Dennis Child

Rawson Dennis Child, age 66 of Fort Collins, Colorado, died May 8, 2010 at Medical Center of the Rockies in Loveland. Funeral services will be held at 4:00 p.m. Thursday, May 13th at The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day Saints, 600 East Swallow Road, Ft. Collins. Interment, with full military honors, will be held at 11:00 a.m. Friday at Fort Logan National Cemetery, Denver, staging area A. Rawson Dennis Child was born May 22, 1943 in Ogden, Utah to Rawson Dewey and Joyce (Poulter) Child. He graduated from Logan High School in 1961 and served a mission to Scotland for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Upon his return, Dennis began his undergraduate work at Utah State University, where he ultimately completed his Masters degree in Rangeland Studies. Dennis was commissioned as an Army Officer and served in the Adjutant General's Corps; Fifth U. S. Army in Illinois. In 1971, Dennis began his Doctoral degree at Colorado State University where he completed his PhD in Rangeland Ecosystems. On January 3, 1972, after a two-and-a-half month courtship, he and Carla Jane Floyd were wed and sealed in the Logan Temple. He completed his PhD at CSU and they lived in Fort Collins until 1977 when he began work with Winrock International, a non-profit rangeland research firm where he did research in Morrilton, Arkansas and Kenya. In 1988 he continued in Agricultural Research working for the USDA until returning to CSU as a Department Head and Professor of Rangeland Ecosystems. He was a valued and respected professor at the time of his passing. All along the way, Dennis was an active and devout member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day-Saints; was formerly a Branch President, Bishop and High Councilman. He was active with the Boy Scouts of America and was a past scoutmaster. He traveled extensively worldwide and most recently was a visiting professor at the University of Agriculture of Inner Mongolia, China. In his free time, an avid outdoorsman, Dennis enjoyed hunting, fishing, camping, hiking and all things outdoors. He is survived by his wife, Carla; five children, Derek (and Katie) Child of Johnstown, CO, Caylee Whealton (and Kent Amott) of Ft. Collins, Megan (and Dave) Fordahl of Oakley, CA, Ashlee (and Chad) Roper of Nibley, UT and Lacey (and Robert) West of Mililani, HI; three sisters, Joy Philips of Magalia, CA, Nanette Gee of Sugar City, ID and Coleen Yates of Great Falls, MT; and 13 grandchildren and stepmother, Vicky B. Child of LaVerkin, UT. His parents preceded Dennis in death. Dennis' family requests that any memorial donations please be made to R. Dennis Child Memorial Scholarship Fund in care of Goes Funeral Care, 3665 Canal Dr., #E, Ft. Collins, CO.