Rest in Peace Robert Blackwell of Independent Propane

When I joined the Board of Directors for the Conifer Area Chamber of Commerce back in 2013, Robert Blackwell was one of the current Board. I soon discovered that he was one of the Chamber's Founding members and, I believe, responsible for the creation of our mission statement. After he rolled off of the BOD, he stepped down from leading the Public Affairs Committee as well, and soon stopped actively participating in the Chamber. I appreciated the historical perspective he brought to the table, and his thoughtful opinions whenever we debated a decision to make as a Board.

I learned last week through the 285 Techconnect Radio Club (of whom he was a member) that he passed in early Sept and his memorial service was held October 30th. He was an integral member of our business and nonprofit community for so many years and will be greatly missed.

Obituary for Robert Strother Blackwell

In 1965, he and his first wife, Bonnie Blackwell, moved to Double Header Mountain just east of Aspen Park, Colorado, and in 1968, Robert purchased his first propane delivery truck, affectionately called the Pig. He started Bob’s Gas and Chemical and would deliver propane to homes throughout the mountains of Jefferson County when not at work at Martin. In 1974 he left his engineering job to run the propane business full time, eventually moving operations to Pine Junction, Colorado. At around the same time, he renamed Bob’s Gas to Action Gas, and he purchased Independent Gas Company, a small propane retail operation in Granby, Colorado. He started doing business under the Independent Propane name at both locations. Both companies flourished under his leadership, still running strong today, employing 25 people and servicing thousands of customers between the Pine Junction and Granby operations.