House Joint Memorial 25-1001

HOUSE JOINT MEMORIAL 25-1001

BY REPRESENTATIVE(S) Pugliese and Richardson, Armagost, Bacon, Barron, Bird, Boesenecker, Bottoms, Bradfield, Bradley, Brooks, Brown, Caldwell, Clifford, DeGraaf, Duran, English, Espenoza, Froelich, Garcia, Garcia Sander, Gonzalez R., Hamrick, Hartsook, Johnson, Joseph, Keltie, Lieder, Lindsay, Lindstedt, Luck, Lukens, Mabrey, Marshall, Martinez, Mauro, McCluskie, McCormick, Ricks, Rutinel, Sirota, Soper, Suckla, Taggart, Titone, Valdez, Velasco, Weinberg, Willford, Winter T., Woodrow, Woog, Camacho, Carter, Feret, Gilchrist, Jackson, Paschal, Phillips, Rydin, Smith, Stewart K., Stewart R., Story, Zokaie;

also SENATOR(S) Kirkmeyer and Pelton R., Amabile, Baisley, Ball, Bridges, Bright, Carson, Catlin, Coleman, Cutter, Danielson, Daugherty, Exum, Frizell, Hinrichsen, Jodeh, Kipp, Kolker, Liston, Lundeen, Marchman, Michaelson Jenet, Mullica, Pelton B., Rich, Roberts, Rodriguez, Simpson, Snyder, Sullivan, Weissman, Winter F., Gonzales J., Wallace.

MEMORIALIZING FORMER REPRESENTATIVE RODNEY BOCKENFELD.

WHEREAS, Rodney Bockenfeld, the former Representative, departed this life on February 13, 2025, at the age of 69; and

WHEREAS, Rodney Joseph Bockenfeld, known to everyone as Rod, was born on December 9, 1955, in Quincy, Illinois, to Donald and Patricia Bockenfeld; and

WHEREAS, Representative Bockenfeld was a graduate of Catholic Boys High School in Quincy, Illinois, in 1974; Western Illinois University in 1978; and the University of Colorado Graduate School of Banking in 1990; and

WHEREAS, Representative Bockenfeld moved to Denver in 1978 and became a fraud investigator for Mountain States Bankcard and later met his wife, Susan, while working at Central Bank of Denver in 1984; and

WHEREAS, Representative Bockenfeld and Susan Bockenfeld were married in 1985 and were blessed with five children: Paul, David, Joseph, Jacob, and Erika; and

WHEREAS, Representative Bockenfeld was high school class president for two years and also president of the Denver Chapter of the International Association of Credit Card Investigators; and

WHEREAS, A 20-year career in banking and then owning his own financial business for 10 years helped prepare Representative Bockenfeld for his political career; he was elected Arapahoe County Commissioner for three terms from 2004-2016, served as Chairman of the Board of County Commissioners for several of those years, and served on the Finance Committee; and

WHEREAS, Representative Bockenfeld also served as Chairman of the Denver Regional Council of Governments for one year as well as on several committees for the National Association of Counties; and

WHEREAS, Representative Bockenfeld was elected in November 2018 to the Colorado House of Representatives for District 56, which included Adams and Arapahoe counties until redistricting in 2022 added Cheyenne, El Paso, Elbert, Kit Carson, and Lincoln counties; and

WHEREAS, Representative Bockenfeld served for three terms from 2019-2024, was a member of the Legislative Audit Committee for four years, and was a member of the Joint Budget Committee for his final term; and

WHEREAS, Representative Bockenfeld was known for his love of the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights and for advocating for local government; he always viewed legislation with a fiscal eye, prioritizing a balanced budget and advocating for K-12 and higher education; and

WHEREAS, Representative Bockenfeld was honored to serve the citizens of Colorado as both an Arapahoe County Commissioner and a State Representative; and

WHEREAS, Representative Bockenfeld was very proud of the adults his children have become and cherished the memories of them growing up and later the time spent with his grandchildren; and

WHEREAS, Representative Bockenfeld loved to travel in a motor home with his family and visited all but three of the lower 48 states over the last 35 years; and

WHEREAS, Representative Bockenfeld and his wife, Susan, enjoyed a final adventure to Germany in 2023, where they visited five towns where his ancestors had lived, fulfilling a lifelong dream; and

WHEREAS, Representative Bockenfeld was predeceased by his father Donald Bockenfeld, mother Patricia Meado, brother Jeffrey Bockenfeld, beloved son David Strickland, and beautiful granddaughter Ryleigh Bockenfeld; and

WHEREAS, Representative Bockenfeld is survived by his wife of 40 years, Susan, son Paul Strickland, son Joseph Bockenfeld, son Jacob Bockenfeld, daughter Erika Bockenfeld, brother Jim Bockenfeld, sister Donnette Cannady, and eight grandchildren; now, therefore,

Be It Resolved by the House of Representatives of the Seventy-fifth General Assembly of the State of Colorado, the Senate concurring herein:

That, in the death of Representative Rodney Bockenfeld, the people of the State of Colorado have lost a devoted public servant and an outstanding citizen, and that we, the members of the Seventy-fifth General Assembly, pay tribute to Rod Bockenfeld for years of dedicated public service and extend our deep and heartfelt sympathy to the members of the family.

Be It Further Resolved, That copies of this Memorial be sent to Susan Bockenfeld, Erika Bockenfeld, Joseph Bockenfeld, Jacob Bockenfeld, James Bockenfeld, Paul Strickland, and Donnette Cannady.