Brian Vogt was anything but ordinary.

From being elected class president every year at Littleton’s Heritage High School to helping form the City of Centennial in 2001 to becoming Denver Botanic Gardens’ CEO, Vogt lived a life of public service that went beyond expectations.

“We wouldn’t be here today without Brian Vogt and the founding fathers of Centennial. Nearly three decades ago, Brian had the passion and fortitude to bring a new city to life,” said Centennial Mayor Stephanie Piko in a news release. “Brian’s legacy in Centennial will always be remembered. The impact on our community will live for centuries to come and is something his loved ones should be very proud of. Brian will be tremendously missed.”

Vogt, 66, died from complications of cancer in his esophagus on March 25. 

Vogt’s legacy kicked off at the age of 4, when his father, Roy Vogt, was elected Arapahoe County sheriff in 1962 and the family settled in Littleton. 

“Brian loved problem-solving, learning new things, diverse people, culture, places and ideas, a united front in difficult challenges, a quality team of fun, smart, hardworking people that care,” said one of Vogt’s longtime best friends, former Arapahoe County Commissioner John Brackney. “Day in and out, he did good work. He also loved just a good laugh and camaraderie with friends.”

Brackney and Vogt were a partnership powerhouse that worked to achieve many things in Centennial, Littleton and the broader Arapahoe County. The first project the pair worked on was redeveloping and establishing Littleton’s municipal courthouse on Littleton Boulevard, previously known as the Arapahoe County courthouse.

When district courts moved to the Arapahoe County Justice Center on Potomac Street in 1987, the Littleton courthouse sat vacant for nearly a decade until talk about what to do with the building started.

The county considered repairing it, but eventually decided it was too expensive for a small space. Demolition was also considered.

Yet, in 1998, county commissioners and the Littleton City Council worked together to reach an agreement in which the county deeded the property to the Littleton Municipal Building Authority. The courthouse was designated as a historic landmark that same year and the restoration was completed and dedicated on May 13, 2000.

Early life wins

After high school, Vogt attended the University of Colorado-Boulder and earned a degree in classical antiquities in 1981. While in college, Vogt studied abroad for a year in Lancaster, England, where he met lifelong friends that crossed international borders. 

During Ronald Reagan’s presidency, Vogt worked closely with the administration, organizing events and learning about national governance and policy. 

When he returned to Colorado, he began working with the South Metro Denver Chamber of Commerce. During his 18 years with the chamber, he served four as its vice president for economic development and 14 as president.

From 2004 through 2007, Vogt filled three cabinet positions for the State of Colorado and he oversaw economic development activities such as domestic and international business development and small business programs. 

In 2006, Vogt worked with the state legislature to create the Advance Colorado Center, which aims to “reverse radical policies that harm Colorado,” according to its website. Vogt was also a member of the Governor’s Commission on Science and Technology, and served as the governor’s representative on both the Colorado Economic Development Commission and the Financial Review Committee. He spent over a year as the acting secretary of technology and as executive director of the Colorado Department of Local Affairs, as well as serving on the Governor’s Homeland Security and All-Hazards Senior Advisory Committee.

Forming Centennial

In the late 1990s, Vogt, along with Brackney, Ed Bosier, Randy Pye and Pete Ross, began discussing forming a new city in then-unincorporated Arapahoe County.

Together, they established a volunteer organization known as the Arapahoe Citizens for Self-Determination and an incorporation steering committee. In 1998, the group  filed a petition in district court, requesting an election to put the incorporation of the City of Centennial on the ballot. 

Initially, the district court determined the petition was invalid, then the volunteers corrected the petition and obtained more than 2,500 signatures on the revised petition — the Centennial Petition.

In 2000, voters approved the incorporation of the City of Centennial with 77% of the vote. Centennial was established on Feb. 7, 2001, and Pye was elected as the first mayor.

During Centennial’s 20th anniversary in 2021, Vogt said: “The tears and sense of joy and pride, and connection, was palpable. It was the most connected I’ve ever felt to my country. It was the most joyful, patriotic moment.”

The final feat

In April 2007, Vogt was selected from a national search to become CEO of the Denver Botanic Gardens. 

“Brian was an inspiration,” said Jennifer Riley-Chetwynd, the garden’s interim CEO, who worked with Vogt for 14 years. “He was the most positive individual I have ever met. There was never a ‘glass half empty, glass half full’ interpretation from him on anything.”

Riley-Chetwynd said Vogt’s enthusiasm and positivity empowered the staff at the botanic gardens and encouraged the unprecedented growth of the gardens, ranging from employee development to building renovations. Vogt never took full credit for these accomplishments, Brackney said, but instead recognized that it was his staff’s work that made it happen.

Vogt’s work at the botanic gardens was honored in March when he was inducted into the Colorado Tourism Hall of Fame.

“Brian was an eternal optimist toward everything — individuals and their capability, the Denver Botanic Gardens and its potential and even toward his sickness. He was never going to admit defeat,” Riley-Chetwynd said.

His friends say he left behind multiple legacies of kindness, compassion and positivity.

Reflecting on his 30-year friendship with Vogt, Brackney said he learned maturity from Brian. 

“Knowing that the crisis right in front of you is likely not as bad as it appears. Slow down to fully evaluate best steps and don’t overreact, especially to people that are,” he said.

Brackney said that for those who didn’t have the good fortune to meet Vogt, he was “thoughtful, reflective and wise.” 

