Colin Dee Tsosie
July 1, 1956 ~ October 19, 2024 (age 68)
A Celebration of Life will take place on Sunday, October 27, 2024, 2:00 p.m. at Beltline Church of Christ in Decatur, AL, presided over by Steve Smith, preacher/Shepherd, and Dr. Charles Elliott, one of many elders/Shepherds at Beltline Church of Christ in Decatur, AL. Anyone who would like to speak of their memories of Colin, or write them to be read, are invited to do so.
A second Celebration will take place in Needles, CA at 2:00 p.m. on November 16, 2024, for his dear family and friends in the central and western United States. Everyone wishing to speak is encouraged to do so and share your memories of Colin. If unable to attend please feel free to send an email with your memories and thoughts to desertstar50@gmail.com <mailto:desertstar50@gmail.com>. They will be read at his Celebrations.
He was born July 1, 1956, to Collins Dee Tsosie and Laura Harvey Tsosie in Fort Defiance, Arizona. Colin passed peacefully on the morning of October 19, 2024, with his wife, Starla, and son, CD, by his side. He was 68 years old. He attended Beltline Church of Christ.
Colin was preceded in death by his parents, and one daughter, Cheyenne Amber Tsosie. Colin is survived by his wife of 24 years, Starla Letson Tsosie; one brother Kevin Tsosie (Needles, CA); Ramona Reyna Tsosie (the mother of his children); three sons: Richard (Phoenix AZ), Colin Dee, II (Phoenix, AZ), and Travis (Washington State); one daughter, Andrea (Washington State); 14 grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. He is also survived by three bonus children: Natshiela Lang, John Bates, and Sarah Sharp, as well as 11 bonus grandchildren and four bonus great-grandchildren, and numerous extended family members who loved him dearly. He is also survived by his two fur babies, Sissy and Digger, whom he loved, and fondly referred to as “the kids.”
Colin graduated from Chinle High School, Chinle, AZ in 1974, where he was an accomplished football, basketball, and baseball player. During his younger years at Box Elder Elementary school in Ogden, Utah he was an accomplished swimmer and was on the swim team. He was an avid Redskins fan, and loved playing golf. He joined every golf tournament he could be a part of, and participated in one of the largest Iron Man tournaments where him and his fellow team mates almost earned them a place in the Guiness Book of World Records for golfing the most holes, on one of the hottest days in Lake Havasu City, AZ.
He went on to join the Army on June 13, 1975, and served until June 12, 1978. He enjoyed his time in service to our country, trying to follow in his father’s footsteps as closely as he could. He was proud of his father’s service in the Marines as a WWII Navajo Code Talker. After his honorable discharge from the Army, he went on to college and studied Information Technology, met and married his first wife, and became the very proud father of his five children.
On 9/11, he called his then long-distance girlfriend and future wife, to talk about the way he was feeling about the attack on U.S. soil. It was then he stated he wished he could re-enlist and serve his country once again. Knowing that he had past the age of re-enlisting, he took it in stride and moved on with his life, taking care of his family.
He enjoyed a career as IT Manager at the Avi Resort Hotel and Casino in Laughlin, NV. After he and his wife, Starla, married he made the decision to move to Alabama, the home state of his wife. After the move, and during his search for employment, he accidentally began a new career as a Security Systems Technician, Site Surveyor and Project Manager with a DOD contractor. This new career allowed him to, once again, serve his country in the best possible capacity for him. It required extended travel, which he loved. His travels took him to Afghanistan where he worked on a top-secret security installation at the Afghanistan Presidential Palace in Kabul for five years. It was extremely stressful and when he returned home in January, 2016, he chose to change employers, remaining in the same line of work. This employment position allowed him additional travels along the eastern portion of the country where he enjoyed meeting and making new friends. He loved his time in Japan, Germany, Costa Rica, and Italy.
Anyone who took the time to know Colin, found a man who was genuine, generous, funny, and compassionate with a heart and love for people that was bigger than he was. He left his heart-prints everywhere he went across the U.S. and other countries. Friends became his family and when he loved, he loved big and hard. He will be deeply missed by all who knew him.
The family would like to give special thanks to the medical staff on 3rd floor west and the CCU the last 2 months of his life at Cullman Regional Medical Center. And a very special thank you to Dr. Darryle Bullard and his wonderful nurse, Glenda. Colin developed a special bond with Dr. Bullard and his medical team. His eyes would light up when Dr. Bullard walked in his room.
