GORDON ALLAN ROTHOFF, AIA
FEBRUARY 28, 1939 – JANUARY 14, 2025
Gordon “Gordy” Allan Rothoff passed away peacefully on January 14, 2025, at home in Colorado Springs, Colorado at the age of 85.
Gordy was born on February 28,1939 in Muskegon, Michigan, to Axel Karl and Wilma Lenore (Hartley) Rothoff. He is survived by his loving wife, Marianne (Burger); their daughter, Dr. Michelle Marie Rothoff, and son-in-law, Jeremiah Jones of Anchorage, AK; his sisters, Linda Hulit of Summerfield, FL, and Nadine Fonner of Grand Rapids, MI; his sister-in-law Sandy Rothoff of Twin Lake, MI; as well as many beloved nieces and nephews and cherished friends. He was preceded in death by his parents, Wilma and Axel, and his brother, Greg.
Gordy graduated from Muskegon Senior High School in 1957. He attended University of Wyoming on a football scholarship as well as Michigan Tech University and went on to graduate from the University of Michigan in 1966 with a Bachelor of Architecture degree.
Gordy worked at SOM (Skidmore, Owings & Merrill) and Harry Weese Architectural Offices in Chicago until 1969, when he was summoned by a college classmate to start an architectural department within R. Keith Hook & Associates, an engineering and surveying firm in Colorado Springs, CO.
In 1977, Gordy joined WozGroup, a nationwide construction management group, as Executive Vice President. With the firm, Gordy provided Lender Representation roles on multiple project types including hotels, high-rise offices, retail centers and land development projects. The firm represented large U.S. and foreign banks on multi-million-dollar projects such as One United Bank in Denver; the Norwest Center in Minneapolis; One Detroit in Detroit; Arundel Mills in Hanover, MD; The Block at Orange in Orange, CA; and many others.
Gordy and Marianne thoroughly enjoyed Colorado as a playground, enthusiastically pursuing skiing, hiking, tent camping and road trips around the Rocky Mountain Region, often with baby Michelle in tow. Not surprisingly, Michelle also acquired a love of the outdoors and of a good “Rothoff Road Trip” and continues to enjoy these endeavors with her husband Jeremiah in Alaska, where she practices medicine and works in public health.
Gordy took up the new challenge of road biking in his 50’s and, never one to do anything halfway, went on to successfully complete Ride The Rockies, an annual Colorado multi-day ride spanning several hundred miles and scaling multiple high mountain passes. He conquered this ride not once or twice, but an impressive five times.
Gordy was also an accomplished and passionate fly fisherman. After retirement, Gordy was contacted at the 2005 Denver Fly Fishing Show about Project Healing Waters, a nonprofit organization helping wounded military service members re-acclimate to civilian life through flyfishing. Rather than just relaxing into his retirement, Gordy quickly jumped on this opportunity to use his passion and skills to help others. He dove into this new endeavor with typical zeal and was instrumental in starting a local chapter of the program in Colorado Springs. He was voted “Volunteer of the Year” in 2012. The local program has grown significantly over the years and has impacted numerous service members in a positive way thanks to Gordy and all of the other dedicated staff and volunteers. Gordy was recognized as a great teacher and deeply enjoyed working with the veterans in the program.
His intense dedication and many achievements in his professional and personal pursuits notwithstanding, Gordy was best known for being a warm and humble human being with a quick smile, mischievous twinkle in his eye, dry wit, sense of adventure, and enthusiasm and openness to always learning and growing. He was a loving and loyal father, husband, and friend.
At Gordy’s request, there will be no services.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Gordy’s memory to Project Healing Waters at https://projecthealingwaters.org/ways-to-give/donate-now/
Jeremiah Justin Jones
24 Jan 2025Dear Marianne & Michelle,
I am deeply saddened about the passing of your husband, your father, Mr. Rothoff. Gordy was a wonderful man and will be dearly missed. I will always cherish the memories of our family road trips together. Please accept my heartfelt condolences and know that my thoughts are with you during this difficult time.
Love, Jeremiah
Alan Boatz
25 Jan 2025Dear Rothoff family,
Please accept our deepest condolences as we celebrate Gordy’s life. I’m writing on behalf of his Project Healing Waters family in Colorado Springs. Our program has grown to 530 veterans and 240 volunteers since he started us up in 2008. What an impressive legacy. We are forever grateful for his support. I wrote to our program today and would like to share what they received …
“”The contribution Gordy made to creating our Colorado Springs program in 2008 and beyond was monumental. He was amongst a small group of volunteers dedicated to helping our veteran community that originated at Fort Carson (which was our original name). His passion and dedication to our program helped build what we have today. Over the past year, when he was in decline, he donated all of his fly-fishing gear, rods, reels, fly tying material and so much more to PHW-COS. In June at our open house, he showed up to observe as we gave this gear to our new and existing participants so they could enjoy this passionate sport that we all enjoy. This is one small example of his deep commitment to our cause and our program. He has provided a shining example that we can use in our own lives.
Please join me in celebrating his life and times. Raise a toast, tell a story, get involved. His legacy is alive today through your experience with our program. We will miss him dearly.
Please keep his family in your prayers and thoughts,””
Alan Boatz
Program Lead PHW COS-Pueblo
Pete Lofy
25 Jan 2025The world will miss Gordy. He did so much for the Veterans of Colorado Springs, starting the Project Healing Waters Program here. Our thoughts are with his family. May he rest in peace.
Mike McCleish
25 Jan 2025I think I can speak for a lot of us at PHWFF that Gordy was a treasure. I met him some 10+ years after the program started and it was like we had been friends all along. At the last open house. I was so glad he was able to spend some time with us. As we helped kit out newer anglers, I told them of the legacy Gordy was leaving them. I help teach fly tying and saw the items he donated, one of the items in the collection was a binder of fly recipes. It is extremely well organized and a testament to his engineering background. While items like this often get left behind in donation bins, I have it tucked nicely away in my fly tying book collection. I let Gordy know I now had possession of the binder and how much I enjoyed his meticulous history. It’s my reminder to live up to Gordy’s standard both in life and beyond. Good flows, light winds and tight lines, Gordy.
Rick Haman
25 Jan 2025Gordy was a great friend of mine! I appreciated fishing with him, he got me started fly fishing and he got me involved with Healing Waters, he was so helpful and was always so nice and fun to be around, he always joked with me about my fishing skills and I always told him well, I learned that from the best, then he would laugh at me, what a great person I will miss you as a great friend and mentor, RIP Gordy, to the Rothoff family I’m deeply saden for your loss! Rick Haman sends.
Pamela 'Pami' Hulit
27 Jan 2025Aunt Marianne and Michelle,
I’m so sorry for your loss. I have wonderful memories of time spent with all three of you and will miss Uncle Gordy dearly. Love to you both.
Patrick Hinchliffe
30 Jan 2025Dear Rothoff family. I recently heard of Gordy’s passing. My sincere condolences.
I had the pleasure of getting to know Gordy a bit over several years as mutual members of the Pikes Peak Flyfishers.
Whether it was on a camping/fishing trip at Spinney Mountain Reservoir, a hiking trip near the Conejos River or a day trip to 11 Mile Canyon, he was always a pleasure to be around.
His volunteering with Project Healing Waters was sincerely appreciated by other Flyfishers and the veterans alike.
His smile was infectious and I believe anyone that had the chance to share fishing, camping or hiking time with him in the great cathedral of the outdoors came away with fond memories of the experience.
I truly am a better person for having known him.
Rest well Gordy and I hope the hatch is a great one and the w I n d calm where you are!