Dwaine E. Robey, age 85, passed on April, 6, 2021 from colon cancer. Born in Kingman, Kansas he attended Kingman High School and Wichita University. Dwaine is survived by his wife Ann, 5 children who all live in the Denver area, 1 stepson living in Florida, 11 grandchildren and 7 great grandchildren with an eighth on the way. He was one of five children of Adin and Ida Robey of whom his older sister and younger brother survive.

Dwaine was known by his family and friends as a decent, caring, fun-loving and generous man. He will be greatly missed by all who knew him.

Dwaine worked for L.L. Martin/Martin Marietta/Lockheed Martin in the Denver Metro Area from 1963 to 1993 retiring as a Project Manager in the Information Systems field. He was subsequently contracted by Martin Marietta Corporate Accounts to perform as a Technical Consultant until 1998.

From childhood, Dwaine’s interests centered on sports (playing and watching), camping, hunting, and fishing. He learned, in 2000, that his high school friend had been severely injured in a vehicle accident leaving him a quadriplegic. Dwaine joined with other friends and the Outdoor Buddies organization to provide the means to take him out to hunt elk. It wasn’t easy but they had a successful and rewarding hunt. Dwaine continued to work with Outdoor Buddies becoming in time the president then, as of his passing, the executive director. This organization became Dwaine’s consuming passion.

In March, 2016, Dwaine received the Department of the Army’s Commander’s Award for Public Service for “the outstanding support he has selflessly provided to disabled veterans, wounded warriors, disabled civilians, families and youth programs… As President and/or CEO of “Outdoor Buddies,” Dwaine has been a driving force behind that wonderful organization which provides individually tailored hunting, fishing, camping, and other special opportunities to disabled individuals who would otherwise not be able to enjoy such rewarding outdoor activities”.

Dwaine would appreciate any donations to Outdoor Buddies (logon to www.outdoorbuddies.org). Plans for a celebration of life have not been completed.

"Outdoor Buddies family and friends mourn the recent passing of Dwaine Robey.

Dwaine was a great friend and mentor that I will truly miss! I worked with Dwaine on the Outdoor Buddies Board of directors then as Officers for close to 20 years and in that time we have had made many great memories!

Dwaine was instrumental in starting up four different “Friends of NRA” chapters throughout Colorado which directly helped Outdoor Buddies receive grants that bought adaptive equipment for our programs. He was always trying to find ways that would further our mission of getting people back in the outdoors that had been deprived of a great outdoor experience. Dwaine was a board member of one of the Colorado Parks and wildlife 17 HPP (Habitat protection programs) committees.

Dwaine was one of the kindest most giving person I have ever had the honor of calling my friend!

Dwaine was an avid outdoorsman but spent so much of his time helping make sure the not only folks with disabilities get back in the outdoors but was passionate about getting wounded veterans out on an outdoor adventure. He and his wonderful wife Ann shared their beautiful property and house in the Westcliffe area mountains that made sure each and everyone left with a smile on their faces!

He was a great leader of Outdoor Buddies and has left a great team of Officers and Directors to carry on the Outdoor Buddies legacy!

I as well as many of you have great memories with Dwaine will keep his generosity in our hearts. I want to celebrate his life and remember Dwaine’s zest for life each and every day and never forget that Dwaine’s life on this earth was a life well lived!

Lord Bless Dwaine, you will be dearly missed my friend!"

"Dwaine - You were one of the best people I've come across in my lifetime. You were a man who was transparent in your intentions and one who had a deep desire to help others. I often marveled at how you calmly resolved conflicts. How you led a large organization and made it seem easy. Simply put, your shoes will never be filled, but you had better believe we're going to try. 

We will work hard to build upon the foundation you left and provide many great Outdoor Buddies experiences into the future. One of my favorite memories is being able to hunt with you in 2019 as you filled your antelope tag at Meadow Springs Ranch, with one expertly placed shot. I'll always remember that day. Thanks for being such a great guy. We miss you!"

"My favorite memory of Dwaine was our trip to Lake Whitney, TX for a special archery hunt for mobility impaired hunters. We got to spend time hanging out at the lodge together, as well as time in the blind. Dwaine was content to come all the way to Texas with me to help organize the hunt, bringing with him his camera and his love of the outdoors. He sat patiently in the blind with myself and other hunters, happily taking photos of the whitetail that passed by. He even spent some time alone in unoccupied blinds during that hunt, taking pictures and enjoying the solitude of being out there in the woods. I remember admiring his genuine love of the outdoors--not taking part in the hunt; just peacefully observing and having a great time experiencing it all was enough for him.

In the time that I have known Dwaine, he has worked tirelessly in support of Outdoor Buddies and has kept a positive outlook in every situation. He would often shoulder difficult or tedious tasks with a smile, and always kept the needs of others above his own. Dwaine was a truly inspiring individual, and through his efforts with Outdoor Buddies he has left a legacy to be remembered."

