BONE DALE BIKE WEEK

Obituary

Gayla Tippett

September 8, 1953

– April 15, 2023

Former Carbondale and Glenwood Springs resident — storyteller, children’s librarian, arts director, actress, zoo worker — Gayla Jo Tippett died on April 15, 2023. She was 69.

Gayla was born on Sept. 8, 1953, in Kansas City, Missouri, to Olin and Lois Jeanne Tippett, the youngest of four children from that marriage.

After graduating from Higginsville High School and attending the University of Missouri, she relocated to Colorado in 1972 to be with her big sister, Billie-Gwen and her partner, John Stadler, in Boulder. She moved to Carbondale in 1973, where she attended Colorado Mountain College and was one of the original “Smithy Girls” when the Village Smithy Restaurant opened in 1975.

She served as director of the Carbondale Council on Arts and Humanities in 1977-78, and was instrumental in the dedication of the Ben Reed Memorial Gazebo in Sopris Park that to this day serves as the main stage for the annual Carbondale Mountain Fair.

She married Jerry Duckowitz in 1977, and together they had one son, Jason.

For many years, Gayla was one of the featured children’s storytellers at Mountain Fair, and at many other venues in the Roaring Fork Valley. She was also involved in the annual KDNK Talent Show fundraiser, both performing and directing.

The Duckowitz family moved from Carbondale and lived for a short time in Snowmass Village in the early 1990s before relocating to the Isle of Palms, South Carolina.

Gayla returned to the Roaring Fork Valley in 1994, following a divorce, living in Glenwood Springs and completing her liberal arts degree through Regis University. She worked at the Glenwood Springs Branch Library as the children’s librarian. She met and married Ahmen Auten in Glenwood Springs. They moved to Grand Junction where Gayla worked for the Art Center of Western Colorado.

She and Ahmen later moved to St. Louis in 2007, and, following their separation, Gayla moved to Kansas City, where she helped care for a dear family friend, Dorothy Spencer, while also working at the Kansas City Zoo until 2014 before returning to Colorado.

She lived in Silt for a time, and for the past seven years in Cortez with her partner Larry Smith, who preceded her in death in December 2022. She lived her final days in Cortez, ultimately succumbing to the effects of alcohol dependency.

Gayla was preceded in death by her father, Olin Tippett, and mother Lois Jeanne (Tippett) Stroud, stepfather Melvin L. Stroud, and brother Jim Tippett.

She is survived by her son, Jason Duckowitz (Michelle) and grandsons Holden and Ellis of Langley, Washington; exes Jerry Duckowitz of Orlando, Florida, and Ahmen Auten of St. Louis; sisters Billie-Gwen Tippett Russell (Kirk) of Olympia, Washington, and Sandy Tippett-Smith (Steve) of Silt; brother John Stroud (Tami) of Carbondale; and many nieces and nephews.

Memorial contributions can be made in Gayla’s name to Carbondale Arts, the Carbondale or Glenwood Springs branch libraries, or an alcohol dependency recovery program of your choosing. A memorial service is being planned for later this summer in Carbondale.

LETTERS unloading, extending for miles all the way to Bogan Flats. It is sad that the law has to be violated for townspeople and visitors to enjoy their park.

The commissioner's main concern is enforcement of a closure of CR3 to ATVs. In fact, closure is the easiest thing to enforce and would take care of the parking problems and ease impact to the Lead King Loop. Gunnison County Sheriff Adam Murdie could easily relocate their sole deputy on the north side of the mountains to existing facilities in Marble. Somerset, where the deputy is currently stationed, is smaller by at least one order of magnitude.

