and had everybody’s back! Prior to FED-EX, Rob spent approximately nine years working for the National Park Service as a Ranger. He was stationed for two years in Georgetown, MD (just outside of DC,) assisting with live mule and barge demonstrations/rides on the C&O Canal, followed by a stint at Shepherdstown WV and Antietam National Battlefield, followed by 7 years as a Cartographer in Salt Lake City. While living in Salt Lake City, Rob became very active in the local Christian Reformed Church (the denomination he was brought up in) and their outreach to the Native American population. After receiving a phone call from a friend who had found employment in Alaska in the lucrative fishing industry, Rob decided to pull up stakes and head north for the big money, the adventure and perhaps the notion to use his hard earned money to eventually pay for and attend seminary in order to pursue studies in theology. Rob was employed in the fishing industry for Peter Pan for about 7 years, both at sea (several months at a time) working lengthy grueling 24 hour shifts when the salmon or tuna were running, and then later working on land as a Quality Control Manager in their processing operations. Rob told some fascinating stories about his experiences with Peter Pan, and eagerly entertained folks for hours reliving his adventures. Flush with cash from Alaska, Rob traveled south to Regent College in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and enrolled in Seminary with the original goal to complete his Masters in Divinity. After a year and a half, he decided he really didn’t want to be a preacher, but rather a church history professor, but found that Regent didn’t have a practical path for that goal, so he dropped out and worked a few part time jobs until his visa in Canada expired. After attending a wedding in Loveland CO, Rob decided he liked it there and moved there in 1997 and eventually went to work as a Manager at Kinko’s until they merged with FED-EX. When that happened, his job was eliminated and he had to choose between unemployment or the offer from FED-EX to be a driver. He took the offer and as they say, twenty two years later, "the rest is history!” Once Rob settled down in Loveland, CO in 1997, he began an approximately 24 year relationship with Calvary Christian Reformed Church (which later became Calvary United Reformed Church). He faithfully served there as an elder and Sunday school teacher whenever asked or needed and was deeply involved in ministering to the congregation in any way that he could. He loved God’s covenant people! They were Rob’s extended family and they loved him back in many demonstrable ways and helped to care for him practically and spiritually just as Jesus taught us all to do. Unfortunately in 2008, Rob acquired diabetes type 2 which progressed to type 1. He quickly learned how to change his lifestyle and live within some very new and demanding limits. Remarkably, he never complained about the inconvenient and expensive imposition this disease placed on his life and although he was committed to managing it, he refused to allow it to completely dominate his life. Rob knew that his days would be shortened due his diabetic condition and that his physical health would decline, but rather than focus on that, he chose to look for ways to encourage others and also increase his spiritual condition. In fact, in the recent days before God called him home, Rob was studying and focusing on prayer for spiritual strength as outlined in Ephesians 3:14-21. If there was ever a message of hope or a testimony that Rob wanted to share with others it is what this text says: 14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family[c] in heaven and on earth is named, 16 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. 20 Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. Memorial services will be held at Calvary United Reformed Church in Loveland, CO on Saturday, March 6, 2021 at 11:00am.