“Several years ago I was looking for a way to help my brother in law/hunting buddy find a way to elk hunt after a severe stroke. I was introduced to Dwaine Robey and not only did he help me with the hunt, his passion for Outdoor Buddies convinced me to join the organization! About a year later Dwaine asked me to join the Board of Directors of Outdoor Buddies. I have told folks over the years that we as volunteers get as much out of what we do as the disabled folks that we serve. That is what Dwaine told me and it could not be more true.

My bother in law, Dave, went on an elk hunt and a bear hunt with Dwaine and he talks about him and that experience all the time. Dwaine and I did a lot of work on the annual raffle and he was a convincing salesman and recruiter for outdoor Buddies!

There is a big hole in our organization and in the hearts of all of us that counted Dwaine as a friend.

Rest in peace buddy!”

Please be aware that Outdoor Buddies will be following all state and local guidelines for our events, including the mandated use of masks and social distancing. If you have a fever or other flu-like symptoms, have traveled out of state in the past 2 weeks, or have been in close contact with anyone testing positive for COVID-19, please do not attend these events. Furthermore, if you are in a high-risk category, carefully consider your risk before attending. Participants will be required to sign a waiver prior to attending events until further notice.

We will be continuing to update our events and precautions as the situation develops. Thank you for your patience, optimism, and understanding. Hope all is well with you and yours!

Please bring your family and friends to enjoy the day with Outdoor Buddies! Bring your sons and daughters, grandsons and granddaughters to make memories and build relationships.

There will be catch and release fishing, archery, and BB gun shooting available. Due to ammunition shortages this year, we will not be hosting trap shooting at this event. Swift Ponds has handicap-accessible fishing docks for those on wheels.

There will be equipment available for each of the activities, but please feel free to bring your own fishing equipment.

We ask that participants please bring their own lunches to enjoy. Light single serve snacks and refreshments will be provided.

We will have on hand the Outdoor Buddies shuttle bus, track chairs, Bad Boy Buggy, Arctic Cat UTV, and ATV with go-getter to help those who need assistance in getting to the different activities.

Come and have a fun filled day with your family and friends!

Directions to Swift Ponds: Take Interstate 25 north to Windsor Exit 262, turn right onto Highway 392. Take Highway 392 east to County Rd. 5, turn left onto County Rd. 5. Take County Rd. 5 north to County Rd. 36 (Ketchter Road). Turn Left onto County Rd. 36, the Swift Ponds gate will be on your left.

Green Mill Sportsman’s Club is hosting an Outdoor Buddies sight-in at their facility to honor the memory of Richard (Rich) Cori who passed away on July 28, 2015. Rich was a staunch supporter of Outdoor Buddies and served on its Board of Directors for several years.

The event will be held on Saturday, July 24th and is intended to help our mobility-impaired hunters prepare for the upcoming hunting season. Please bring the rifle and ammo you will be hunting with, as well as any adaptive equipment you plan to use.

Participants will be limited at this event so make your reservations soon. To reserve your spot at the sight-in please contact Bill Gowdy at (303) 489-9411 or billgowdy@msn.com.

Masks will be required at the event. Shooters are asked to bring their own mask. Shooters should also bring their own eye and ear protection. Hand sanitizer will be available for participants.

We are scheduled to use three ranges: Big Bore, Law Enforcement (LE) long range and Pistol. We will only use every-other shooting bench to keep separation enforced.

There is no charge for the event & light refreshments will be served. Accessible restrooms are available.

Location – Go three miles west of I-25 (Exit 232) to Bonanza, take first left at Green Mill Road (dirt road) and continue for ¾ mile to the facility.

Eligibility – Outdoor Buddies Mobility-Impaired Members and their Helpers. Youth (under age 18) who possess a hunter safety card are welcome, but must be accompanied by an adult relative or guardian. Outdoor Buddies mobility-impaired members will be given an opportunity to shoot first, before others. If you are hunting with Outdoor Buddies this year, make sure to bring the rifle and ammo you plan on using for your hunt.

Registration – Registration will begin at approximately 8:00 AM and shooting will start at approximately 9:00 AM. A valid driver’s license, passport, or other photo identification is required and a liability waiver must be completed by all attendees.

Ranges – Rifle ranges with 25, 50, 100, and 200 yard targets are available. A pistol range is also available for use upon request. Range qualified personnel will provide assistance. Targets, spotting scopes, shooting benches, and sandbags are provided.

Eye and ear protection are required! Keep in mind that in an effort to keep equipment clean, borrowed eyes/ears may be limited depending on health guidelines on the date of the event. Sporting rifles, handguns, and black powders guns are okay.