“He was a one percenter, more likely a point-one percenter, for terrific listening skills and to really understand what people were trying to accomplish by sharing a story with him,” Brackney said.

The post Remembering Brian Vogt’s impact appeared first on Colorado Community Media.

NOTE: This obituary has been reprinted from Mt. Olivet Cemetery/ Archdiocese of Denver Mortuary

The death of iconic Mexican folklorist Rita Wallace de Flores on April 27 in Denver marks the end of an era for the Chicano/Mexicano Arts Community of Denver. Rita was considered by many to be Denver’s first lady of Mexican folk art, story and dance.

Her monumental contributions to Colorado’s Mexican folklore, arts, and dance culture have been celebrated for over 40 years statewide. Rita’s exhibitions have been showcased in such places as the Denver Art Museum, Denver Museum of Nature and Science, El Pueblo History Museum, the MSU Denver Center for Visual Arts, and more.

Rita was born April 15, 1937, in Galeana, Nuevo Leon, Mexico, to Eulogio Flores Aguirre and Rita Melendez de Flores. Her father was a hydrological engineer employed by the government to travel to the rural areas of Mexico and establish potable water as well as develop new agricultural areas. Often he took Rita and her brothers with him. During that time Rita was able to mingle with the locals and learn their way of life.

The family moved to Saltillo, Mexico, when she was eight years old, and where she lived until she was married. She grew up in a home surrounded by talented family members who taught her the many folk arts of Mexico. She studied for many hours in the church convents and learned much of their religious embroidery techniques.

When she was eleven, her father’s brother came for a visit and left four of his five children at the house while he went on a business trip. During this trip, his car went off the road and his baby and wife we killed. Because her uncle was disabled, the surviving children became part of Rita’s family — 14 children in total. Soon after, her mother’s sisters, Tia Lilia and Tia Josafina, with her seven children, also came to live at the house. A daughter of Tia Dora and two paternal brothers followed later. Rita was the oldest girl and had many responsibilities within the large household.

When Rita was old enough to help out, she got a job at the local department store, the PH (‘pay ah chay’). She worked there for 13 years, then she traveled to several states selling ‘Sunbeam Osterizers’ (blenders), and Singer Sewing Machines. She also worked as an administrator at a ranch in Chihuahua.

She then spent her formative years traveling throughout Mexico studying traditional folk art with local indigenous communities. Rita danced with the prestigious Escuela Nacional de Bellas Artes in Mexico City, where she performed with their Coahuila dance troupe. She was renowned in Mexico as a master artist for her papier mâché, papel picado, folk dancing, and especially for her bordado magico (magic embroidery).

From her early days when she was in elementary school, Rita loved to dance! She was fortunate to have La Famosa Senora Carmen Weber as her teacher. As an adult, she also joined with the Coahuilian Mexican Ballet de Folklorico, one of each of the 32 states in Mexico. The main folkloric group was centralized under the coordination of Amalia Hernandez, the founder of Ballet Folklórico de México, in Mexico City. La Senora Hernandez held a competition to see which state would be sent to Mexico City to study with her. Rita’s group was the runner-up choice and went on to study with Senora Hernandez. They continued to dance as a group of 39 for twelve more years in Northern Mexico.

In 1980, she married John Herbert Wallace, Jr., a teacher from Denver, Colorado, and resumed her artistic endeavors in her newly adopted home. Over the years Rita was honored with numerous awards for her work with the community, including:

• The 1999 Governor’s Heritage Award
• Univision “Pillar of the Community”
• Excellent Teacher Award from the Mizel Museum of the Judaica
• Lena Archuleta Community Service Award
• CHAC Life Work Achievement Award
• SCFD Rex Morgan Award
• XUPANTLA “Cihuatoanii” Leadership Award
• Centro Juan Diego Madrina Award
• Metro State Colorado Folk Arts Counsel Corn Mother Award
• Latinas Honoring Latinas Companera Award

She was the dance director of Teatro Latina de Colorado and consultant / choreographer for Jeanette Trujillo of Fiesta, Colorado. Her memories and stories were also published as part of the Return of the Corn Mothers Project and the Tummy Tales book series, all of which are part of the Denver Public Library Western History Collection.

In 2020, the Wallace family donated her massive collection of tapestries and textiles to History Colorado with the help of the Metropolitan State University’s Denver Chicana/o Studies Department Journey Through Our Heritage program and the Chicano Humanities Arts Council. “This woman created a legacy for thousands upon thousands in our Latinx community. Her impact as an artist and educator cannot be stressed enough.” stated Chicano Humanities Arts Council Executive Director Brenda Gurule.

In 2022, she came out of retirement to work with local celebrity artist Cal Duran to create a new installation for Dia de Los Muertos at History Colorado and the Return of the Corn Mothers 2022 exhibition. “I was always enthralled by Rita’s artwork,” said Cal Duran.

“I was only 17 years old when I first saw her altars in 2005 at the Chicano Humanities Art Council Gallery. I knew she was one of the artists who helped establish this holiday here long before it was popular. To me, she was a visionary, paving the way for other artists in Colorado. Her knowledge of the spiritual significance of this holiday and her groundbreaking work in the ’80s was a catalyst that laid the groundwork for all of us.”

“She was, and continues to be, one of the most important cultural inspirations in our community. It was my honor and privilege to have been her friend for over 35 years. Her life was a shining example of kindness, love, and respect. She embraced the diversity of all people and understood the bigger picture. For her there was beauty in all.” said Jeanette Trujillo of Fiesta, Colorado.

