Joel Frederick Kleeves

Joel Frederick Kleeves

January 6, 1929 – October 20, 2015

Joel Frederick Kleeves, area resident for 28 years, suddenly passed away on Tuesday, October 20, 2105, in Montrose, Colorado, with his loving family by his side.

Joel was born and raised in Muskegon, Michigan.  On July 29, 1950, he married Jean Ann (Kidd) in Covington, Kentucky.  Joel held various jobs in the Covington area while pursuing a business degree at the University of Cincinnati.  After graduating in 1958, they moved to Denver where Joel was employed with the Martin Marietta Corporation and simultaneously received his Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado.

In 1966 they moved to Estes Park where they purchased the Double JK Guest Ranch and Joel commuted between Denver and Estes Park for another four years before devoting full time to the ranch in 1970.

The Kleeves family operated the ranch for 21 years before moving to Montrose in 1987.   In the Montrose area, Joel and Jean Ann owned and operated the Montrose County Shopper, bought and sold real estate, and helped their children with an orchard and cattle ranch near Olathe.  Joel loved to fish, spend time with his family and grandchildren, and devoted seven years teaching Bible Studies and mentoring prisoners in the Montrose County Jail.

Joel is survived by his wife of 65 years, Jean Ann Kleeves and their two children, Dale (Maggie) Kleeves and Dawn (Dave) Bowman; grandchildren, Grant Kleeves and Andrea Sokolowski, Chad and Brittani Kleeves, Andrew and Sarah Bowman all from the Montrose area, and Jared and Alicia Harper of Madison, Mississippi; great-granddaughters, Kyanne Bowman, Kaydence Kleeves, and Madilynn Harper.

Services will be held at 11:30 a.m., Monday, October 26, at Celebration Church, 2303 South Townsend Ave. in the Penn Center Mall, Montrose, Colorado. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Celebration Church – memo: Joel Kleeves Memorial Fund – to be used for three international Christian mission projects.  Crippin Funeral Home & Crematory, in Montrose, Colorado is assisting the family.