Leo Magee Wertin

Leo M Wertin (1945 - 2025) 

Written by Leo as he thought about his life. 

Leo Magee Wertin died from complications of prostate cancer. Leo was born in Denver on October 31, 1945 to Leo & Leora Wertin. Leo's sister Cheryl died in childbirth in 1969. 

Leo graduated from Englewood High School with the class of 1963. Walking across the stage in 1969 at (then) Adams State College, with his draft notice in his pocket, Leo served in the US Army in Viet Nam as Commanding Officer of the 58 th Infantry Platoon (Scout Dog), attached to the 101 st Airborne Division. 

Returning to Colorado he earned a master's degree at the University of Northern Colorado, which in turn got him a first teaching job in Adams County where he met Darlene Wegman. They were married in 1974. Darlene and Leo have two great children, Kate (Kara) and Matthew, father of Tyler. 

Following a divorce with Darlene, Leo married Sue Combs to whom he was married for 10 years. Following a divorce with Sue, Leo married Jolain Graf after a chance meeting in an early morning exercise class. Life with Jolain has been full and rich – we traveled some and bought the cabin near Conifer, where working and relaxing was greatly enjoyed. With Jolain's lead, he was involved with St Andrew UMC in Highlands Ranch. 

Leo was a junior high social studies teacher and school librarian for some 30 years, feeling this period was the high point of public education in Jefferson County Schools. After retiring from teaching Leo worked answering incoming telephone calls for the Internal Revenue Service in downtown Denver. Leo enjoyed being the face of the IRS to taxpayers, who more than once described Leo as the nicest IRS rep a taxpayer had ever contacted!! 

Leo especially enjoyed being a Dad & Grandfather!! Hiking, camping, canoeing, xc skiing and, in later years, bicycling many hundred miles each year around the Denver area and on organized tours throughout the US were so very enjoyable.

Trail building on Colorado's public lands began with a summer Forest Service job near Steamboat Springs and continued in Rocky Mountain National Park, our local Jefferson County Open Space Program and through numerous volunteer opportunities. Of special pride was the (1975 & 1976) work at Mt Falcon & White Ranch Open Space Parks where youthful crews laid out and built the first trails in these often-visited parks

Another continuing interest was Colorado's Continental Divide, the imaginary line running north to south in Colorado's mountains, dividing those rivers flowing east to the Atlantic from those west-flowing to the Gulf of California & the Pacific Ocean. He enjoyed hours of research, mapping, driving and hiking Colorado's Continental Divide, its summits and passes.

A memorial service will be held on March 20, 2025 at 10am at St. Andrew United Methodist Church, 9203 S. University Blvd., Highlands Ranch.

You can watch the service on the following YouTube link. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8BAa2-pHBpP-c0bVh9suGQ