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Ralph (Skip) Greene: 1935 - Jan. 10, 2010 |
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Written by administrator
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Wednesday, 13 January 2010 |
Barbara Lawlor
Nederland
Skip was the guy you called if you needed help.
If you were in second grade riding the school bus for the first time, Skip would wipe away your tears and make you laugh, encourage you to be brave.
If you were injured in a back-country fall while cross-country skiing, Skip would be there, showing up in a snowmobile, offering comfort, first aid and a ride back to civilization.
If you wanted to know how to live a simple life, utilizing sustainable energy and leaving little impact on the earth, Skip could show you how.
Ralph (Skip) Greene died peacefully on Sunday, Jan. 10. He had been diagnosed with leukemia in December and he died as he lived, trying not to cause a fuss and giving comfort to his family and friends who were with him.
For 25 years, Skip was a school bus driver in the Nederland area, bringing the children north of Nederland to school day in and day out. As the years went by he was known as their adopted grandfather, and every holiday he was inundated with treats from parents who were grateful for his kind, gentle care to each and every passenger on his bus.
Nederland Elementary School Principal Deb Benitez and Nederland Middle/Senior High School Principal Rich Salaz have each said that Skip was a fixture in the BVSD Nederland community and much beloved by the students and staff who came to know and care about him.
Skip drove large school buses on the district's most difficult mountain roads. He woke up at 4:00 a.m. to spend at least 45 minutes "pre-flighting" his bus every morning, rain or snow, crawling underneath the bus, examining every component from the front to the back. Safety was his mantra.
Skip had planned to retire at the end of this school year.
Briggs Gamblin, Boulder Valley School District Director of Communications & Legislative Policy, sent a notice of Skip’s death throughout the district, saying, “I’m certain that I speak for the entire BVSD community in expressing our sorrow for his family and many friends who are grieving the loss of Skip. However, I believe that I can also state that everyone who had the privilege of knowing and working with Skip is grateful for the rich and caring presence he was for so many years in the BVSD community.”
In 1953, Skip’s name appeared for the first time on a Rocky Mountain Rescue Group (RMRG) call list. He lived at the edge of the Indian Peaks Wilderness, had a snowmobile and was a mountain man, able to survive and find his way in the wilderness.
His outdoor training was self taught. Skip was an active rock climber in his youth, sharing his experience with his Labrador Retriever on a trip up the Third Flatiron, and participating in the first ascent of the North Face of the Matron. In the '60s, Skip became the manager of CU's Mountain Research Station north of Nederland and helped teach INSTAAR research students about operating on Niwot ridge in all seasons. He helped implement the various research platforms that dot Niwot Ridge including Timberline-Van and Kiwi-Van.
Skip became an official member of the RMRG in the late '60s. At the Mountain Research Station, Skip developed a wide array of techniques for transporting people and equipment over-snow in the back-country. For RMRG, this led to his development of what Skip called "Snowmobile Mountaineering" skills, the "Skip-Sled" litter carrier, and the special modification of small lightweight snowmobiles for remote back-country operations.
Skip also worked independently with the Boulder County Sheriff's office. When there was a call for a search or rescue mission in the wilderness area, he was one of the first volunteers to be called.
Skip's last mission with the Group was on August 12th, when an elderly male with a leg injury at the west end of Long Lake needed assistance. The man was eventually evacuated to a medical helicopter. Skip put himself "in-service" in September for the winter season with his array of snowmobiles and the "Skip-Sled" litter.
Skip built his own house at the base of Niwot Ridge and powered it with a wind generator. He lived "off-grid", raising his own sons and helping to raise the sons of his second wife Liz Caile who shared Skip’s philosophy of being self-sustaining and environmentally responsible.
Always a promoter of an ultra-conservative approach to safety, Skip stressed the importance to always know your limits, then perform well within them so that you would always have something held in reserve, says a RMRG volunteer who often worked with Skip. In case something should go wrong, you could dig into those reserves to finish the job.
Skip was in every way an aficionado of Colorado’s high mountain areas, says his family. A lifelong mountaineer, he lived in his hand-crafted home and was instrumental in building and managing “Science Lodge,” The University of Colorado Mountain Research Station. Skip’s family included a diverse group and was a central focus of his energy and a source of pride. Skip was a unique individual with an idealistic world view and a vision for a simpler, more honest and ecologically conscious way of living. Skip’s renowned physical strength and vitality was unchecked until five weeks ago, when he was first diagnosed with an acute leukemia. Even in his last weeks, Skip remained without exception gracious, appreciative and magnanimous. Among his many loved ones, Skip is survived by his Toyota Tacoma. A celebration of Skip’s life will be held this Saturday, January 16, at 1:00 PM. at the University of Colorado Mountain Research Station, 818 County Road 116 (seven miles north of Nederland). In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Rocky Mountain Rescue Group. |
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Year In Review: Obituaries - Loved ones remain in our hearts |
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Written by administrator
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Thursday, 31 December 2009 |
Barbara Lawlor
PEAK TO PEAK
The circle of life ultimately includes losing those we love and, someday, joining them in saying goodbye to our earthly home. In the past year, some of our loved ones left us too soon while others were ready to "shrug off this mortal coil."
