Remembering those we lost in 2025

GILPIN COUNTY — Every year, in the first Mountain-Ear of the new year, we print a summary of each obituary that we have received in the previous year. 

Let us take pause and remember those who have walked on. Each person here has touched our community somehow and has had an impact on the people in our community. May their memory warm our hearts and spread love and light.

John Walter Bayer passed away on November 4, 2024. He was born in New York in 1950 and moved to Nederland in the 1970s.

Our tribute to Jack is to continue his gifts of goodness, kindness, a sense of adventure, and the happiness he gave to so many. His family and so many friends miss him. 

Forrest Anderson was an artist and craftsman. He was born in Greeley, Colorado, in 1947. He passed away on January 8, 2025.

In the early 1970s Forrest and his wife Diane moved to Russell Gulch in Gilpin County. Forrest built his pottery studio and store, Wabi Pottery. He made functional, well-crafted, stunning stoneware that is used in restaurants and in many homes. 

Forrest was active in the local community. 

This potter, husband, dad, brother, grandfather, and friend will always be cherished. 

Peter Orr O’Sullivan was born in Pennsylvania in 1959. He passed away suddenly on January 18, 2025. 

Peter had a degree in business and one in the culinary arts. He worked as a chef for a time. 

He was a very kind man with a quick wit who loved to make people laugh. He had worked at the Famous Bonanza and Easy Street Casinos. Peter loved living in the mountains in the Black Hawk area. 

He is missed deeply by his family. 

Dr. Charles “Chip” Smith was larger than life. This could be because of his tall stature and booming baritone voice while performing on the stage. Intimidating, if you did not know Chip. However, what made Chip larger than life was his kindness, wisdom, humility, commitment to friendships and community, and his love for humanity. 

Chip was born in Nebraska in 1953 and he passed away on January 30, 2025. 

He started his college career playing football as a Cornhusker at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He then changed his focus to music. He was a beloved music professor at Hastings College in Nebraska. 

When retirement came, Chip and his wife Donna moved to Gilpin County, Colorado. Chip immersed himself in the community. He became a firefighter with Timberline Fire. He served on Timberline’s Board of Directors. 

Chip brought his musical and theater skills to community theater so we could all hear that amazing baritone voice. 

He was a member of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Central City. He also worked for The Mountain-Ear. 

Chip was a beloved husband, brother, uncle, teacher, and friend in the communities he touched. 

A gentle giant with a heart of gold. How fortunate we were to have known him. 

Willi Brocklehurst was born in Pennsylvania in 1932. She passed away on February 7, 2025 with her daughter by her side. 

For many years Willi and her late husband John “Brock” lived in Eldora, Colorado. 

Willi had many talents and led a very interesting 92 years of life. She worked as a London journalist. She was an award-winning poet and costume designer for community theaters in the Washington DC area. 

She will be remembered for her writing, drawing, costume design, acting, singing, hospitality, and zest for life. 

Thomas Edward Cowherd, Sr. was known as Tom, Brother, Dad, Grandpa, and Uncle Tom to those who knew and loved him. 

Tom was born in Kansas City in 1941 and his spirit left his earthly body on March 24, 2025. 

He loved his children and grandchildren and enjoyed spending time attending their games, dance recitals, and all their activities. 

An electrical engineer by profession, Tom was passionate about nature. He was always collecting treasures in nature. After retirement he began using these treasures to make pictures and jewelry. He became a silversmith and participated in many local art shows. 

He spent a lifetime looking for ways to forgiveness and unconditional love. He left this world a peaceful and happy man with a very big heart. 

Scott Owen Cawlfield of Louisville, Colorado, passed away on March 10, 2025. He had a wandering childhood, but ultimately claimed Nederland, Colorado, as his hometown. Scott was a Nederland High School graduate. 

He was a physical education teacher in Jeffco Public Schools, and then an administrator in Boulder Valley School District for over 20 years. Most recently he enjoyed being an assistant principal for The Academy of Charter Schools in Westminster. 

Scott was a dedicated educator and fierce advocate for students to have a voice in their academic journey and to also have as much fun as possible while working hard to achieve their goals. 

He loved hiking and music, and was dedicated to his wife and children. Scott was an inspiring educator and leader. He made people feel loved, seen, and supported. 

Ian Robert Dunham left us too soon. Born in Arvada, Colorado, in 2000, Ian died on March 25, 2025.

