Claire Charleen Knickerbocker

Claire Charleen Knickerbocker passed away peacefully on April 27, 2025, at the age of 102. Born on August 11, 1922, on a farm near Macksville, Kansas, Charleen was the daughter of Charles and Claire Smith Graebner. Her early years were spent in Louisiana and Wisconsin before she graduated from high school in Colorado Springs in 1942. She then attended Sterling College in Kansas for two years.

In 1940, Charleen met the love of her life, Roy Knickerbocker. The two were married on July 1, 1945, during one of Roy’s leaves from the Navy, where he served during World War II and was stationed at Pearl Harbor during the infamous attack. While Roy completed his military service, Charleen worked as a typesetter for the iconic Daniels & Fisher Tower department store in downtown Denver.

After Roy’s discharge, they settled in Colorado Springs and welcomed their daughter Mary Helen in 1946, followed by their son Robert Dean in 1949. The young family later moved to Naturita, Colorado, where Roy worked for the VCA Corporation before starting his own bookkeeping business. Charleen became the secretary at Nucla High School and spent her summers attending Western State College in Gunnison, eventually earning her degree in English.

Charleen’s dedication to education spanned an incredible 56 years. She taught a range of subjects and grade levels, including 3rd, 7th, 8th, and 9th grades, as well as high school English and Creative Writing. She also served as a cheerleading sponsor and coached speech and drama. Her passion for the arts inspired her to take students on trips to Mesa State College (now CMU) to experience live theater.

Her legacy as a beloved teacher and mentor was evident in the more than 250 people—many of them former students—who gathered to celebrate her 100th birthday in 2022. Even in her later years, Charleen remained sharp and active, playing cribbage well into her 102nd year.

Charleen was preceded in death by her parents, her brothers Donald and Robert Graebner, her husband Roy, and her son Robert Dean. She is survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Mary Helen and Russell Mendelson of Grand Junction, CO; her daughter-in-law, Phyllis Knickerbocker of Bloomfield, NM; and her grandchildren: Philip (Jennifer) Mendelson of Ogden, UT; Michael (Julie) Mendelson of Piedmont, SD; Russell Jr. (Alisha) Mendelson of Grand Junction, CO; Kathy Knickerbocker of Minnesota; Melissa (Greg) Cooke of Virginia Beach, VA; and Anna (Shiel) Costello of Denver, CO. She is also survived by ten great-grandchildren.

Charleen’s ashes will be laid to rest beside her beloved Roy in the Nucla Cemetery. Services are pending.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to causes close to Charleen’s heart:

• Hoof & Paw Animal Shelter & Rescue

P.O. Box 292,

Nucla, CO 81424

(P) 970.428.4663

paypal.com (Business Name is @Hoofandp)

• Rimrocker Museum

P.O. Box 913

Nucla, CO 81424

(P) 970.864.7438

https://www.rimrocker.org/

The family wishes to extend their heartfelt thanks to the exceptional staff at The Lodge Assisted Living Facility and Hospice in Grand Junction, Colorado, for the compassionate and respectful care they provided to Charleen during her final years and days.

To plant a tree in Charleen’s memory, please visit the memorial tree store.