On February 14, 2021, David E. Kitchen passed away peacefully at home, surrounded by family and friends.
Dave was born on August 24, 1950 in Lawrence, Kansas, to Billy and Patricia (Kolacny) Kitchen. At a young age, he moved to Boulder, Colorado, with his parents and three younger siblings to avoid tornadoes.
Dave enjoyed a long career as a chef with the Broker Restaurants in Denver and Boulder, where he was known for his ice sculptures, pumpkin carving, and organizing staff volleyball games and other outings.
In 1997, Dave moved to Buena Vista, Colorado, to build a house near his favorite river, the Arkansas. He married Linda Limoncelli in 2000 and became a stay-at-home dad when their son Andy was born in 2001. Dave kept the house clean, repaired anything that broke, cooked delicious meals, and still found time to take Andy biking, hiking, skiing, and boating.
Dave loved to be active and outdoors. For many years, he travelled to Mexico with friends in the winter to camp on the beach, dive, and windsurf. In the spring and fall, he loved mountain biking. Winters were spent telemark skiing and carefully grooming the driveway for sledding parties. During his life, Dave could not become a bird as he wished, so he settled for skydiving and piloting small planes.
Kayaking was Dave’s passion. He kayaked the Grand Canyon seven times, but the Numbers was his favorite. Because he didn’t like to get his hair wet, he seldom rolled, but he helped numerous others learn to roll and improve their kayaking skills. Dave’s most-travelled run was Number 5 to Railroad Bridge, which he would do with friends or alone, enjoying the walk along the river as much as the run.
As Dave’s Alzheimer’s disease progressed, he gradually lost the ability to continue these pursuits, but he never lost his love of the river, where he continued to walk every day, looking for fish and ducks.
Dave was preceded in death by his parents and sister Susan. He is survived by his wife, Linda, sons Andy and Dave (Cinnamon), siblings Becky and Tom, grandchildren Gage and Haley, many dear friends, and the deer, birds, and fish he loved to feed.
A celebration of Dave’s life will be held on a calm and sunny day this summer. Memorial contributions may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association or Heart of the Rockies Home Health and Hospice.
Online condolences may be sent to the family at lewisandglenn.com.
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