Wilbur L. “Willy” Reusser
October 29, 1942 ~ May 24, 2023
Wilbur L Reusser, 80, passed away suddenly on May 24, 2023, at his home in Denver. Willy was the first child of Versa (Douglas) and Leroy Reusser, born on October 29, 1942, in Hutchinson, Kansas. There, he enjoyed an adventuresome childhood made much more so when he was joined at age 10 by a sister and subsequently two brothers. The family eventually moved to Topeka just in time for him to graduate from Washburn Rural High School. Following high school, Willy enlisted in the Army, serving three years in Germany as a communications specialist, where he also continued to find adventures.
After his return from the military he graduated from Washburn University with a degree in business and went to work for the Telephone Company, back in the day when there was really only one of them; he spent the majority of his work life in several of the Bell System’s many reincarnations. He met Julie at Southwestern Bell; they fell in love and were married in 1982 in Wichita, KS. They completed their family with a daughter and a son. Willy was transferred to the Denver area in 1989, so the family moved to Colorado, which happily was back home for Julie. There, he was active in his church, in Boy Scouts, organizing work projects, along with being the best dad ever. He completed his Master’s Degree in telephony at DU and briefly taught telecommunications as an adjunct professor after retiring in 1998. After the children left the nest, he volunteered at the Museum of Nature and Science for 14 years, feeding his passion for science and the pursuit of knowledge.
Willy loved to camp, travel, and to hang out with his family and friends, especially if involved sharing a meal or a beer. He could fix almost anything if he spent enough time on it. He was an avid reader of anything scientific, science fiction was his genre and his latest obsession was artificial intelligence. For the record, Chat GPT was unable to come up with an accurate obituary.
He will be greatly missed and lovingly remembered by his wife, Julie Reusser, his children, Signe Gilmore and Mark Reusser (Mary Hasznos), his sister Judy(David)Steverson of Ft. Worth, TX and brother Alan (Rhonda) Reusser of Hutchinson, KS, and numerous nieces and nephews, in-laws and out-laws, and an uncountable number of friends, companions, and his dog Freya. He was preceded in death by his parents and his brother, Steven Reusser.
Gifts can be made to:
Memorial Service
A memorial service for Willy will be held on
June 9, 2023 at 2 pm
at the
House for All Sinners and Saints
(South Broadway Christian Church)
23 Lincoln St, Denver, CO 80203