Rita is survived by her devoted spouse of 45 years, John H. Wallace, Jr. as well as her children — Chris, Lisa, Steven, and Kenny. She is also survived by many nieces, nephews, as well as her extended family in Mexico.

A mass for Wallace de Flores will be held at 2 p.m., Friday, May 16, at Mount Olivet Cemetery, 12801 W. 44th Avenue, Wheat Ridge, Colorado 80033 . A celebratory reception will follow from 3:30 to 6 p.m. at the LUMC Genesis Gallery, 1390 Brentwood in Lakewood.

The post Death of iconic Mexican folklorist Rita Wallace de Flores marks end of era appeared first on Colorado Community Media.

El fallecimiento de la icónica folclorista mexicana Rita Wallace de Flores, ocurrido el domingo 27 de abril de 2025 en Denver, Colorado, marca el fin de una era para la comunidad artística chicana/mexicana de Denver. Rita fue considerada por muchos como la primera dama del arte, la historia y la danza folclórica mexicana en Denver. Sus monumentales contribuciones al folclore, las artes y la danza mexicana de Colorado han sido celebradas durante más de 40 años en todo el estado. Sus exposiciones se han presentado en lugares como el Museo de Arte de Denver, el Museo de Naturaleza y Ciencia de Denver, el Museo de Historia El Pueblo, el Centro de Artes Visuales de la Universidad Estatal de Denver (MSU) y más.

Rita nació el 15 de abril de 1937 en Galeana, Nuevo León, México, hija de Eulogio Flores Aguirre y Rita Meléndez de Flores. Su padre era ingeniero hidrológico, contratado por el gobierno para viajar a las zonas rurales de México y establecer sistemas de agua potable, así como para desarrollar nuevas zonas agrícolas. A menudo llevaba consigo a Rita y a sus hermanos. Durante ese tiempo, Rita pudo convivir con los lugareños y aprender sobre su forma de vida.

La familia se mudó a Saltillo, México, cuando ella tenía ocho años, y allí vivió hasta su matrimonio. Creció en un hogar rodeado de familiares talentosos que le enseñaron las diversas artes populares de México. Estudió durante muchas horas en los conventos y aprendió gran parte de sus técnicas de bordado religioso.

Cuando tenía once años, el hermano de su padre vino de visita y dejó a cuatro de sus cinco hijos en la casa mientras se iba de viaje de negocios. Durante el viaje, su coche se salió de la carretera y su bebé y su esposa fallecieron. Debido a que su tío era discapacitado, los hijos sobrevivientes se unieron a la familia de Rita: catorce hijos en total. Poco después, las hermanas de su madre, la tía Lilia y la tía Josafina, con sus siete hijos, también se mudaron a la casa. Más tarde les siguió una hija de la tía Dora y dos hermanos paternos. Rita era la hija mayor y tenía muchas responsabilidades en el numeroso hogar.

Cuando Rita tuvo edad suficiente para ayudar, consiguió trabajo en la tienda departamental local, la PH (‘pay ah chay’). Trabajó allí durante 13 años y luego viajó por varios estados vendiendo licuadoras Sunbeam Osterizer y máquinas de coser Singer. También trabajó como administradora en un rancho en Chihuahua.

Luego, pasó sus años de formación viajando por México, estudiando arte folclórico tradicional con las comunidades indígenas locales. Rita bailó en la prestigiosa Escuela Nacional de Bellas Artes de la Ciudad de México, donde actuó con su compañía de danza de Coahuila. Fue reconocida en México como una artista maestra por su papel maché, papel picado, danza folclórica y, especialmente, por su bordado mágico.

Desde pequeña, cuando estaba en la primaria, ¡a Rita le encantaba bailar! Tuvo la fortuna de tener como maestra a la famosa Señora Carmen Weber. De adulta, también se unió al Ballet Folklórico Mexicano de Coahuila, uno de cada uno de los 32 estados de México. El principal grupo folclórico estaba centralizado bajo la coordinación de Amalia Hernández, fundadora del Ballet Folklórico de México, en la Ciudad de México. La Señora Hernández convocó un concurso para ver qué estado sería enviado a la Ciudad de México a estudiar con ella. El grupo de Rita quedó en segundo lugar y estudió con la Señora Hernández. Continuaron bailando como un grupo de 39 personas durante doce años más en el norte de México.

En 1980, se casó con John Herbert Wallace, Jr., un maestro de Denver, Colorado, y reanudó sus proyectos artísticos en su nuevo hogar adoptivo. A lo largo de los años, Rita recibió numerosos premios por su labor con la comunidad, entre ellos:

• Premio a la Herencia del Gobernador de 1999
• “Pilar de la Comunidad” de Univisión
• Premio a la Excelencia Docente del Museo Mizel de la Judaica
• Premio al Servicio Comunitario Lena Archuleta
• Premio a la Trayectoria Laboral de CHAC
• Premio Rex Morgan de SCFD
• Premio al Liderazgo “Cihuatoanii” de XUPANTLA
• Premio Madrina del Centro Juan Diego
• Premio Corn Mother del Consejo de Artes Folclóricas de Metro State Colorado
• Premio Latinas en Honor a las Latinas Compañera
• Premio a las Leyendas de la Danza Carson, Brierly y Giffin

Fue directora de danza del Teatro Latina de Colorado y consultora/coreógrafa de Jeanette Trujillo, de Fiesta, Colorado. Sus recuerdos e historias también se publicaron como parte del Proyecto Regreso de las Madres del Maíz y la serie de libros “Cuentos de la Barriga”, todos ellos parte de la Colección de Historia Occidental de la Biblioteca Pública de Denver.