Momentum exists now to return the quality to Marble and to reinvite local residents and visitors who have written it off as a haven for noisy machines. The commissioners will definitely have a decision in the next couple weeks. Last Chance. Email Gunnison County Sheriff Adam Murdie, amurdie@gunnisoncounty.org, and the commissioners, bocc@gunnisoncounty. org

Alex Menard, Marble

Rams Run

On April 27, Crystal River Elementary School (CRES) celebrated the 10th Annual Rams Run! Parents, teachers, and CRES alumni looked on or joined in, while students from every grade took the course in matching shirts throughout the day, running to music and raising money for the Specials programs at their school. It was wonderful to see the kids taking pride in being a Ram, and feeling empowered to support the programs that expand their awareness, experiences and knowledge. To commemorate the milestone 10th annual event, we had a record number of incredible sponsors! There were 19 in total, and we want to thank them sincerely, beginning with our amazing Title Sponsor donating $1,000: Alpine Bank! Without the support of our sponsors, volunteers and staff, the event wouldn’t be possible. We would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to Ridge Runner Construction, Stratus Group, Comfort Dental, Coldwell Banker Mason Morse broker Carly Passchier, Valley Ortho, Cheney Plumbing and Heating, CUC Construction, Level Build Co., Katie J Photography, Imperio Restaurant, EV Enterprises, SGM, Key Elements Construction, TE Builders, Rocky Mountain Ranch Services, Roaring Fork Oral Surgery, Artisan Fine Finishing and Rebekah Group. Your generous donations to Rams Run are deeply appreciated and the impact reverberates far beyond the event itself.

Watercolor workshop, and at 2:30pm the painting will resume, this time with a focus on one’s “mental, physical, emotional and spiritual well-being using color and intention as your guides.” The retreat will close with a renewal ceremony at the fire circle, and the attendees will be let loose with a painter’s kit, a self-care gift from Uhl and a sense of spring rejuvenation.

Since becoming a mother, Uhl has shifted much of her time away from her own studio work and toward creating continued from

I would also like to extend heaps of gratitude to Sue Rollyson for her time, energy and dedication to our schools. She spent the bulk of the day taking Rams Run photos, and the front page spread on the event in last week’s edition of the paper was tremendous.

With sincere gratitude,

Autumn Evans-Lough, Carbondale Arbor Day thanks

It was a real pleasure to attend the Tree Board's recent tree planting event at the Thompson House Museum. The combination of education, celebration of the lives of two beloved board members, and neighborly social occasion — all taking place on the lawn of Carbondale's most beautiful historic home — well, it just couldn't have been a better way to spend the morning. I'm sure that the many people that attended would agree. Thank you, Tree Board and Town of C'dale for another memorable event.

Linda Criswell, Carbondale

Appreciating teachers

It’s Teacher Appreciation Week and each one of you deserves all the accolades in the world. Though every single member of our RFSD family is important, this week provides a special opportunity for all of us to express the innumerable reasons why we are grateful for the special people who work so hard and passionately to educate our students: our teachers.

Some of you have heard my story about how fortunate I was to have a teacher and mentor who I often credit for changing the trajectory of my life. Thanks to him, I enrolled in college. At that point, I recognized that he had already significantly impacted my life, and I wanted to have that same kind of impact on the lives of others. It is because of him that I became a teacher. I have been lucky to be a student of countless educators who have positively impacted my life.

I am confident that you each have at least one teacher who left a lasting impression on you and if you’re anything like me, you have way more than just one. I also know that each of you are making a difference in the lives of our students in the Roaring Fork Schools every single day.

In honor of National Teacher Appreciation Week, on behalf of the RFSD Board of Education and Executive Leadership Team, I want to thank our teachers for all you do for our students. We cannot fulfill our mission without you.

Jesús G. Rodríguez, Ed.D., RFSD Superintendent

continued from page 24 more and more events to share her methods of connection and intention with the greater public. She hosts yearly Women’s Wellness Retreats at Avalanche Ranch up the Crystal River — already sold out for the 2023 season — and other workshops throughout the year.

More information can be found at sarahuhl.com, including sign-ups for the Spring Wellness Elixir, with several spots remaining at $375 per person.

First Friday Family Block Party and Pride Parade