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Rusty Paintin was born in Burlington in 1969 to Bob and Sandy Paintin and welcomed by big sister, Brenda, and brother, Justin.

He was around one year old when the family moved to Trinidad to the Spanish Peaks wildlife area. This is where Rusty’s ornery years really began. In Trinidad, Rusty and siblings loved riding horses, roping cats, and “shooting the ass off dizzards.” He also learned to work at an early age, and backed his tricycle up to the horse trailer, cranked it down, and literally flattened that tricycle. He was very curious, and nothing got past him. He gave his granddad an uppercut, wanting to see his false teeth pop out. Granddad hung him on the doorknob by his belt that time.

When Rusty was 5, the family moved to Flagler, and he started school in first grade. After first grade, the family moved to Crook, and he went to school for second and half of third grade. The family then moved to Limon, and he completed third, fourth and fifth grades.

In 1978, he and the family welcomed Bobbie Jo. The family then moved back to Flagler, where Rusty and siblings would finish growing up and schooling. Through his time in Flagler, Rusty enjoyed hunting, fishing, high school sports, FFA and, mostly, getting into trouble. He was horseback any chance he got. He went to college for one year at LCC, and was on the rodeo team riding bulls.

Rusty was blessed with three children, Stephanie, Joe, and Kelsey. In the mid-1990s, Rusty and his family moved back to the Kit Carson area and, from then on, would stay around the community. From that point on, Rusty was deeply involved in many aspects of the Cheyenne County community. Rusty gave his time to things such as Little League baseball, the Cheyenne County fair, Kit Carson Days, and the Kit Carson Volunteer Fire Department.

Rusty was always someone who the community could count on. He constantly put off his own projects and workload to help others. He cherished the ability to serve others, and the friendships that came from those actions were held dear to his heart. His friendships were strong and loving no matter how much space and time had come between each of them. The last few years, Rusty became a “cowboy poet” and wrote several stories. He shared them with his heart poured out on paper.

Rusty is survived by his mother Sandra Paintin; sisters Brenda Paintin and Bobbie (Brent) Paintin; brother, Justin (Jennifer) Paintin; son, Joseph Paintin; daughter, Kelsey (Berrie) Paintin; wife, Kathy; stepchildren, Kayla (Mike) Buchannon, Tyler (Veronica) Buzzard, and Jason Buzzard; nephew, Blake; nieces, Becca, Grace, Sarah, and Kaytie; and grandchildren, Adaline, Jordan, Winter, Wesley, Jaelynn, Teagan, Easton, Layton, and Kyson.

Funeral services will be held February 2, 2024, beginning at 11:00 a.m. at the Kit Carson High School in Kit Carson. Burial will follow in the Kit Carson Cemetery.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Rusty Paintin Memorial Fund in care of any Eastern Colorado Bank location, or can be mailed to Eastern Colorado Bank, P.O. Box 175, Kit Carson, CO 80825.

Arrangements are under the direction of Brown Funeral Home.