COLIBRARO

Father Daniel Colibraro spent his life answering calls to serve his country, his church, and his community. Through his estate, he answered one more—preparing the next generation of University of Wyoming engineers.

Born in Casper in 1922 to Italian immigrants Carlo and Felica Colibraro, he graduated from Natrona County High School and earned a mechanical engineering degree from UW. His training launched a promising technical career. He worked for RCA in New Jersey before enlisting in the U.S. Navy in 1944, and after his service he joined the scientific work at Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico. He later began doctoral studies at the University of Iowa.

Then his path turned. Colibraro entered seminary in Denver and was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Cheyenne in 1956. Over more than four decades, he taught at St. Thomas Seminary, served parishes in Rock Springs and Cheyenne, edited the Wyoming Catholic Register and, beginning in 1975, led Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church in Casper as pastor. He also administered the St. Joseph Society, the diocese’s retirement fund for clergy. He retired from parish work in 2000 and remained in Casper until his death in 2016 at age 93.

Colibraro planned his estate with the same care he brought to his ministry. His trust first provided for his family and then directed its remaining assets to causes close to his heart, including two gifts to the UW Department of Mechanical Engineering. One supports faculty excellence in classroom teaching, and the other funds equipment for undergraduate laboratories.

Colibraro left Laramie a lifetime ago, but his engineering roots live on—giving students hands-on tools and dedicated teachers to set them up for a successful future.