Leon Julius Rollin

Leon was born on February 21, 1931, in Minto, North Dakota. From a young age, he loved the outdoors. As a boy, he ran a paper delivery route to pay for his Fur-Fish-Game magazine subscription, a .22 rifle, and traps for his winter trapline.

After graduating from high school, Leon joined the United States Navy. His home ports were Quincy, Massachusetts and Newport, Rhode Island. During his service, he participated in several cruises with ports of call ranging from Greenland to Cuba and across the Mediterranean, spanning Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.

Following his military service, Leon attended the University of North Dakota, earning a Bachelor of Science in Medical Technology. While in school, he briefly crossed paths with a teaching assistant who would one day become his wife. After graduation, he began working at the North Dakota State Laboratory in Bismarck. During that time, a Medical Technologists Conference brought attendees from across the state to town. Among them was Palmina Mae Heigaard of Gardar, North Dakota, his former teaching assistant. In the evenings during the conference, they danced, shared dinners, and were married a short time later in August 1958.

Leon later earned his Master of Public Health degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He served as a Public Health Officer in Wausau, Wisconsin, where his sons, Eric and Andrew, were born. In 1962, he joined the U.S. Department of Health Education and Welfare in Washington, D.C. The following year, he transferred to Denver to manage the Denver Field Office, relocating his family. His daughter, Patricia, was born a short time later in 1964. He retired from federal service in 1988, but after a brief period of restless retirement, he became administrator for University of Colorado Family Medicine Program, managing facilities, writing grants, and working with the State Legislature to secure funding and promote long-term growth.

An accomplished hunter with rifle, black powder and bow, his greatest passion was fishing and fly tying. He traveled throughout Colorado, Canada, and the Bahamas in pursuit of the perfect catch, forming many lifelong friendships along the way.

Leon was married to Mae Rollin for over 60 years until her passing in 2020. Mae is interred at Fort Logan National Cemetery, and Leon will be laid to rest beside her, reunited once again. He was preceded in death by his parents, Andrew Rolzinski and Effie Riski-Rolzinski; brother, David Rollins; and his eldest son, Eric.

Leon is survived by his children: Andrew Rollin (Carol) and Patricia Rollin; grandchildren: Holly (Peter), Auburn (Caleb) and Cameron; great grandchildren: Poppy and Ford; and sisters: Rosemary Okins and Carole Mathews.

A private family burial service with military honors will be held at Fort Logan National Cemetery in Denver, Colorado, on Friday, April 17, 2026, with a Celebration of Life later that day. Please reach out to the family for details.

In lieu of flowers, and in honor of Leon’s love of fishing and the outdoors, the family would kindly ask for donations to be made to Colorado Trout Unlimited and their many conservation efforts.

Leon will be remembered as a husband, father, grandfather, great grandfather and friend. He was always pleasant to be around, and his engaging stories will be missed.