Obituary of Marlin Elwood Sibell

On Tuesday, December 11, 2018, Marlin Elwood "Si" Sibell was called home to be greeted by his parents, Jesse William and Lillie Bell (Young) Sibell. This ornery son was named Marlin by his mother, and called Si by all others. He entered this world, as he says "in the state of infancy". Born April 24, 1928 on a farm north of Osakis, Minnesota, near the town of Nelson, he lived out his next 90 years with all the gusto he could muster. Si attended West Central School of Agriculture in Morris, Minnesota where, among his regular studies, he learned blacksmithing. After graduation, he took several jobs from caretaker of a resort in Alexandria, Minnesota, to working for the forest service in Idaho. He also spent time working on a cattle ranch as a cowboy. This is where the selective service caught up with him in 1949 while working in Butte, Montana. Given the choice between joining the military or going to prison, Si was taken kicking and screaming and joined the United States Army in 1950 reaching the rank of "Misplaced Civilian". After touring Germany at the expense of "Uncle Sam", Si came home and found a job in outdoor advertising with Burma Shave. While living in Minnesota, he met his wife, Dorothy Ann Bean. They married March 6, 1954. Through this union five children were born, Barbara (Mark) Youngwirth, (Amanda, Jesse); Brian (Karen), (Krista, Jake); Brenda (Jimmy "Red") Vawter, (Beau, Monte); Beverly (Roger) Rathburn, (Stacy, Wesly, Fallyn, Mallory); and Bruce (Becky), (Bobby, Zach). This has led to a buttload of grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Si and Dorothy moved to Arizona where he started his outdoor advertising adventure. After several different signage jobs, Si settled with working for Stuckey Candies. He built and painted all the signs west of Jackson Mississippi for Stuckey's. He traveled around the west and was gone a lot. Si moved his wife and family to Colorado to be more centralized with his work. One of his favorite accomplishments was buying his longtime home in Monument, Colorado for a "song". Si still blames Lady Bird Johnson for ruining the commercial advertising business after passing the Beautification Act of 1965. Because of this, he had to look in a different direction for employment. Eventually landing as a welder and boiler maker. He worked several power plants around the west. After tiring of that, he came back home and started painting small signs for local businesses. With a few good friends and a few good decisions, Si was able to land a large sign business in Monument, which is still in operation. Si founded the Monument Chapter of The Bigots Club. He was a past board member of the Tri Lakes Fire Protection District and a former "Old Gray" Mayor of Monument, Colorado. Si was also a volunteer firefighter for the Monument Fire Department holding the office of Captain. He claimed to have never lost a foundation while putting out a fire. He mentioned that his glory days of his life was when he was a rodeo announcer, helped run a dude string and played with the Pony Express at Monument Lake Resort with his partner in crime, Bud Wiegers. He said they sure didn't make much money, but they had a hell of a lot of fun! Horses were a big part of his life, he never owned a horse over eight. They usually ate in the morning and ate again in the afternoon. His best horse was Baron, who was seen wandering around Monument in his later years. Si owned him for 39 years and put him down because of old age when he was��EIGHT. He claimed to have never been bucked off a horse but added that he did run out of saddle several times. Si was an avid prevaricator "Story Teller", people would just sit and listen to his stories, and some even believed them!Si loved to hunt, let me rephrase that, Si LIVED to hunt and fish. He went on hunting and fishing trips all over, including Alaska, Canada, and the western United States. Everything from javelena, quail, elk, deer, etc�.. he hunted it or fished it. Other hobbies were, but not limited to, being an artist. His paintings and welded art are beautiful and can be seen hanging in the homes of his family. He was also a prankster of the highest honor.Si "Marlin" was preceded in death by his parents; brothers, Arthur, Sheldon and Gerald "Larry"; sister, Margaret Kallstrom; and son-in-law, Jimmy "Red" Vawter. He leaves behind his wife, Dorothy; children, Barbara, Brian, Brenda, Beverly and Bruce; sisters, Janice (Henry) Finch, Donna Myers; brother, Gary; grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He was loved by many.Celebration of Life, 2:00PM, Sunday, January 20, 2019, Grace Best Elementary School, 66 Jefferson Street, Monument, Colorado 80132.Reception, immediately following, Sibell's Barn, 231 Front Street, Monument, Colorado 80182.In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made in Si's memory to Wounded Warrior USA, www.woundedwarriorUSA.com, this is not affiliated with Wounded Warrior Project. Events Celebration of Life Sunday, January 20, 2019 2:00PM Grace Best Elementary School 66 Jefferson Street Monument, CO 80132