Richard Gartrell

Richard “Dick” Carl Gartrell died peacefully on July 19, 2018 at the age of 74. Dick is remembered by Linda his wife of 38 years, his sons RC (Amanda) and Sean and his two grandsons Hayden and Rowan. He is survived by his mother Ruth Ann, his brother Bill (Debbie) and sister Zoe Ann (Dave) and by many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his father, Percy who served in the Navy in WWII and by his brother Bob. He was the oldest of four children. Dick was in the first graduating class at Abraham Lincoln High School in Denver in 1961. He earned a BA in 1967 from Biola University in La Mirada, CA and a MBA in 1977 from Cal Poly-Pomona. He began his professional career in human resources in 1967 at Biola University. Due to his strong work ethic and clearly defined values, Dick served 45 years in higher education human resources and taught many courses in ethics at various universities. He created a logo relevant to his profession, “It’s All About Respect”. He retired from the University of Denver in 2012. He served on the National Board for the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources (CUPA-HR) from 1997 – 2006 and was President in 2004-2005. He received the highest award given in higher education human resources, the Donald E. Dickason Award for exceptional leadership and service. He loved horses, consumed books, enjoyed critiquing movies and led a home church group for 18 years. He was at peace holding a child. His smile and the humor in his eyes revealed the wit he kept close to the surface and gave pleasure to those around him. But most of all he was a dependable, wise and compassionate man; he volunteered at Children’s Hospital, Crossroads of the Rockies and supported a Kenyan child, Emmanuel Kinkirri Meikan for eight years through Compassion International. We will all miss him so much but he will never be far from our thoughts. A celebration of life in memory of Dick will be held on August 10th, at 11:00 a.m. in the Chapel at Cherry Hills Community Church, 3900 Grace Blvd, Highlands Ranch, CO. Donations in memory of Dick may be made to Compassion International by clicking the link below. https://www.compassion.com/RichardGartrell