March 18, 2006
Tim's Memorial Service, Grand Junction, CO

I was lucky to have known "the recent Tim" and got to share these memories with his friends and family in Grand Junction where his recent endeavors down in Telluride were unknown to many.



I am lucky to have been touched by his life, albeit for a small fracture in time. We all have to remember the moments we shared with him, each spark of light he brought to the endeavors he tackled. Anna Quindlen stated “Life is made up of little moments, small pieces of glittering mica in a long stretch of gray cement.” Tim was one big, shiny, good looking, chunk of mica!

I met Tim on my second day in Telluride, a mere three months ago. Although our friendship was short, I was calmed by his presence and loved to explore with him our similar interests, everything from waste grease for biodiesel to tele skiing.

We coached at the Telluride Ski Club, where I would consistently see 5 little girls dressed in pink clinging to each arm, as he sat calmly with that smile on his face. He was always patient, always smiling, and always ready to go on any narly trail the kids wanted to go down, then he would calmly help them up from the resulting crash.

Early in the season I skied with him and some friends from Boulder. Misty Maiden and Chair 4, although repetitive, were fun, with jokes and laughs as we rode the same groomers over and over and tried to find variation in the bumps along the side.

Another tele skiing adventure with Tim was exploring the bumps of Chair 9. He had so much energy and enthusiasm for going as fast as he could, it didn’t matter how many face plants resulted. I did my best to keep up, and was definitely huffing and puffing at the bottom of each run. We shared quiet moments together, there was no need to constantly talk, we were both excited and energized by the mountain, the snow, the wind.

When Tim bartended at Chair 8, I would stop by on my way home to see him and share a few drinks and small talk. It was a place in town I knew I could find a friendly face and a smile. It was easy to be in his presence, never feeling the necessity to justify why I stopped by, even if it was just to be with him. He was always tired after working 7 hours on the ski hill, then 6 more at the bar, always watching the clock to head home, but never rushing me to get out.

One of the older athletes from the Telluride Ski Club exclaimed she “got 5 words out of Tim in one go, that must be a record!” I said, well you just have to ask him a question about something he’s passionate about. He would get a glimmer in his eye and a big smile and could go on for hours. One example is our drive to Montrose to the Biodiesel plant for a cleanup day. He talked about his goals in graduate school, and how he was excited to learn about the agriculture aspects of biodiesel and of the feasibility of it on a larger scale beyond collecting waste grease. A messy and difficult process that he got to experience first hand. He was dedicated to learning more about biodiesel and was very excited to make the first batch this spring when the weather got warmer and the grease de-gelled. His hidden fire burned with his passions to pursue aspects of renewable energy and to keep learning.

Those interests are what brought him to be a fellow intern at Steeprock Builders. An ecological design/build company that installs and runs off of solar panels, wind turbines, and biodiesel generators, all integral aspects towards realizing the vision of combining the built environment with natural systems and reducing humans impact on this world. Glen Harcourt, the founder, had a knack for finding all of those like-minded flecks of mica and collecting us together to create a family of go getters who are searching and succeeding at finding ways of living more sustainably. On February 23, Tim, Glen and Bo were headed to a hydro-electric project, and I know they were smiling the whole way there. Pursuing their passions, living life to the fullest, and leaving their mark through renewable systems that are the future.

I will always remember and cherish each of those small moments in time that I got to spend with Tim and the quiet beauty he brought to this world. His presence was comforting, his smile lit up the room, and his enthusiasm for life and all it holds will continue on within everyone that was touched by his life. Every mountain peak I am surrounded by reminds me of Tim. An overwhelming feeling of quiet peace emanates from each mountain top; Tim is there, watching, listening; being quiet and patient, loving, and happy.