In Memory

Rocky Birdsey

1945-2022

Founding Jaycee Member

Rocky was born a third generation Creedite in 1945. Rocky spent his childhood running the mountains around Creede with his buddies, David “Jake” Powell, Mike McClure, Stanley Kolisch, and Tom Payne to name a few. They spent their days exploring the mountains, fishing every creek, and this helped him grow up to be an incredible mountain man.

In 1963, Rocky married his high school sweetheart, Iris Ruth Sword. They had their son, Rocky “Shane” Birdsey in 1964. Like many of the men in Creede at the time, he worked at the Emperius Mine. He and Iris were active with the Jaycees and enjoyed working with Carl Helfin on the old melodramas presented at what is now the Creede Repertory Theatre. In 1966, the Jaycees brought students from Kansas to see if theater would work in Creede, and lo and behold it did! 1966 was also the year Rocky and his brother Norman were in a mine accident. Norman did not survive, and Rocky was severely injured. He went on to work at the Emperius Mill before beginning his 40year career with Mineral County Road and Bridge.

Rocky was a quiet man and loved being a member of the Creede Community! He did so much for Mineral County without anyone even knowing. There were many times Rocky saved Creede from spring floods. Every spring the ponds above Creede would fill up with debris threatening to flood the flume and flood Creede. He would drive a loader into the ponds above Creede and remove barriers so the water could run through the flume instead of flood the town. It was incredible to watch him in the pond moving debris. We would all hold our breath hoping the loader wouldn’t turn over, hoping he could move the obstacles before the water rose too high, and he managed to do it every time. It was our own form of theater every spring!

Rocky passed peacefully at his winter home in Arizona surrounded by family on February 27, 2022. Rocky’s family is incredibly proud of the legacy Rocky left, as is the Creede community. Rocky would be embarrassed by any accolades so we will leave it here: Rocky was the epitome of all the good things about Creede. Thank you for honoring him by honoring Creede. –Susan Birdsey

Phil Leggitt

1941-2022

Founding Jaycee Member

“So, a guy walks into a bar…” That’s how a story typically starts right? Well, not the story of Phil Leggitt. His begins with: “a miner dressed in a clown outfit, who just happens to be the local sheriff, rides a horse into a bar…”

Phil wore many hats in this community. That of a young, outgoing boy, one-of-sixteen children, in a family searching for that silver lining in a place called the Amethyst Vein. Phil’s community involvement began early. He developed a knack for chit-chat and personal connections. He then traded in his ball cap for a cowboy hat.

There was not a mountain range or river valley that Phil hadn’t set his eyes on or touched with his own two feet. But the hills can get lonely for a social man and with that, Phil branched out and began working for the local ranches in the area. He made a reputation for himself and soon became the head wrangler/hunting guide for the Cottonwood Cove and 4UR Ranch.

He was a dedicated miner who took pride in working hard. Yet, in true Phil fashion, he also held the title of a prankster. This is where riding his horse into the bars of Creede during the 4th of July dressed as a clown began.

If there was something that Phil felt would benefit the town, he was all in. It is this passion that he had for the place he called home that motivated him to become so involved in the community. Part of that involvement was with the Jaycees, who were instrumental in starting the theater. He was proud to be involved with the beginning of the present day Creede Repertory Theatre and would tell stories of how everyone pitched in for the 'theater kids', getting them settled in rooms, rebuilding the stage in the old theater, and feeding everyone.

With the newfound fame Creede was getting, Phil set his eyes on what he knew best: being an ambassador for the people of Creede. So, with a raise of a right hand and a tilt of that ole cowboy hat, Sheriff Phil Leggitt was born. He wore that badge with honor for 24 years. Locals say that Sheriff Phil was a legend, the face of Creede. He may not have been on the CRT stage, but he was the lead role in this little town we call Creede. I tip my hat to you, while I hang yours up for the last time, Dad. Bravo to one hell of a performance. – Nancy and Diana Leggitt

1992-2020

The KID Show Participant 2005 & 2006

Jordi was a ray of light. Jordi was a sunbeam. I was lucky enough to work with Jordi during the first years of The KID Show, and it is such a privilege to have known her as a child. It is a privilege to carry memories of her old-soul eyes, her understated sense of humor, her silliness, her sweetness. And her light.

I remember how much I loved being in her presence. How she carried a grounded warmth inside her like a little sun. How she warmed a room just by walking into it.

I remember how game she was to dive into the creative process of The KID Show – even the totally weird parts like paper mache-ing goblin masks and building tiny knight puppets out of cardboard and masking tape.

I remember the little glance she would give me once in a while during dress rehearsals; wearing her goblin costume or puppeteering tiny knights, she would look at me with an expression that asked, “Can you believe we’re doing this?” And I couldn’t. I couldn’t believe it. We got to spend our time creating moments of wonder and play and magic in a world that is constantly breaking our hearts.

Jordi’s dad Scotty shared with me that after her death, he received so many notes from so many people including “Jordi was a very bright light in a very dark place.” She was indeed.

Jordi was a ray of light. Jordi was a sunbeam.

We miss her. – Renée Prince

Devin Powers

1987-2021

CRT Company Member 2001 The KID Show Participant 2004 & 2005

Devin Charles Powers passed away on November 28th, 2021. Devin began his journey at CRT in 2001 in Our Town as the paperboy. Devin found many creative ways of contributing to The KID Show. He performed in The Minpins, the second-ever The KID Show, and helped build many of the puppets in The Rainbow Goblins” Devin loved performing and was a very talented musician. He has also appeared in performances of Cabaret at CRT and A Christmas Carol with the community theater. Devin will be greatly missed by all who knew him. – Erin Powers Schrag

When Devin and his family moved to Creede in the late 90s, we sparked a friendship based on a shared love of projects and creation. As a result, my middle childhood years were dominated by time spent on Devin and Erin’s family ranch and a revolving door of other friends.

We always had a project going between the time-specific practice of waiting a whole day for a song to download on Napster. These projects were never started and abandoned like most childhood ventures, but instead endeavors that spanned multiple weeks of our long, golden summers in Creede. We built a (OSHA approved, I assure you) zipline from a heavy plastic baby swing, carabiners, and nylon rope. We designed and constructed a complex, sprawling fantasy board game that one had to play standing around the dining room table. We built obstacle courses for ferrets and even wrote a pretty good chunk of a sci-fi screenplay, the premise of which I still believe has legs. We made movies, too, including a “Blair Witch” style horror film and a Dixie Chicks music video. There was a slight stretch of sand on the riverbanks that we decorated and declared ‘Tiki Beach,’ which became our annual escape to the tropics. Cooking was another experimental art Devin loved. I remember wrapping jalapeños in bacon for the grill and deciding whether it would be better to deep fry a strawberry or a banana. Devin was the creative driving force for all of this.

His great love was music, and he wrote haunting, gentle songs on his guitar. The music shadowed him throughout his life. When the need for doing projects was replaced by the complexities of young adulthood, his guitar remained an outlet and tied him to a world that was good. Devin was a friend, a confidante; he loved deeply and was loved by many. Rest in peace, good buddy. – Allison Quiller