He grew up in his family home near Pinecliffe, Colorado. He was a mountain kid who wore shorts in the winter and spent hours roaming the woods near his home. 

Ian graduated from Nederland High School in 2018. He worked at TEENS, Inc. He attended the University of Northern Colorado, graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Sustainability, with a focus on Water Management. 

He was working for Helix Traffic Solutions at the time of his death. Ian loved exploring history and talking to his dad. He had a wicked sense of humor and loved the outdoors. 

His family feels his loss immensely. 

Charles William Ramstetter was born in Golden Gate Canyon in 1938. He passed away on April 5, 2025. He was one of eight children who were born and raised on a dairy farm. 

Charles was a Vietnam vet who went on to have a distinguished 24- year military career; retiring as a Chief Master Sergeant from the Air Force. 

He then worked for Jeffco Road and Bridge as a heavy equipment operator, retired again, and went on to raise cattle and author local history books with his best friend and wife of 42 years, Mary Geneva Ramstetter. 

Charles is deeply missed by Mary and the rest of their family. 

Felicia Marie Baratta was born in 1986 and passed away on April 22, 2025.

She was a Nederland High School graduate and loved the Nederland area. Felicia was a diehard Denver Broncos fan and watched all football so she understood the Broncos chances each season.

She also loved watching how the trees changed each season. 

Felicia is missed and loved very much. 

Judith Ketola MacDougall was born in Minnesota in 1937. She passed away on May 6, 2025. Jude was a kind and loving soul. 

Jude moved to Canada where she met and married John MacDougall. They eventually settled in Eldora, Colorado. She loved exploring the mountains and getting to know the people in the area. Her knowledge of Colorado wildflowers, plants, and birds was impressive. 

She and her longtime friend Bette Ventrella had so much fun running the Palette Art Gallery, where they would sell their watercolors and jewelry along with the works of many other local artists. 

Jude lived the last years of her life in Nederland at the Prime Haven Senior Housing, where she enjoyed a close knit community and many friends. Attending her beloved Nederland Community Presbyterian Church, participating in the Nederland Area Seniors group, and volunteering at the Mountain Forum for Peace yard sale and the food pantry were some of the many things that enriched her life. 

She loved spending time with her family and adored her grandchildren. 

Bette Bauman Rittinger was born in 1938 and passed away peacefully on June 2, 2025. 

Bette led a very adventurous life, from her beginnings in coastal Maryland, to a stint in Chicago, time as an art teacher, and many fantastic years in Breckenridge…as well as many travels close and far…

Her most recent chapters were in the mountains west of Boulder, Colorado. Her ruggedly independent nature put her to work founding The Alpaca Store and More in Nederland, and running her beloved Double B-R Ranch. This was home to many alpacas, llamas, horses, goats, yaks, dogs, and cats. 

Bette was one of the pioneers of the Colorado alpaca business community. She had countless friends, contacts, and acquaintances in the alpaca world, including the Consul General of Peru, top fashion designers and native artisans in Peru. Bette spearheaded the establishment of a fair-trade marketplace and fashion show in Denver, a country-wide program to preserve traditional weaving techniques in Peruvian school curriculum, and various interactive alpaca events. 

Bette was a tireless champion of the industry and to the alpaca. Which was obvious when you talked with her. 

She was an inspiration to people for her determination and creativity. Bette was a force of nature and her presence will be missed and remembered. 

Anna-Marie Elizabeth Zacaroli was born in Illinois in 1985. She passed away on May 15, 2025. 

Annie grew up in the Chicago area and in Italy. She moved back to the United States and found her way to Boulder, Colorado.  

In Boulder she started working in restaurants and she met and married Sean O’Dell. They moved to Nederland and Annie started management responsibilities for New Moon Bakery. 

Annie was a talented leader and cared for those around her. 

Annie was diagnosed with cancer in 2015. She refused to let cancer define her. She stayed true to herself and lived in the moment for as many moments as she could hold onto. 

She will be remembered for her unbelievable capacity to love, and she will remain legendary by how she showed that love. People will never forget how she made them feel. Annie will always be loved and missed. 

Kathleen Viola Stoeckley was born in 1951. She passed away in Florida after a long illness on February 10, 2025. 

Kathy and her husband Tom retired in Nederland, Colorado, and lived there for over a decade. Kathy spent much of her retirement making art, from wood carvings to dolls, sculptures, stationery, and paintings. 