En 2020, la familia Wallace donó su enorme colección de tapices y textiles a History Colorado con la ayuda del programa “Viaje a través de nuestra herencia” del Departamento de Estudios Chicanos de Denver de la Universidad Estatal Metropolitana y el Consejo de Artes de Humanidades Chicanas. “Esta mujer dejó un legado para miles y miles de personas en nuestra comunidad latina. Su impacto como artista y educadora es innegable”, declaró Brenda Gurule, directora ejecutiva del Consejo de Artes de Humanidades Chicanas.

En 2022, abandonó su retiro para trabajar con el artista local Cal Duran en la creación de una nueva instalación para el Día de Muertos en History Colorado y la exposición Return of the Corn Mothers 2022. “Siempre me fascinó la obra de arte de Rita”, dijo Cal Duran. “Tenía solo 17 años cuando vi sus altares por primera vez en 2005 en la Galería del Consejo de Arte de Humanidades Chicanas. Sabía que era una de las artistas que ayudó a establecer esta festividad aquí mucho antes de que se popularizara. Para mí, fue una visionaria que sentó las bases para otros artistas en Colorado. Su conocimiento del significado espiritual de esta festividad y su obra pionera en los años 80 fueron un catalizador que sentó las bases para todos nosotros.”

Ella fue, y sigue siendo, una de las inspiraciones culturales más importantes de nuestra comunidad. Fue un honor y un privilegio para mí haber sido su amiga durante más de 35 años. Su vida fue un ejemplo brillante de bondad, amor y respeto. Abrazó la diversidad de todas las personas y comprendió el panorama general. Para ella, la belleza estaba en todo”, dijo Jeanette Trujillo de Fiesta, Colorado.

A Rita le sobreviven su devoto esposo de 45 años, John H. Wallace, Jr., así como sus hijos: Chris, Lisa, Steven y Kenny. También le sobreviven sus numerosos sobrinos y sobrinas, así como su extensa familia en México.

The post La muerte de la icónica folclorista mexicana Rita Wallace de Flores marca el fin de una era appeared first on Colorado Community Media.

Sonya Ellingboe

July 9, 1930 – February 22, 2025

Sonya Ellingboe, a longtime Littleton resident and beloved community activist widely known for her decades of writing about arts and culture in Colorado Community Media newspapers, died Feb. 22, 2025, at age 94.

Ellingboe was born Sonya Joyce Watson on July 9, 1930, in Columbus, Ohio, to economics professor Jesse Paul Watson and art instructor Elizabeth Joyce Watson. The little family moved soon after to Pittsburgh, where Ellingboe grew up and began her love of art and reading, influenced by her parents and “a really super art teacher in high school,” as she recalled in a 2018 biographical interview with Colorado Community Media.

Ellingboe got her bachelor’s degree in visual art from Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota, where she met St. Olaf College student John “Jack” Ellingboe. They married after she graduated from college and she then lived in Ames, Iowa while her husband got his doctorate in analytical chemistry at Iowa State University and the first of their children was born.

The young couple wanted to live in Colorado, and Ellingboe recalled how a college connection helped her husband arrange an interview with Littleton’s Marathon Oil operation, where she said the company was “paying salaries in scenery.” They moved to Littleton in 1956 and lived there except for a couple of years at the Marathon home office in Ohio in the mid-1960s. They raised their four children in Littleton’s Aberdeen Village neighborhood before divorcing in 1981.

“I had four children in six years, which can tell you pretty well what my life was like,” Ellingboe said of her time as a busy young mother, but from her earliest days in Littleton she began her community engagement by joining the League of Women Voters, going to museums and classes, and creating pottery in a local studio “to talk to big people.”

Ellingboe’s love of reading was a big part of her life, which she shared with others by working as a librarian in Iowa in the 1950s until her first child was born in 1955, and later by buying The Book House bookstore in Englewood’s Brookridge shopping center in 1970, then moving the store to a house on Littleton’s Curtice Street near Arapahoe Community College. “I moved it from Brookridge to an old house across from ACC, which had been a dream of mine from when we were in Ames, where there was a woman who had a bookstore in an old house,” she recalled.

Ellingboe operated The Book House until competition from chain stores led her to close the business in 1986. With her lifelong love of books remaining strong, she then returned to work as a librarian, spending the next couple years with Jefferson County’s Columbine Library.

In 1988, Ellingboe began her career as a writer, first for the Littleton Times and then the Littleton Independent and its sister papers in the Colorado Community Media chain. Her writing career lasted 35 years until her retirement at age 93 in September 2023.

Even after health issues led her to retire, Ellingboe remained active in book clubs and kept a stack of books at hand to read along with The Denver Post, The New York Times and the Littleton Independent. She also continued to attend local artistic performances.

Through her years in Littleton, Ellingboe was active in many community organizations and cultural amenities and played a founding role in some. They included the League of Women Voters, Bemis Library Fine Arts Committee, Town Hall Arts Center, Littleton Business Chamber, Commission on Human Rights, Littleton Fine Arts Guild, Hudson Gardens and Event Center, Friends of the Library and Museum, Littleton Garden Club and Historic Littleton Inc.