No fully automatic weapons will be allowed.

For the seventh consecutive year, Outdoor Buddies is honored to hold the annual Sporting Clays Tournament at Colorado Clays Shooting Park. Whether you have a disability or are able bodied, we need your support to make the clay shoot a success.

Volunteers will help run the stations and guide participants through the course. Please contact our volunteer coordinator at stevemedberry@gmail.com to sign up as a volunteer.

Conveniently located just 30 minutes northeast of Denver, only 6 miles from Denver International Airport, an easy drive from the entire Colorado “Front Range”, Colorado Clays Shooting Park offers the region’s most complete shooting range experience.

Please Come Join Us at Colorado Clays! We would love for you to join us for this fun-filled day in the outdoors. Please go to the Outdoor Buddies website and register now! Click the button below to register.

We are very grateful for our generous sponsors.

We now have four disabled veteran trips on the calendar, with the commercial outfitters and motels lined up. We are getting beyond the impact of COVID, have screening routines in place to monitor for symptoms and and evacuation plans if needed. We are getting heavy bookings, with the four trips close to maximum numbers, 25 on each trip, and we've had to turn some applicants away. The first three trips are 4 days on the Colorado through Canyonlands National Park and Cataract Canyon.

Disability levels among our participants as assessed by the VA are high, some at or near 100% disabled.

Snow water content in the river basins that feed Cataract are at 60 to 70% of historical average. Therefore, we expect a very low flow this early in the season, and only moderate rapids.

Stay tuned for updates regarding the upcoming raffle fundraiser for Outdoor Buddies. Although we were not able to host our annual banquet this year, we will still be offering the opportunity to purchase raffle tickets for the chance to win some incredible items as well as supporting the mission of Outdoor Buddies. Details to follow in next month's news letter as details on the raffle are finalized!

Have you ever tried to make flash-seared, fajita-style rubbed meat with deer, but found that the texture didn’t come out quite right? This recipe will show you how to take a roast and turn it into thin slices of tender meat, just like your favorite Mexican restaurant does. The trick to getting that melt-in-your-mouth effect is using the right cut of meat. I use the top round because it has a long grainline and is very tender. Instead of cutting into individual steaks, I cut it in half lengthwise to get wide, flat pieces. It bears the closest resemblance to flank steak from a cow. With a generous coating of this simple chili rub and a quick sear over high heat, you can have dinner on the table in 15 minutes. Serve it with the grilled corn salsa in tortillas, or on top of toasted bread for a steak sandwich.

1 whole venison top round (also called inside round)

1 tbsp. kosher or sea salt

2 tsp. brown sugar

2 tsp. chili powder

Lime wedges

Oil for cooking

3 corn on the cob ears, with husks

2 poblano chiles

1 jalapeño, finely chopped

¼ red onion, finely chopped

1 lime, juiced

2 tbsp. oil

¼ cup chopped cilantro

1. Using a sharp knife, trim off all the silverskin and cut the top round in half lengthwise so you’re left with two flat pieces. If you don’t have the roast whole, you can substitute with the backstrap. However, it won’t have the same texture when cooked.

2. Even out the thickness of the meat by pounding it flat with a meat mallet. You want it to be about 1 inch thick.

3. Combine the salt, brown sugar, and chili powder together. Rub this mixture over both sides of the meat to cover. You can cook right away or let it rest in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.

4. Heat a grill over high heat. If applying the meat directly to the grill, coat the meat with oil first. Otherwise, use a large cast iron skillet and place a tablespoon of oil directly in the pan once it’s hot. Sear the meat for roughly 2 minutes on each side for medium-rare. Remove and let it rest before cutting.

5. Slice the steaks thin, against the grain, and serve with lime wedges and corn salsa.

1. Preheat a grill over high heat. Place the poblanos directly over the flames to blacken. Use tongs to rotate periodically so that they char all the way around. Remove and let cool. Once cool to the touch, peel away the charred skin and discard the stem and seeds. Roughly chop the roasted poblanos and place in a large bowl.

2. Soak each corn ear in water for a minute to absorb moisture. Place the corn on the grill with the husks still on, away from flames for indirect heat. Cook for about 10 minutes to let the corn steam within. Remove from the grill and let the corn cool to the touch. Remove the husk and the silk. Season the corn with oil, salt, and pepper. Place them back on the grill and rotate so that they char on all sides. Use a knife to cut the kernels away from the cob and add to the bowl with poblanos.

3. Mix the jalapeños, red onion, cilantro, lime juice, and oil into the bowl with corn. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and extra lime juice if needed. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve. It will keep for a few days.

Serves: 4

Danielle Prewett: Wild+Whole. MeatEater.

www.wild+whole.com

www.themeateater.com

Meetings are held from 6:30pm-8:30pm at the locations and dates below.