She loved to camp, hike, walk for miles, and cross-country ski. Her love for travel took her to many places around the world. She had a great desire to learn about different cultures in the world. May we have such a desire to learn about each other.  

David Lee Mahaffey of Idaho Springs lost his battle with pneumonia on June 14, 2025. He was born in northern California in 1962 and moved to Colorado when he was very young. 

He was very interested in the natural world and took up taxidermy at an early age. He was very drawn to biology and geology. 

He worked in construction and became a fine carpenter. David was also an all-around outdoorsman and avid hunter and fisherman. 

He will be missed and remembered by his family and friends.

Lana “Suellen” Toeller Holtzman passed away on July 8, 2025. She was born in Kansas in 1941. 

She had fond memories as a girl spending her summers in the big city of Chicago. 

In 1961 she married the love of her life Ted Holtzman. He was a teacher and then administrator and they immersed themselves in the community they lived in. 

In 2014 Suellen moved to Gilpin County, Colorado, to be close to her son. She established a large friend group at Christ the King Community Church and volunteered at Ermel’s Thrift Shop in Central City. She gave of her time for causes she felt passionate about. 

Suellen was loved by those who knew her. She will be deeply missed. 

Justine Carol Irwin, beloved mother, educator, writer, and community member, passed away peacefully on July 14, 2025. She was born in 1933 in Longmont, Colorado.

Justine lived a full and vibrant life, marked by her passionate dedication to education, her love for writing, and her unwavering commitment to her family and community. 

Justine earned degrees from the University of Iowa in economics, journalism, and telecommunication arts. She was a fourth-grade teacher in Grand Lake, Colorado, and then taught high school English and home economics at Meeker High School. And she served as the Speech Team coach. She inspired students for over 30 years. 

A lifetime Girl Scout, Justine’s impact was felt far and wide as she took on leadership roles in several Girl Scout councils, inspiring generations of young girls with her passion for the outdoors and community service. 

While living in Nederland, Justine and her husband Frank were actively involved in the Nederland Community Presbyterian Church. Justine was a member of the Lions Club and the Nederland Area Seniors. 

Justine was always learning and writing. She was very interested in Native American cultures. She wrote about the history of the areas she lived in. She was a freelance writer producing poetry, children’s stories and even fiction. 

Justine led an incredible life. It was a joy just to sit down and talk with her. Her legacy of love and commitment to education and community will live on through her children, grandchildren, and the countless individuals she touched throughout her remarkable journey. 

Doug Cosper was born in St. Louis in 1949. He passed away at his Nederland home on July 21, 2025. 

Doug was a lifelong journalist and educator who combined a ferocious devotion to watchdogging the powerful, rigid accuracy, and rich storytelling with a warm, self-deprecating style that charmed friends and hostiles alike. 

He worked as a journalist in Texas, Boulder, Colorado, and internationally. Doug taught young journalists, some from countries where their democracies were struggling.

He cared deeply for his students and stayed in touch with many of them. Doug’s impact on his colleagues, students, and on journalism is profound. 

Doug was an avid supporter of the Carousel of Happiness. 

Doug’s wife Carol, their daughters, and all whom he had am impact on world wide miss him. 

Kenneth E. “Ken” Kehoe was a devoted father, son, brother, uncle, and friend whose vibrant spirit, integrity, and quirky sense of humor touched countless lives. 

Ken was born in Wisconsin in 1976 and passed away on August 13, 2025. 

An avid adventurer, Ken embraced the beauty of Colorado through hiking, skiing, camping, road and mountain biking, and kayaking. 

Ken was an atmospheric scientist. Beyond his professional career, Ken found immense joy in serving his community as a volunteer with the Nederland Fire Protection District, where he forged deep and lifelong friendships. 

Ken’s warmth, wit, and zest for life will live on through his family. 

Stephen James Dolson was born in Iowa in 1951. He passed away following complications with Parkinson’s disease and dementia on September 10, 2025. 

Steve served in the Air Force during the Vietnam era, from 1969 to 1973. He was honorably discharged with an E4 Sergeant rank. 

After graduating from the University of Iowa he moved to Boulder, Colorado, where he founded and ran Indian Peaks Springwater. 

He also loved to hike and travel in the Rockies with friends, family, and his faithful dogs. 

Upon his retirement in 2015, Steve sold his business and moved to Nederland, Colorado. He loved living further into the mountains and he loved the town. 