“Most of the time we’ve been here I’ve been involved one way or another with something going on in Littleton … I get nostalgic about old things that get overwhelmed but I think we need to be changing and gaining,” Ellingboe recalled in the 2018 interview.

“I’ve been a joiner, I guess,” she added with her signature bright laugh. “I recommend it.”

Ellingboe’s career as an arts and culture writer was marked by the positivity and encouraging tone of her coverage. “Family is important to me, and so is making art accessible to as many people as possible,” she recalled. “I feel my mission in writing stories isn’t to slam something, but to get people off their sofas to go see it.”

In December 2023, the Littleton City Council approved a Local Historic Landmark Designation for the house on Curtice Street where Ellingboe had her bookstore for many years, and in January 2024 the Littleton Arts and Culture Commission named Ellingboe as the first-ever recipient of the City of Littleton Arts and Culture Award, with a ceremony honoring her held in March 2024. This year, the Littleton Independent received funding from the city’s Arts and Culture Grant Program to support coverage of arts and culture in Littleton and the south metro area, in honor of Ellingboe.

Ellingboe is survived by son John (Page Hartwell) Ellingboe, daughter Kirsten (Al) Orahood, daughter Karen (Peter Krasnoff) Ellingboe and son Bruce (Cindy) Ellingboe; half-sister Anne Redmond; four nephews; nine grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.

No public memorial service is planned, as family members note their gratitude for the many celebrations of Ellingboe’s life while she was alive. Memorial donations in Ellingboe’s name may be made to Historic Littleton Inc., P.O. Box 1004, Littleton, CO 80160; historiclittleton@gmail.com; or to the arts organization of the donor’s choice.

“I hope I’m remembered as someone who encouraged people to participate in what pleases them,” Ellingboe said in the 2018 interview. “Getting involved in your community makes a huge difference in how your life proceeds.”

She added: “Keep moving — that’s my other advice — as long as possible.”

The post Sonya Ellingboe, longtime journalist and passionate advocate of the arts, dies at 94 appeared first on Colorado Community Media.

A blanket of snow covered Easter Seals Rocky Mountain Village in Empire as cars filled the parking lots and lined the sides of gravel roads leading to a wooden lodge where more than 100 friends and locals gathered to celebrate the life of Greg Markle.

For many longtime residents of Clear Creek County, KYGT radio pioneer Markle is considered legendary for his resonating commitments and achievements in a county they say he loved. 

“He lived a life of adventure and we benefited,” his lifelong friend Rick Lewis said at the celebration Nov. 16.

Markle moved to Clear Creek County from Pennsylvania in the early ‘70s, starting out his life in Colorado with meager means, according to Lewis.

“He came here as a hippie living in abandoned mining cabins up on ‘Oh-my-God-Road,’ exclaiming, ‘You can live on a dollar a day,’” Lewis said.

In the years that followed, Markle would do much more, including creating KYGT (The Goat) radio station, becoming a land surveyor for the Federal Bureau of Land Management and Clear Creek/Gilpin counties for more than 30 years, producing and directing several local full-length films and never missing an opportunity to make people laugh.

“If someone was feeling down or there was tension, he would make a joke and sometimes it would fall flat, and other times it would be just what everybody needed to break the moment and move on,” his long-time wife Amber Dahlin said.

There were very few tears during the celebration — the tears were expressed in laughter from the crowd of people who transcended generations, social/political ideals and status.

Markle had that effect on people and the celebration was just a reflection of how he lived his life, according to Dahlin.

“It’s wonderful, it’s marvelous. It would have made him so happy because that was so important to him to be part of the community and have people get together and do something fun,” Dahlin said. “So, to have all these friends and acquaintances from so many years, in a way it’s kind of overwhelming.”

In 1994 Markle had an idea for a local radio station that could provide music, local news and perspectives from business and government leaders, according to Lewis.

He applied for and was eventually granted a license from the Federal Communications Commission to broadcast.

KYGT or “The Goat,” as locals know it, has been broadcasting music, local sporting events, interview shows and community news ever since.

“He was a creative thought, he got an object in his mind and he would make it happen… he was very good at bending people’s minds to his line of thought,” Lewis said.

KYGT volunteer and reporter/disc jockey since 1998 Mark Cucinella just smiled and laughed when asked his thoughts about Markle, saying his dream of a local radio station for and about local residents is still live and on the air.

“It’s the gift that’s going to keep on giving to Clear Creek County,” Cucinella said.

Markle was a Philadelphia transplant to Clear Creek but maintained close ties to childhood friends from the city. Lewis said he’s proud to be one of a group of friends coined “The Seven Idiots from Philadelphia.”

Their exploits, some of which probably shouldn’t be mentioned for legal purposes, Lewis laughed, include camping, hiking and fishing in the Grand Canyon, until they met the National Park Ranger and the occasional trip hopping a freight train to anywhere.

However, once he grounded himself in Clear Creek County, Lewis and friends said Markle was home and he loved the residents in it.

“He joked a lot but he was very serious about his passion for the uniqueness of this county, this area in general, and how the people who come here are unusual in so many ways and he liked that, different backgrounds and unusual stories,” Dahlin said.

Photographs, dated copies of the Clear Creek Courant with headlines featuring Markle and promotional posters for The Goat lined tables at the back of the lodge where friends gathered, shared stories, laughed and embraced. 

