Obituary for Abel Roper

Abel Roper March 10, 1980 – March 1, 2012 Abel Weston Roper, 31, of Fruita was tragically taken from his family on March 1, 2012. He was a complex man-a father, a fiancé, a brother, a son and the best friend anyone could hope to have. Born March 10, 1980, in Grand Junction, he grew up on Glade Park where he enjoyed hiking, fishing, and building forts in the woods with his brothers. Later, he longed for a family of his own. Perhaps because he had a certain innate magnetism that drew children to him, he reveled in being a loving father to his two daughters-being a daddy was everything to him. People close to Abel would say that they were part of his extended family, given that his door was always open. If someone was in trouble or needed help, he responded without concern for himself. He worked at many jobs and always took pride in working hard and doing the job well. His life will be fondly remembered by his parents and brothers, with whom he fostered a deep love and respect. Abel is survived by his two daughters, Mariah and Hannah; his fiancé, Dawn Cole of Fruita, and her son, Nathan; his parents, Pamela and Randal Roper of Glade Park; his brothers, Jeremiah (Flame) of Bellevue, Nebraska, and Daniel of Grand Junction; his grandparents, Velma Houchin of Sun City, CA; Otis Andrews of Grapevine, TX, and Mary Roper of Fort Collins, CO; his extended family, Debra (Keld) Jensen of Rossmoor, CA; Cheryl (Javi) Roper of Valladolid, Spain; Michael Andrews of Anaheim, CA; Kerri (Jai) Ashford of Long Beach, CA; Joel (Rosie) Williams of British Columbia, Canada; Zeph (Sarah) Williams of Glenwood Springs, CO; Lynsey Salsbury of Las Vegas, NV; Luke Williams of Grand Junction; Ashlee (Sean) Howard of Oceanside, CA; Kate (Parker) Richards of Louisville, KY, and Dylan Jensen of Rossmoor, CA; as well as his beloved black lab, Swirl. Abel is preceded in death by his grandparents, Donald Houchin, Robert Roper, and JoAnn Andrews. Funeral services will be held on Friday, March 9th at 1:00 p.m. at the Elm Avenue Baptist Church, 1510 North 17th Street, Grand Junction. There will be a private viewing for the family beginning one hour before the service. Immediately following the funeral, there will be a graveside service at Glade Park Cemetery. Arrangements are under the care of Mesa Funeral Service, Grand Junction. In lieu of flowers, donations are being accepted at any Wells Fargo Bank branch for the Abel Roper Benefit Memorial Fund to benefit his two daughters. Condolences may be sent to ropermemorial@gmail.com.
Published in The Daily Sentinel on March 6, 2012