Ronald William Graese

Ronald W. Graese, 80, of Littleton CO, passed away on August 8, 2016. Ron was born on August 22, 1935 in Madison, South Dakota to William and Stella Graese and was raised on their family farm. He and his family moved to the city of Sioux Falls, SD.  He graduated from high school in 1953. He spent two years attending the University of Colorado at Boulder where he played trombone in the CU marching band in the 1957 Orange Bowl. Anxious to start work, he joined Haliburton, working the oil fields of northeastern Colorado and North Dakota. He was drafted into the US Army and was assigned to Fort Carson, Colorado. After his basic training was successfully completed, he was assigned to work at the nuclear weapons depot in Albuquerque, NM. He was honorably discharged and went to work for ACF in Albuquerque which was in support of the work of the Atomic Energy Commission. This is where he met and married his wife Viola Ulivarri. Ron and Viola had two beautiful daughters, Kathy and Marilyn. He greatly enjoyed the challenges associated with working on advanced turbine fan jet engines for General Electric. In 1971, Ron accepted a position and moved his family north to Littleton CO, where he joined Martin Marietta Corporation.   He retired from the company in 1992 following two decades as a thermal protection system expert on projects that included Viking, Small ICBM and the Space Shuttle. Ron received special honors from NASA for his innovative work with the thermal protection systems on the Space Shuttle. In 1992, with the birth of his first grandchild, Ron was the perfect “Papa Ron” building wooden creations that are still treasured by his family. 
Ron’s wife Viola preceded him in death in 1981. He is survived by his two daughters, Kathryn Tobey (Brett) of Littleton and Marilyn Burnett (Brian) of Columbia, MO. He was particularly fond of his 4 grandchildren; Sam Tobey, Nick Tobey, Derrick Burnett, and Tori Burnett.

Ron was a lifelong woodworker and gardener who created many beautiful and enduring creations.  He was quick to help family with home improvement projects, particularly if they involved power tools.
Ron will be missed and cherished by his family and friends.

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