As he was in life, Markle continued in his death the role of “Grand Master of the Kazoo Band,” Lewis said. 

Well over 100 kazoos were placed under each seat in the lodge and Grandmaster Lewis issued marching orders to kazoo “Roll Out the Barrel” as the song started playing on the speakers. 

Once in tune, The group filed into a single line and marched outside playing loudly, giving high-fives and laughing, all under a bluebird sky and the bright sunshine of an afternoon in Clear Creek County.

“His final request; ‘I want a Kazoo Band so everybody walks out of here with a goddamn smile,’ — that was Greg,” Lewis said.

The post Remembering Clear Creek County legend Greg Markle: Community gathers for stories, laughter, hugs and a kazoo marching band  appeared first on Colorado Community Media.

Golden Police Officer Evan Dunn answered hundreds of calls throughout his life.

Some were small or routine, like code violations and foot patrols. Others were urgent or serious.

But, among the most important calls he ever answered were:

• The call to love, honor and serve his family as a husband, son and brother;
• The call to serve his country; and
• The call to serve the Golden community, first as a code enforcement officer and then as a police officer.

“The men and women of the Golden Police Department are dedicated to serving this community,” Police Chief Joe Harvey said Nov. 12. “We answer a higher call.”

Dunn, who was killed Nov. 6 while responding to a traffic accident along Highway 58, was remembered by his family, friends and colleagues during a Nov. 13 memorial service at Mission Hills Church.

While the memorial itself wasn’t open to the public, dozens of Goldenites and others from across the Denver area lined the sidewalks near the church to pay their respects during the funeral procession.

In total, more than 500 first responders from 76 agencies across the state participated in the procession, including military personnel and a Black Hawk helicopter flyover.

Dunn, 33, was a Black Hawk helicopter pilot and was actively serving in the Army National Guard at the time of his death, according to the Golden Police Department

His loved ones have described Dunn as “a man of faith, loyal, steady, quiet and observant.” He also loved the outdoors, and enjoyed traveling and camping with his wife and their dog.

Dunn first joined Golden as a code enforcement officer, serving for a year until he entered the police academy. He graduated in July and was partnered with Officer Bethany Grusing, his field training officer, while responding to the Nov. 6 traffic accident.

Grusing also sustained major injuries during the incident, but has since been released from the hospital, city officials confirmed.

Golden City Councilors offered Grusing their support and wished her a speedy recovery, saying they were “devastated” by what happened Nov. 6.

“Golden is incredibly grateful for (Grusing)’s resilience and bravery,” Mayor Pro Tem Rob Reed said at the Nov. 12 City Council meeting. “ … The City of Golden is honored that Bethany is a part of our community.”

Harvey and Reed also thanked all the individuals, businesses and organizations that have “given a special outpouring of support” at this difficult time. Reed remarked how, amid its heartbreak, Golden was “full of small-town compassion, community and togetherness.”

Harvey described how, along with dozens of in-person condolences and well-wishes, he’s received more than 350 emails and other messages in the last week from people offering GPD their support. Community members have also been very generous in donating money for Dunn’s family and bringing food and supplies for his colleagues, he said.

“We don’t do it for fame or money; we do it in service,” Harvey said of GPD. “We run into danger when others run away, and we face uncertainty with bravery and courage, which is exactly what Evan and Bethany did Wednesday night.”

Harvey said his message to the community was: “We feel your love and support. We are unwavering, and we are here to protect you.”

“This loss has rippled through our city staff, our community and our council,” Reed said. “Tonight, we stand together in loss and remembrance. Officer Dunn’s calm, quiet courage and dedication to the City of Golden and its people will never be forgotten.”

Reed and his colleagues thanked Dunn and his family for their sacrifice, with Reed adding that Golden will be doing more to honor Dunn’s memory in the coming weeks.

‘One team, one family’

On Nov. 13, hundreds of first responders from across Colorado joined Golden-area law enforcement officers, firefighters and ambulance personnel for Dunn’s funeral procession to the Littleton-area Mission Hills Church.

Additionally, several Goldenites and other community members lined nearby sidewalks, carrying American, military and police flags to honor Dunn.

Some like Donny O’Connor wanted to support their comrade-in-arms.

O’Connor also flew Black Hawk helicopters for the Army National Guard, and had several mutual friends with Dunn. He said he wanted to honor a fellow veteran and support Dunn’s family.

Joe Garcia and his fellow Colorado Patriot Guard Riders likewise thanked Dunn for his military and police service, and shared their condolences for his family, friends and colleagues.

Golden’s Butch Hernandez and his wife, Cathy Porteous, brought their American flags and stood nearby while the procession made its way to Mission Hills Church.

They said they’d never done anything like this before.

However, Porteous described how she recently lost her sister, saying, “It’s the people that show up to support … that’s going to get the family through it. When it hits close to home you feel it.”

Hernandez, Porteous and Candance Putnam described how “senseless” the loss was for Golden and the greater law enforcement community, describing how talented and well-respected Dunn was by all accounts.

“It breaks my heart that the family has to go through this,” Putnam said.

Putnam, who used to live in Golden years ago, said her son is a police officer in the Denver area. While it’s heartbreaking every time the community loses a first responder, especially in the line of duty, she said she’s always proud to see how far-reaching and all-encompassing their support for one another is with funeral processions like Dunn’s.

