Bennett John Roesch

Bennett John Roesch, 27, of Santa Cruz, CA, passed away on September 8, 2017 due to a head injury following a fall.  Bennett was born to Ben and Cecelia (Kuisle) Roesch in Colorado Springs, CO on December 21, 1989.

           From the time he was nine months old, Bennett loved to climb anything that was available to him.  His love of nature took him on many walks, hikes, bike rides and camping trips from the mountains and forests of his beloved “Beauty Land” in Colorado to the beaches and rainforests of Puerto Rico where he spent his 5th grade year learning Spanish, swimming in the ocean and digging “big holes” in his beachside backyard.

           Bennett loved to entertain people, especially kids, with his incredible talents for juggling and spinning fire, which he joyfully taught to anyone who was willing to learn.  He spent his River Dell High School years in New Jersey and often traveled to New York City to practice juggling with world-class talents, even performing in an off-off Broadway show and many International Jugglers’ Association Festivals.

          UC Santa Cruz drew Bennett to Santa Cruz, where he began his next adventure.  His contagious love of people, encyclopedic knowledge of information technology and willingness to patiently teach anyone who wanted to learn helped him land his “dream job” as a computer programmer at NextSpace.  There, he had the opportunity to offer his free-spirited, kind, loving and caring personality to a community that welcomed and appreciated him.  A truly unique creative personality, Bennett brought an original perspective to every project he was involved with.  His enthusiasm, sense of humor, warmth and infectious ever-present smile, enabled him to forge friendships with people of all ages and from all walks of life.

Bennett was a catalyst for creativity and collaboration among his friends.  He loved to use games to help bring people together, inventing around a dozen games in his own idiosyncratic style, such as “Sentence, Picture, Sentence.”  Caught up in his own excitement, he would sometimes use these games to connect to complete strangers walking down the street, bringing smiles, laughs and interesting, impromptu conversations from many (and strange looks from some!).  He loved dancing and dressing up and was an outspoken proponent of “Fancy Fridays.” He was an avid reader and always had “the right book” to give to someone who he thought would benefit from reading it.  He thrived on learning new things and new ideas, and could never understand why others weren’t as eager to learn as he was.

         In the wake of his death, many, many wonderful people have expressed that Bennett brought a brightness into their lives and he facilitated get-togethers where he changed the way they looked at the world, their relationships and their work in life. He challenged each of us to do more, think bigger, be better, love more and “make cool stuff.”

He burned brightly and touched the hearts and minds of many who knew him no matter how short or long.  May his light and love be carried forward in each person whose life he touched.

He is survived by his parents, Ben and Cecelia (Kuisle) Roesch, Castle Rock, CO; his sisters, Jennifer (Dr. Ryan)  Riggs and Tracy (Dr. Nathan) Wilkes; his nieces and nephew, Kylee Riggs, Sophie and Mason Wilkes, twenty aunts and uncles, about a hundred cousins and countless friends who loved him.

A memorial service will be held at 1:00 P.M., Friday, September 22nd at Harwood Chapel, 516 N. 10th Canon City, CO, with a celebration of life to follow.

His Funeral Mass will be officiated by Fr. Gary Kennedy on Saturday, September 23 at 10:30 A.M., at  St. Anthony Chapel at St. Michaels Catholic Church , 1029 College  Ave, Cañon City, CO 81212. Interment to follow at Assumption Cemetery, Silver Cliff, CO., 81252.  Arrangements entrusted to Harwood Funeral Home.  Online condolences at harwoodfunerals.com. 

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