Roland "Bud" Christian, 77 of Sterling, passed away Sun., April 17, 2016 in Sterling. A private family service will be held.

Roland "Bud" Carl Christian was born to Roland Clyde and Ethel May Christian on June 7, 1938 in LaSalle, Colorado, where he grew up, active in many sports including basketball, baseball and football, graduating from LaSalle High School in 1956 as class valedictorian. That fall, he enrolled in Colorado A&M but left in October to join the Army. While stationed in New York City, he met the love of his life, Joyce Ann Kincel Christian, and the two married in February of 1959. Six months later he got discharged and entered Colorado State College in Greeley, graduating in March of 1962 with a double major in speech and English.

His teaching career began in a middle school in Long Island, New York, moving then to Collbran, Colorado's Plateau Valley High School from 1963 to 1967, where he also coached sports, directed school plays and worked as the yearbook advisor. In the meantime, he earned his master's degree in English through the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley and he and Joyce had two children, Kathleen in 1964 and Kristine in 1966.

The family moved to Sterling in 1967 for his job teaching at Northeastern Jr. College, where he worked full-time until 1993 and part-time for an additional four years, teaching English, speech, literature, humanities, philosophy, creative writing, poetry, group discussion and mass media courses. He also served as faculty advisor for the New Voices literary magazine and the Plainsman Pathways student newspaper. He even co-hosted a local television show his first couple years there called This Week at NJC.

He authored several publications including a speech textbook titled Be Bright! Be Brief! Be Gone! A Speaker's Guide, Nicknames in Sports: A Quiz Book, poetry chapbooks Dusty Rivers and All Hail, America and Potpourrivia (A Digest of Curious Words, Phrases, and Trivial Information), a title also used for his weekly column in The South Platte Sentinel newspaper he wrote since 1988. Over 16 anthologies included his poetry through the years.

Bud's biography appears in Who's Who; Who's Who in the West; Who's Who in U.S. Writers, Editors, & Poets; International Leaders in Achievement; International Authors and Writers Who's Who among others. He received the Joel Mack Faculty Member of the Year award in 1986. In 2013, he was awarded the Alumni Association President's Award from NJC, as well.

For many years, he enjoyed gardening, entering his produce into the Logan County Fair and winning the grand championship for nine consecutive years in the 1980s. He also often completed construction projects throughout the county and loved fly fishing, particularly in the North Park area in the Colorado mountains.

Since 2001, he delighted in working with the Community Caring Hands, Inc., group, for whom he acted as emcee and quizmaster for their annual fundraiser.

After retirement, Bud and Joyce spent their time travelling, gaming, attending spring training for the Colorado Rockies in Tucson and visiting their children/grandchildren/great grandchild.
He is survived by his wife Joyce Christian; children Kathleen Christian of Prineville, OR, and Kristie Sweet; grandchildren Damien, Tristanne and Derek Sweet; and granddaughter Aria Barajas, of Grand Junction, CO.

Contributions may be made to the Community Caring Hands, Inc.