- Date Of Birth: November 13, 1971
- Date Of Death: March 31, 2021
- State: Colorado
Gregory Lee Gatzke, a longtime resident of Penrose CO, passed away unexpectedly at the age of 49 on March 31, 2021. Greg was born November 13, 1971 in Orange, CA to Gary and Eileen Gatzke. At the early age of 12, Greg’s mechanical life was born. He would help his families automotive repair shop in Florence, CO and this passion continued throughout his life. In 1990, Greg was the rack & wheel vehicle mechanic with the U.S. Army. He learned to be a heavy equipment mechanic with the Anaconda Job Corp in 1995 and 1996. For the past 16 years, Greg was an emergency vehicle technician at Fort Carson. In 2018, Greg and Kember started their amazing love story and became husband and wife on June 20, 2020. Greg’s compassion and love for his community prompted him to join the Penrose Fire Department in 2011 as a fire fighter and EMT. Greg continued in the ranks reaching Assistant Chief in 2020.
Greg is survived by his loving wife Kember; step sons, Joel (Kayla) Garcia, Zacory (Andrea) Garcia, Dylan Garcia and four grandchildren; mother, Eileen Gatzke; brother, Gery Gatzke; step brother, John (Holly) Holler; step sister, Cindy Bean; his best friend and brother, Randy Keymon; and his good friend Julie DeGroot. He was preceded in death by his father, Gary Gatzke; stepmother, Mary Gatzke; his paternal grandparents and maternal grandparents.
