Obituary of Gary Wayne Bollig

Gary Wayne Bollig was born December 2nd, 1946 in Greeley, Colorado to Conrad (Coonie) and Melva Bollig. Gary was raised in LaSalle, Colorado with his sister Mary.  He graduated from Valley High School in 1964.  After graduation Gary went to Trinidad State College for law enforcement training. 

Gary enlisted in the U.S. Army, and was stationed in Thailand for 1 year.

He met and then married Kathie Fritzler in October of 1968, and they moved to California and then Japan. Gary would proudly tell everyone his daughter Tara was made there.  His daughter was born in 1970 and a move to Germany soon followed.  Gary was an MP for the Army and was honorably discharged in 1974, having earned numerous medals such as the National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, and several others.

He followed the law enforcement path for several years, becoming a police officer for the Loveland Police Department. He also had a short career as a paramedic in Loveland.  He followed that up with becoming a firefighter for the Loveland Fire Department.  This seemed to be his true calling.  Gary made numerous lifelong friends pursuing this career.  He retired from the Loveland Fire Rescue Authority in 1998. He then had a new career working for CenturyLink until he decided to enter full retirement.

During these years, Gary married Janet Edwards on September 30th, 1991.  She preceded him in death on April 11th, 2018.

Gary resided in Akron, Colorado at the time of his passing.

Gary is survived by his daughter Tara Bollig and her fiancé Derek Heginbottom; stepson’s Brian Edwards and Matt Edwards; sister Mary Wright and husband Greg; niece Tracey Thomas and husband Rick; great nephew Trenton Hodges and wife Sabrina and their children; great nephew Ryan Baisley and wife Krystina and their children and numerous cousins and a multitude of friends.  He will be dearly missed.

Services will be April 11th, 2023 at 2PM at Crossroads Church in Loveland.  In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to help the family with funeral expenses.