Carol Filer was a devoted wife and mother of four daughters. 

She was born in 1958 and she passed away at home after a brief and courageous battle with bilateral glioblastoma on August 26, 2025. 

Carol was loud, opinionated, fiercely intelligent, curious and passionate. She was a lover of nature and found peace climbing mountains, skiing, snowshoeing, camping, and Nordic skiing. She was at home among woods, mountains, and ocean, always seeking new ways to stretch her body and mind. 

Carol lived with intensity, loved without hesitation, and never backed down from what she believed in. She leaves behind a family forever shaped by her unwavering love. 

William R. “Bill” Baumgartner was born in Missouri in 1944 and he passed away on September 1, 2025.

After serving in the US Army, Bill attended Red Rocks Community College and worked as a machinist at Rocky Flats nuclear facility. 

Bill became known in the Nederland community while working at ACE Hardware and driving a school bus for the Boulder Valley School District. 

He was a volunteer firefighter for the Nederland Fire Protection District, followed by nearly 20 years as a fire mechanic with the Nederland Fire Protection District. 

Bill volunteered at local events such as the community Thanksgiving Potluck, and he spent many hours volunteering at the Nederland Food Pantry. 

Bill had a wide circle of friends (humans and cats), and his kindness and jovial smile are to be remembered. 

Robert Edwin Schneider passed away peacefully at his home in Longmont, Colorado, surrounded by loved ones on September 3, 2025. This concluded a fierce fight against bile duct cancer. 

Rob was born on September 1, 1967, in Wisconsin. His family moved to Nederland, Colorado, in 1982. Rob graduated from Nederland Junior-Senior High School in 1986. 

While living in Nederland, Rob and his siblings contributed to several community projects designed by their father, including the construction of the Visitor Center, the Pedestrian Bridge, and the Barker Reservoir Trail. 

Rob earned a mechanical engineering degree from the University of Colorado Boulder. The last 20 years of his career he worked for Tensentric. He is named on over 50 US patents and five international patents for surgical, implantable, and laboratory devices. 

His professional life was marked by problem solving, always with the goal of improving the lives of others. 

Rob was also a self-taught luthier. He designed and crafted more than 15 guitars. He comes from a musical family, having played alto saxophone and baritone. His lifelong passion for music and engineering lives on in every note played on every one of his expertly crafted guitars. 

Rob had a quick wit and a quiet disposition. He chose his words carefully, speaking only when it was technically or comedically necessary. 

He is dearly loved and deeply missed by his family, extended family, coworkers, and longtime friends. 

Dr. Ralph E. Hunt was born in 1939. He passed away on September 13, 2025, three and half years after his diagnosis with pancreatic cancer. 

Captain Hunt was a flight surgeon in the Air Force during the Vietnam War. He received the Vietnam Service Medal for time spent in support of American pilots. 

He worked as a general surgeon in the Philippines, in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in Sacramento, California, and in Chamberlain, South Dakota. 

When both he and his wife, Maria, retired they moved to Nederland, Colorado, in 2013. 

He lived a full life as a husband, father, uncle, grandfather, great-grandfather. His family and friends miss him dearly. 

Ralph was a loyal friend and knew few strangers. He will be remembered for the fruits of his labors as a physician and surgeon. He will be missed as an exceptional chef, instrument-rated pilot, swimming and triathlon athlete, trumpet enthusiast, fly fishing devotee, and poetry-in-motion skier. 

To know Ralph was to love Ralph. 

Richard “Rick” Slaght passed away on October 18, 2025, after a long battle with cancer. 

Before his retirement from Ball Aerospace and Technologies Rick had lived in Coal Creek Canyon and Nederland, Colorado. 

Rick was a graduate of the University of Maine and proudly served in the US Navy on the aircraft carrier The USS Intrepid. 

Rick leaves behind a sister, a daughter, grandchildren, stepchildren, and extended family. 

Jane Ellen (Dixon) Scarffe was born in 1952 in Pueblo, Colorado. She passed away after a long illness on October 27, 2025. 

Jane grew up in Tribune, Kansas. She earned her bachelor's and master’s degrees. 

She spent time in both Kansas and Colorado during her lifetime. 

She was a special education teacher in the Lawrence (Kansas) School District for 30 years. 

Jane loved Colorado and her grandchildren, as well as visiting with her many loving friends and family.