Although they will be missed, they will carry on in our hearts; their memory evoked by a fragrance on a summer breeze, by a certain meal, by walking on a path they enjoyed and by feelings of love and joy that will never diminish.
We honor them by remembering the good times we had with them and the good things they did for others.
In 2009, we said goodbye to:
Michael Smith, 10/1/55-12/17/08. Michael was a Nederland resident, a contractor and a man who loved the outdoors and his family.
Stephen Rott, 9/15/86-1/17/2009. Stephen died unexpectedly, he was a former Nederland Middle/Senior High School student and a certified nurse’s assistant.
Sue Ann Miller, 1/14/38-1/24/09. Sue Ann volunteered at the Stout Street Foundation and was a sweet soul who will be missed.
Barbara Wheeler, 1/19/40-2/25/09. Barbara moved to Nederland in 1997 and was a member of the Nederland Lions’ Club and active with the Nederland Area Seniors.
David Gruchy of Gap Road, 1/19/16-2/25/09. Gruchy was 93 years old, and veteran. He moved to the Skankee-Nelson Ranch in 1976. He was a member of the Coal Creek Canyon Improvement Association, the Coal Creek Canyon Fire Department.
John Mariotto, born in 1949 and died Feb. 16, 2009. He was a performer, a teacher, an actor, an author and brought his talents to Central City. He asked to have donations sent to the Mountain Family Health Center who helped him during his illness.
Eileen Lewis, 1/16/35-3/16/09. Eileen was a cook at Marvin’s Garden -- located in the same building in which Kathmandu is now -- which she and her husband Marvin owned for 18 years. Her family was her passion.
Bill Jones, 1941-March 27, 2009. Bill was a long-time resident of Nederland and a veteran of the United States Air Force. He was a 30-year employee of IBM.
Jennifer Elliot, 3/25/71-3/22/09. Jennifer grew up in Nederland, graduating from NMSHS in 1989, and became an accountant.
Edward Hardy Bull, 1953-3/31/09. Edward was a manufacturing engineer and loved outdoor recreation. He was a member of the Eldora Mountain Resort Nighthawk Telemark Racing club.
Eloise ‘Weezie’ Reinhardt, 5/31/31-4/19/09. Weezie lived in Nederland, was once the executive secretary for the American Foundryman’s Society and worked with Amnesty International. She loved poetry, music, traveling and playing cards with friends.
Desiree Strand, 7/8/55-5/7/09. Desiree succumbed to multiple sclerosis. She was a talented pianist, spoke fluent French and studied about life on other planets. Her focus was on Buddhism.
William Russell, 6/9/1915-5/23/09. Bill came from a family of Nederland miners. He moved to Nevadaville in Gilpin Counry in 1937, became mayor and bought the Weekly Register-Call newspaper in 1970. He owned most of the parking lots in Central City.
Tom Andersen, 6/27/27-6/3/09. Tom was a U.S. Navy veteran, a captain. He served from 1945-1986. He was also an endurance athlete who participated in the Pike’s Peak Ascent and the Colorado relay.
Donny Rose, 8/29/55-summer/2009. Donny was an Air Force Reserve Medic and worked for many years as a chef at the University of Colorado Research Station north of Nederland.
Stephen Walsh, 1952-7/31/09. Stephen was a Navy and Army veteran and worked for 17 years with the Colorado Department of Transportation.
Janet Brown, 8/8/22-8/23/09. Janet worked as a flight attendant for United Airlines, managed a real estate business and lived her later years in Nederland, where she said she was the happiest. She was a member of the Nederland Area Seniors as well the Nederland Area Historical Society.
Margaret Iorio, 12/14/1917-Sept. 2009. Margaret was 91 years old. She moved to Nederland in 1983, when she became a member of the Nederland Area Seniors and enjoyed her life in the mountains.
Frank Finn, 5/16/27-9/26/09. Frank was one of the founders of the Boulder YMCA. In 1959 he and his wife Barbara moved to Gold Hill where they ran a camp for troubled youth. In 1962 they started the Gold Hill Inn, a renowned Front Range destination restaurant.
Fern Tillis, 12/7/24-10/17/09. Fern was a long-time Rollinsville resident, a breast cancer survivor and a multi-faceted artist who will be remembered as a grand lady.
Robert Vis, 4/26/45-10/24/09. Robert was a veteran of the U.S. Army and an auto mechanic at Peak to Peak, as well as a HVAC technician and computer operator at Emerling Engineering.
Lee Evans, 3/1/1917-11/7/09. Lee grew up in Eldora when it was known as Happy Valley. He was a wrangler and dude guide. He became a management consultant, as well as a professor and writer. He granted a conservation easement to his Arapahoe Ranch property to protect the land from development.
Neoma Snyder, 3/30/24-12/2/09. Neoma was a long-time Nederland resident and a veteran devoted to the Mountain Veteran’s Association. There was no memorial ceremony but her ashes were scattered in the mountains that she loved.
May our fallen friends rest in peace. |
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 31 December 2009 )
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