CHEYENNE – Most people knew Gus Fleischli as a local businessman, a former state legislator and a war veteran who helped get his fellow World War II vets to our nation's capital to see "their memorial."
Few likely knew that he also was a cheerleader.
But that makes sense to those who said his optimistic attitude and cheerful disposition lit up a room whenever he walked in. After a lifetime of service to local organizations, including Cheyenne Frontier Days, Fleischli died on Sunday. He was 98.
A Wyoming native, Fleischli was born in Rawlins in December 1925 and graduated from Cheyenne High School in 1942.
Fleischli was proud of his country. He joined the Army Air Corps when he was 17 years old, flying 32 missions over Germany in B-17 bombers. He began his education at the University of Wyoming, but could not finish due to family obligations and serving in World War II.
"It is fitting that Gus passed away during Cheyenne Frontier Days," his obituary reads. Fleischli served on the the CFD committee twice, and he was responsible for starting the first night shows.
He lived a "life full of friends, Frontier Days and politics," said his daughter, Ketura "Kit" Fleischli-Booth, 72.
An 'incredible' entrepreneur
Upon returning to Wyoming after the war, he bought the Husky Truck Stop in west Cheyenne and turned it into Fleischli Oil Co., which he ran for 42 years.
Fleischli-Booth said her dad was an incredible entrepreneur. He started out with half ownership of Husky Gas Station, but it wasn't long before he turned into a truck stop, and opened similar businesses in Laramie and Casper. He also built up his oil distribution company and managed to strike a 10-year contract with Barrick Gold Mines.
"He had the longest-running contract ever given in this kind of a business," Fleischli-Booth said. "And that was unheard of in those days."
All of his employees "thought the world of him," she said, and many plan on attending his funeral service next week.
She said her dad was also passionate about public service. Fleischli was heavily involved in the Cheyenne community through his volunteer positions, community groups, businesses and partnerships.
Fleischli was also well-known in the Cheyenne Frontier Days community. He volunteered with CFD and served in most of the jobs all the way up to the top post of general chairman. His name is in the CFD Hall of Fame, Class of 2002.
He had been involved in many community groups, including Cheyenne LEADS, the Greater Cheyenne Chamber of Commerce, Wyoming Highway Commission, Cheyenne Regional Medical Center Foundation and the University of Wyoming.
Fleischli received an honorary doctor of law degree from UW in 2011 because of his commitment to the UW Business School, and an award for his effort to fly 650 veterans to Washington, D.C., to see the World War II Memorial. He served as chairman of the Honor Flight from 2007-12.
Leaving a legacy
Out of everything he did for the community, Gus Fleischli said his proudest legacy was assembling Honor Flights in Colorado and Wyoming for WWII veterans. Honor Flight is a nonprofit organization that flies WWII, Korean War and Vietnam War veterans to Washington, D.C.
Former Wyoming State Auditor Rita Meyer, a Cheyenne resident and friend of Fleischli, said she helped him get the money needed to charter a plane for the Honor Flight. She said he was always a fun and upbeat person.
"I'll tell you what, if there wasn't a party, Gus would make a party," Meyer said. "That's the way he was. He was so gregarious that people just gravitated toward him because he was always fun, he always had a story to tell, and he was always very caring and giving to others. ... He was just a magnet for people."
Both Meyer and former director of the Wyoming Veterans Commission Larry Barrtelbort, who also helped with Honor Flight, agreed to speak at Fleischli's funeral service.
In 2012, Fleischli received the Wyoming Tribune Eagle Community Spirit Award, and in 2015, the Greater Cheyenne Chamber of Commerce made Fleischli part of its Circle of Champions. Dale Steenbergen, Chamber president and CEO, said he first really got to know Fleischli when he joined the circle.
“The Circle of Champions is something we do to recognize a person who has had a lifelong commitment to Cheyenne,” Steenbergen said. “… This is the highest recognition we could give anybody from the community, and he’s such an amazing guy. … He was a shining example of what servant leadership is for the community.”
'Larger than life'
Aside from his large community impact, Fleischli was also lovingly known for his upbeat, humorous personality.
Steenbergen said Fleischli always had a smile on his face and was always positive.
“The thing I will always remember about him was that he didn’t really have anything to lose,” Steenbergen said. “He was always worried about the Chamber of Commerce taking care of his community, and making sure that 100 years from now, the community would be vibrant and moving forward. … He was always supportive, always forward-leaning.”
Fleischli-Booth and Fleischli's two other children, Kirk, 74, and Kris, 67, both shared fond memories of their father. Fleischli-Booth and Kirk recalled spending time with their dad outdoors. Fleischli-Booth has a photo of her and her father standing near Jackson Lake, taken by her husband, Terry Booth.
She said her favorite moments were taking walks with her dad. The morning that photo was taken, she joined her father for an early morning stroll around the lake with her Great Pyrenees, Kiowa.
Kirk Fleischli said his favorite memory of his dad was their hunting and fishing trips together in Nebraska. “It was just always one of the places where we really bonded and had a good time.”
However, Kris Fleischli, the youngest of the three, had an unusual tale to tell. When he was only 19 years old, his dad sent him out in a semi-truck to California to pick up a boat he'd purchased. Kris said he’d never driven a semi before.
He was pulled over on the interstate for bypassing a port of entry by a state patrolman, but he didn’t have the correct license or papers for driving a semi.
“I didn’t have anything,” Kris said.
Luckily, his family’s boat mechanic’s wife worked for the governor of Idaho. With a quick phone call, Kris was let go with a warning.
“They all knew Gus,” said Kim, Kris’s partner.
Booth said there's one thing about Fleischli that not even his own children knew until recently.
"He was a cheerleader," Booth said.
Digging through old photos and paraphernalia, Fleischli's surviving children discovered their dad was on the cheerleading team in junior high. Fleischli-Booth said her father never mentioned it to them.
Honoring his memory
Gov. Mark Gordon has ordered the Wyoming state flag be flown at half-staff at the Capitol in Cheyenne and in Laramie County from sunrise to sunset on Wednesday, July 31, in Fleischli’s honor, because he represented Laramie County in the Wyoming Senate from 1953-55, and served three terms in the Wyoming House of Representatives from 1973-77.
There will be a service of remembrance held at 10 a.m. that day at Calvary Chapel. A reception will follow at the Little America Hotel and Resort ballroom from 2-5 p.m.
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