As the procession made its way down County Line Road and turned into the Mission Hills Church parking area, dozens of patrol vehicles and hundreds of officers lined either side of the road, culminating in two firetrucks with a huge American flag tied between their extended ladders.

Chris Davell and other Goldenites who watched the procession said it was a very powerful display of fraternity and community support.

Davell added how heartwarming it was to see so many first responders and community members — not just from Golden but from across Colorado — honor Dunn and his loved ones.

“It’s very emotional,” he said.

Click through additional photos from the Nov. 13 funeral procession:

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Charles Fraser’s life was an example of how to help others.

From his career as a local pediatrician to fixing jewelry and watches for his neighbors, Fraser was dedicated to serving others. 

“Dad’s entire life was built around his goal of being useful — the origins of which were no doubt on the family farm when his father died when he was 11 years old, and he and his brothers and sister were thrown even further into farming,” said his daughter, Cynthia Fraser Taylor. “Always, he offered help to others in fixing, building, repairing … anything a neighbor or friend needed — he was there.”

In September, Fraser, who served as a pediatrician at the Littleton Clinic, passed away at the age of 96.

Born on a farm in Ohio, Fraser attended college and medical school and served as a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy as a doctor before moving to Colorado. He and his wife, Virginia Hart Fraser, were lovers of the outdoors.

As a pediatrician at the Littleton Clinic, Fraser became a staple in the community.

Gina Daly was Fraser’s patient during her entire childhood and said he always treated her and her brothers with compassion and kindness.

“It was always good to see him, he’d tell you knock-knock jokes or something silly to make you laugh,” she said. “He always asked about school and what you were doing, and actually listened and cared about your answer.”

Daly said she has thought of Fraser many times over the years since the time when she was his patient, and he left a lasting impact on her.

“A lot of how I cared for my kids when they weren’t feeling well came from the things he said and the things he did to ‘make it all better,’” she said. “He was a good doctor who a lot of doctors (nowadays) could take a few pointers from.”

She said he always took the time to listen to patients, made doctors visits less scary and treated his patients like they mattered to him.

When he retired from the Littleton Clinic, Fraser worked as a physician at various Native American reservations across the country, from Alaska to Arizona, and he could perform a physical exam using the Navajo language, according to his obituary.

In addition to his work, Fraser was a “rugged outdoorsman and a pull-yourself-up-by-your-bootstraps kind of man who could fix anything from a broken arm to a carburetor to a delicate antique clock,” said his daughter, Laura Fraser.

He liked to ride bikes, run, travel, ride horses, backpack and row, Taylor added. Beyond his interests in the outdoors, Fraser was also a talented jewelry-maker and loved reading and writing. He also contributed a column on medicine to the Littleton Independent, Laura Fraser said.

Former Littleton mayor Susan Thornton said she has fond memories of Fraser and his wife, Virginia, who both did amazing work in the community. Virginia was an activist for women’s and seniors’ rights and was inducted into the Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame.

Thornton said Fraser was also a valued member of the health ethics committee at Littleton Adventist Hospital, now called AdventHealth Littleton, where she served with him. She said he helped nonmedical members of the committee understand end-of-life issues and helped the group decide on recommendations for families and medical personnel.

Fraser also started a local “handyman” program that provided services to low-income and elderly residents, Taylor said. He volunteered for the medical supply nonprofit Project Cure, coached people learning to speak English and started a watch battery and jewelry repair business at his senior living community.

Fraser was a special father and doctor, infusing genuine care and a helpful attitude into the world every chance he got.

“He also had an ever-present sense of humor and a soft side, which is why he was such a good pediatrician, spending enough time with each patient to get to the bottom of the problem, even if the cause of the tummyache was trouble at home,” Laura Fraser said.

A memorial gathering for Charles Fraser will take place at 3 p.m. on Nov. 8 in the Red Rocks room at Wind Crest Senior Living community in Highlands Ranch. The address is 2975 Summer Wind Lane and there is parking right in front of the building.

Those unable to attend the event in person may join virtually at https://meet.google.com/ujh-mkhd-ypi.

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The tragic loss of an Arvada veterinarian has struck a blow among residents of both the suburban and foothills communities. Conifer resident Shelley Maree Ekstrom, 60, died in an ATV crash Oct. 1 near the Park and Teller county lines, according to the Park County Sheriff’s Office.

Ekstrom was beloved not only by her clients at Arvada’s Indian Tree Animal Hospital but friends and neighbors in Conifer, who describe her as caring, positive, adventurous and creative.

“Working with her at the veterinary hospital, I aspired to be like her,” said Kaitlin Davis, who was also Ekstrom’s neighbor. “She was never short of advice or positivity, and was one of the most caring, patient people I ever met.”

Ekstrom was a customer when Conifer’s James Adams first met her, but the two quickly became friends, he said. Adams owns Gruntworks Mountain Services and did several projects at Ekstrom’s home.

“She was always a happy, smiling personality, and she had her own artistic twist and vision about things,” said Adams, who attended Ekstrom’s Oct. 6 services at Evergreen Lutheran Church. “There wasn’t a selfish bone in her body.

“She didn’t have to, but she introduced me to all her neighbors, and because of her generosity and kindness, I got a lot of business,” he continued. “She also integrated me into her group of friends.”

Adams, who remembers Ekstrom had a Harley and a “beautiful purple Cadillac,” also excavated a space for her ATV.

