I contend that communities are defined by the people that call a place their home and this point is amplified in that the great people of communities are those who selflessly contribute, seeking nothing in return.

Rick DeVos was one of the more remarkable members of the Steamboat Springs community and yes, he helped define it by making it his home and choosing to raise his family here with his incredible wife, Heather. We lost Rick to cancer recently, and I’ll look forward to coming down from Montana in a few weeks to join all of you to mourn his loss and celebrate his life down at our beloved, if not sacred, Howelsen Hill.  

Rick was an upstanding and righteous man, and his faith was unassailable; maybe that is why he contributed so much to the community throughout his life and never sought anything in return. In our early years, Rick and I worked closely together at the Steamboat Ski & Resort Corp and, by gosh, there were some interesting times including the Les Otten era. 

He and I became good friends in that timeframe, and I was sad to see the whole “More Steamboat, Less Otten” stuff compel him to resign, but I was excited that he was selected to run the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club. Shortly thereafter, he convinced me to join the board of directors and eventually take on the board chairmanship, which I did with some apprehension, but with pride. Even for those not paying much attention, throughout that part of his career and life, Devos’ commitment to the families and the kids of the SSWSC and the community were constantly on display.  

With Rick as the SSWSC executive director and me serving as SSWSC board chairman, we navigated some incredibly proud moments together, planning and executing events that we concocted in some cases, with very little lead time, causing many to think us a bit crazy (which probably wasn’t too far off).  One of our classic events was planning and executing the first community Olympian sendoff event on February 1, 2002. 

It was right after 9/11 and the country and our community needed something that would elevate our pride and help us all heal up a bit in a meaningful way. Rick and I figured, what better way to do this than by shutting down Lincoln Avenue, building our very own huge cauldron that we would light and would remain lit until our Olympians returned home to Steamboat Springs, send up a ton of fireworks from the top of the county courthouse and invite the entire community, heck the entire state.   

Over 5,000 people took us up on the invitation!

Midway through the event, which was full red lining, super-fun-mid-winter-prideful-wild-mayhem, Rick and I turned down our event radios, looked at each other and just smiled with quiet satisfaction. No fist bumps or high fives … just a silent, prideful moment between friends. Some moments you just kind of remember, and other moments are full-on seared into your memory. Call this moment “seared” for certain and one that was at the top of the list. 

However, there were also some really rough moments that were also “seared”, including the tragic loss of one of our SSWSC ski racers at the tender age of 13, hit by a Vail ski area staff member driving a snowmobile just before the start of a race. 

There was so much to that tragedy, it’s impossible to know where to start or finish, but suffice it to say despite each of us being crushed by the news ourselves, together Rick and I did everything we could to support the Stamp family, as they dealt with an unspeakable loss, the entire Winter Sports Club and yes, the community. 

There was anger and fury and broken hearts aplenty, including our own, but we did our darnedest with Rick always seeming to have the right words and inner strength when it was needed. As Forrest Gump said, “That’s all I have to say about that”, but I trust you get the point. 

I don’t actually know all that much, but this I do know: From the highs to the unspeakable lows, Rick DeVos was a stalwart supporter and protector of and selfless servant to the community of Steamboat Springs. In fact, in a quiet way, he was someone who very much helped define the community of Steamboat Springs, Colorado.   

I hope to see all of you at Howelsen Hill on June 29 to honor Rick DeVos’ contributions and his legacy.

Andy Wirth

Near Ennis, Montana