Ervin Ruben Schlepp

Ervin Ruben Schlepp of Loveland passed away peacefully on March 7, 2011, in the Pathways Hospice wing at the McKee Medical Center. His family was by his side. He was born May 12, 1921, in a sod home west of St. Francis, Kansas. He spent his youth helping run the family farm with his father Frederick, mother Eva, brother John and sisters LaVera and Irene. Ervin served in the Navy during World War II, spending his active duty aboard the USS Ranger in the North Atlantic Theatre. His military service was recognized in 2009 when he was chosen to travel with the Honor Flight of Northern Colorado to the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C. During his military service, Ervin met the love of his life, Evelyn, at the Naval Air Station in Quonset Point, Rhode Island. Married June 8, 1944 in West Warwick, Rhode Island, they lived in St. Francis, Kansas and Franklin, Nebraska, before settling in Colorado in the 1950s. They both loved Colorado and all the beauty it had to offer. Ervin and Evelyn were active participants and members of the DAV, Moose Lodge and VFW. They owned their own business for many years, after which Ervin worked for the Rawhide Corporation in Fort Collins. After his retirement from Rawhide, they moved to Meadowlark Park in Loveland, finding a second family within this special community. Evelyn preceded him in death in March of 2003. Ervin is survived by his sisters, LaVera Ernie Mallett of Massachusetts and Irene Perry Whipple of Missouri; daughters, Barbara Schlepp-Dempsey of Northglenn and Betty Chris Banister of Fort Collins; son, Tom Nan Schlepp of Aurora; granddaughters, Sarah Dempsey and Caitlin Dempsey, both of Thornton. A Memorial Service with military honors by the Fort Collins All Veterans Honor Guard will be held at 2:00 p.m. Friday at the Bohlender Funeral Chapel in Fort Collins. Ervin will be laid to rest at Fort Logan National Cemetery in Denver at a later date. The family would like to thank Pathways Hospice, their staff and volunteers for the special care and respect Ervin received in the last months of his life. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Pathways Hospice, the Honor Flight of Northern Colorado, or the Larimer County Humane Society, in care of Bohlender Funeral Chapel, 121 W. Olive, Fort Collins, CO 80524.