Obituary of Dr. William R. Earley

Dr. William Reddin Earley 

On March 25, 2023, we lost our beloved Papa, Dr. William Reddin Earley, 88, after being affected by Frontal Temporal Dementia. 

Born Jan. 21, 1935 in Denver to Margaret and William Earley, Papa was a fourth generation Colorado native. He was raised in East Denver, attended Regis High School and Regis College and received his Doctorate of Dental Sciences from the University of Nebraska.   

On Feb. 12, 1966, Papa was married to Mary Kathryn Turley and soon began their adventurous life together. Within five years, they were parenting four active, adorable children and our house was always filled with laughter, love and adventure. 

Papa always shared his enthusiasm for outdoor adventure with us, and Mom and Papa took us on many great vacations that included skiing, hiking, river rafting, fishing, airplane rides and camping.  When we were older teens, Papa took three weeks off work to take us on an escapade through the Pacific NW and Canada.  We often fondly reminisce on the amazing things we saw and incredible experiences we had on our Canada trip.  Papa and Mom served as an example to us throughout our lives about the importance of family, and their relationship set an example for us about the power of love. 

 Papa had a great sense of humor and often had a joke ready for his patients. He had a gift for helping his patients relax while in his dental chair and was kind and patient to all he encountered professionally.  He was an expert at working on dentures and used his talent to volunteer for over 40 years with the Little Sisters of the Poor to provide the residents and nuns dental care and was honored by the order for 40 years of service to the nuns and residents in 2017.  

 Papa was a man of service, generous with his gifts of time and treasure. He cared for orphans at St. Clara’s Orphanage in Denver until it closed in 1968, served on several national, statewide and local charitable dental service organizations providing free dental care to the underserved, and was a leader for years with Boy Scouts of America and the Catholic Scouting Committee of the Denver Archdiocese from 1984-1992. Due to Papa’s commitment to Scouting, our family now has five Eagle Scouts and two Gold Award GSA members. 

A devout Catholic, Papa was a Fourth-Degree Knight in the Knights of Columbus, following in his grandfather and father’s footsteps.  He was active in the founding of Ave Maria Catholic Church in Parker and served for years on various committees at the church, including as president of the financial committee. He organized a group of volunteers called the Wednesday Warriors who regularly updated and made repairs at the church. For years, Papa showed great commitment to the Serra Club of Denver and actively participated in organizing the annual luncheons that celebrated and honored the nuns.

Although he never looked for recognition in his charitable works and volunteered from the heart, Papa was often recognized for his contributions. In 1991, Papa was presented a citation from the Pierre Fauchard Academy for Outstanding Contributions to the Art and Science of Dentistry.   Papa was awarded by The State of Colorado National Foundation of Dentistry for the Handicapped, they recognized Papa for volunteering his dentistry services to the handicapped, needy, elderly and medically compromised from 1985-1994. In 1996. Gov. Roy Romer issued an executive order recognizing Papa for his work on a government dental subcommittee. 

With two other friends, Papa helped organize the Soccer Association in Douglas County in the 1970s. The program that now serves thousands of local children, it started with 39 boys on three teams. Papa enjoyed beekeeping and produced lots of honey each year which he shared with many although some of his honey ended up as Meade! A passionate outdoorsman, 

 hunter and fisherman, he taught us all how to fly fish, and shared his love of skiing with us all. He and Mom traveled extensively, both to exotic locations and around the country in their motorhome to visit their adored grandchildren. They journeyed to the Galapagos Islands, Australia, Turkey, New Zealand, and Japan, Mexico, Europe, and took memorable cruises down the Danube and the Amazon, and  St. Lawrence Seaway. Always up for road trip fun, in 1987 Papa and several friends travelled in a motorhome to Pasadena, Calif. to cheer on the Broncos in Super Bowl XXI. 

Papa is survived by Katy, our wonderful Mom and his devoted wife of 57 years, children Maureen (Jay) Norejko, William (Martha) Earley; Lucy (Jack) Fyfe and Patrick (Mika) Earley and grandchildren Abby and Charlotte Norejko, Liam and Ben Earley, Miranda, Allyson and Jared Fyfe, and Meg and Mimi Earley. He is also survived by his younger brother Mark Earley and younger sister Cele (Ken) Ash.  

A Celebration of Life Mass will be held at Ave Maria Catholic Church 9056 E. Parker Road, Parker, CO on April 14 at 11 a.m. with a 10:30 a.m. Rosary before. 

In leu of flowers please donate to: 

The Little Sisters of the Poor  attn: Sister Joseph Marie, 330 S Exchange St, St Paul Minnesota, 55102. 

Ave Maria Catholic Church. attn: Linda  9056 E. Parker Road, Parker, CO 80138. 

We love you, Papa, and will miss your contagious laughter and your generous heart. Thank you for a lifetime of family adventure and life lessons. We’ll take care of Mom. 

Maureen, Will, Lucy and Pat