“She was very energetic and enthusiastic, and always ready for the next adventure,” he said.

Those adventures were wide-ranging, including the quiet peace of hiking, the thrill of ATV riding and motorcycle racing, and the creativity of casting bronze sculptures.

Ekstrom was born in Spirit Lake, Iowa and had a lifelong love of animals and art, riding her quarter house and drawing and painting as a child. She earned her degree in veterinary medicine from Ross University in 2002 and began working in Texas as an equine veterinarian. She switched to working with small animals and moved to Colorado.

She kept a gratitude journal, and excerpts from it were shared during her service.

“I am so blessed to live in this time and place,” she wrote in entries dated in July and August 2024. “This is truly the most beautiful place in the world. I feel love for all … family, friends, dogs.”

According to the nonprofit Justice Takes Flight, which helps people find missing loved ones, Ekstrom and a male neighbor left their Conifer homes Oct. 1 to ride ATVs in Pike National Forest. The neighbor returned to the area injured and received medical treatment, but Ekstrom did not return, triggering a search.

Adams said the two were riding separate ATVs, and the man sustained “a pretty bad head injury.”

Park County officials said Ekstrom died Oct. 1. The county and multiple other agencies received a missing person report and began the search for Ekstrom “in extremely rough terrain” on Oct. 2, recovering her body early on Oct. 3.

The post Arvada veterinarian and Conifer resident dies in ATV crash appeared first on Colorado Community Media.

Longtime Evergreen Animal Protective League President Jackie Bell, who died Sept. 8,  loved animals and caring for them. But she also realized that caring for animals required extending that compassion to their owners.

“I always thought of her as Robin Hood,” said current EAPL president Kelly Burns. “She was always big on helping families keep their animals. If that meant taking them food or supplies, she would do it. There were times she would help furnish people’s homes so they had a place to take care of their pet.

“She went above and beyond that way,” Burns continued. “It wasn’t that anyone asked her to do it. She just said, ‘Let’s help the people, too,’ and did it herself.”

Bell’s approach — a novelty at the time — became integrated into EAPL’s philosophy. The nonprofit offers financial assistance for neutering and helps educate pet owners about caring for their pets.

“That’s definitely become a big part of our organization, making sure we’re helping people take care of their animals,” Burns said.

Bell, 85, led EAPL for 43 years. The league launched in 1981 to aid lost, abandoned, and suffering animals.  She became its president in 1983.

EAPL director Elizabeth Pruitt said she was immediately impressed with Bell when she began volunteering at Evergreen’s Chow Down pet supply store several years ago.

“She got me involved with EAPL and I admired her,” she said. “She definitely showed us what it really means to love animals and put them first. I hope to be half the person she was at EAPL.”

Longtime Evergreen resident Betsy Hays, who’s currently president of the Evergreen Park & Recreation District, echoed those sentiments.

“Jackie Bell was an icon in our community,” she said. “The legacy she has left to remind us about the importance of caring for animals is one we all should embrace.”

Bell also fostered many cats and dogs over the years, and had a particular fondness for “hard luck cases,” Burns said — senior animals and those suffering fatal illnesses.

“She’d give them a place to be until they passed,” Burns said, adding that in addition to her deep compassion, Bell had a consistently light-hearted side. “She was funny. Sometimes doing rescue can be depressing and hard, but she always kept her sense of humor. I miss that about her.”

The Evergreen Chamber of Commerce honored Bell during its May 2024 Women in Business luncheon. According to the chamber, in the 40-plus years Bell served as president, she and her volunteers saved nearly 20,000 animals.  

“Jackie has gone out to classrooms, scout troops, summer Bible camps and other events, year after year, tirelessly spreading the word about rescuing animals and good health pet care,” the chamber’s tribute to her reads. “In her 40+ years, Jackie has lugged countless heavy bags of dog/cat food, kennels, pens, dogs, cats, toys, blankets, dog beds, in and out of vans to hundreds of pet adoption events, fund raising events and educational talks.”

Bell’s husband Bill, who was a strong supporter of her work at EAPL, passed away in 2022. The couple moved to Evergreen in 1971.

While they had no children, Burns said the animals Bell cared for were her children.

“Everything revolved around EAPL for her,” she said. “She was always so very humble about it, too. It was just something she did because in her mind it was the right thing to do. The recognition was insubstantial to her.”

A celebration of Bell’s life and legacy is set for 3-7 p.m. Oct. 8 at The Barn at Evergreen Memorial Park, 26624 N Turkey Creek Rd, Evergreen. In lieu of flowers, people are urged to consider donating in Bell’s name to EAPL.

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Clear Creek County Commissioner Sean Wood took his own life, according to an autopsy report released to the Clear Creek Courant on June 3.

In the report, Pathologist Daniel Lingamfelter determined Wood’s May 6 death to be a deliberate and self-inflicted act.

Wood served as a county commissioner for nearly eight years.

“Clear Creek County is heartbroken from the unexpected passing of Commissioner Sean Wood,” county officials said in a statement.

Fellow County Commissioner Randy Wheelock described Wood as a quiet, conscientious man who fought vigorously for what he believed would be of best benefit to the people of Clear Creek County.

Wood had also served as a member of Evergreen Fire/Rescue for more than 20  years.

“His death has been devastating to the Evergreen firefighting community,” Risk Reduction Officer Einar Jensen said.

Read the Clear Creek Courant’s obituary for Wood here. 

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