Pat Winters passed away after a short illness on November 17, 2018. Pat was born in San Diego, California to parents David and Velda Ruth Flinn. Dave was a career Navy man, so the family lived in many places while Pat was growing up, including Portland, Maine, and Newport, Rhode Island before WWII. During the war Pat lived in Colorado Springs with her mother and grandparents.
After the war, Pat’s family settled back in San Diego where she attended Point Loma High School where she discovered her talent for art. After high school she attended San Diego State College and she continued with her art studies.
Pat moved to Los Angeles in 1956 and spent that winter working and skiing in Sun Valley, Idaho. There, on the slopes, she met Archi Winters. After dating for over a year, they married in 1958. While living in Poway, California Pat raised her family, worked at the local elementary school, and was active in charity efforts to help the poor in Tijuana, Mexico.
In 1968 Pat and Archi decided to move the family to Glenwood Springs, Colorado to pursue their shared love of skiing. Pat was an excellent skier and spent her winter weekends with the family on the slopes of the newly opened Sunlight Ski Area. During this time Pat was also active in the League of Women Voters, the local Art Guild, and the Garden Club. In 1976 Pat opened the Applewood West Framing Shop. Over her 30 year framing career, Pat was a successful business woman and was renowned for her skill and artistic talent in creating the perfect frame for a piece of artwork.
In the early 1970’s Pat recognized a need for the residents of the NoName area east of Glenwood Springs on I-70 to have a safe way to walk or ride a bike to Glenwood. She lobbied the city and state to build a pedestrian bridge over I-70 on the west side of the tunnels. This bridge exists today and is used by tens of thousands of people every year.
Pat’s sense of adventure drew her to travel. She toured many countries with friends and family. From traveling by train in the northern climes of Norway and Sweden, to sailing the temperate waters of the Virgin Islands, Pat enjoyed experiencing other cultures and locales, always with an artist’s eye to the unique light and colors of foreign and exotic lands. She toured Italy, Spain, and Australia, and cruised the inside passage to Alaska.
After retiring from framing Pat focused on her own artwork. Her attention to detail and contemporary style made her artwork very popular. Pat received many awards at local art shows and her artwork was used in several publications. Her beautiful watercolors adorn the walls in many homes and businesses in Glenwood Springs and neighboring communities. Pat’s artwork is her enduring legacy to a life well lived.
Pat is survived by her daughters Marin and Andrea, and sister Nancy. Donations can be made in Pat’s memory to the Colorado Animal Rescue (www.coloradoanimalrescue.org). A celebration of life event will be held at 1:00 pm on January 6, 2019 at the Elks Lodge, 51939 Highway 6, Glenwood Springs.