Hollis Elijah Hudetz

Hollis Elijah Hudetz, born October 3, 1980 to parents John and Elizabeth Hudetz of Fort Collins, passed away Monday, October 24, 2011 at the MD Anderson Cancer Clinic in Houston, Texas. He spent the past two years battling Non-Hodgkinï¿½s Lymphoma and then Acute Myeloid Leukemia. With his unwavering spirit, Hollis fought as hard as he could, never complaining and always keeping a positive outlook with his sense of humor intact. He was 31 years old. Hollis lived full-time in Fort Collins from 1988-1998. As a youngster, Hollis was born to make people laugh. With a twinkle in his eye, he was a constant positive light of energy brightening anyoneï¿½s day he had the chance of encountering. Under that mischievous smile was also a very sensitive soul. He was a compassionate person, holding a special place in his heart, not only for friends, family and strangers, but also for all living creatures. As Hollis moved into his teenage years, he developed his artistic abilities. He was an avid artist, and was able to tap into his comedic mind while writing and illustrating comic book strips for his school newspaper. Along with his artistic talents, he also found his love of singing. He soloed, channeling Kermit the Frog in ï¿½Itï¿½s Not Easy Being Greenï¿½ with his 9th grade Blevins Jr HS choir. At Rocky Mountain HS he participated in choir and in his senior year at Poudre HS, he was a member of the 5-piece male a cappella group, Out of Style. Following high school, Hollis served in the United States Marine Corps for 7 years finishing up as IT Manager Sergeant of Marine World HQ in the Pentagon. He graduated from Western Governors University with a BS in Information Technology. Upon completing his enlistment, Hollis eventually returned home to Colorado, taking a government contractor job in Colorado Springs serving US military forces. Hollis enjoyed his final years of life off-roading with his Jeep in the Colorado mountains, camping and spending lots of quality time with family. Recently engaged, Hollis looked forward to spending his future with the love of his life, Crystal Sziklas of Colorado Springs. Hollis is survived by his parents, John and Elizabeth, his five siblings, Julie, Jennifer, Kevin, Previn and Aria. Hollisï¿½ presence, his fighting spirit and unconditional love will be missed. In lieu of flowers donations can be made in Hollisï¿½ name to Starlight Children's Foundation http://www.starlight.org/, Children International http://www2.children.org/en/us/Pages/Home.aspx or The World Wildlife Fund http://www.worldwildlife.org/home-full.html. Friends may send condolences to the family at bohlenderfuneralchapel.com. Visitation will be held from 6:00-9:00 p.m. on Monday at Bohlender Funeral Chapel. A Funeral Service will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday at Bohlender Funeral Chapel. Interment with Military Honors by the Fort Collins All Veterans Honor Guard and the U.S. Marine Corps will follow at Grandview Cemetery.

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Hollis Elijah Hudetz

October 3, 1980 - October 24, 2011