Owen, born May 9, 1991 in Atlanta, Georgia, to Travis and Patricia O’Grady Green, passed away at age 27 on February 16, 2019 in Crested Butte, Colorado. Owen was training in the backcountry for the 40-mile Grand Traverse ski race between Crested Butte and Aspen when he tragically died in an avalanche with his training partner for the race, Michael Goerne.
Owen grew up in Atlanta, where his love of lacrosse overtook his affection for baseball at an early age. Owen became an All-American lacrosse player and team captain, and his fierce competitiveness led to two Georgia state championships under coach Jim Buczek at The Lovett School, from which he graduated in 2009. He went on to play Division I lacrosse on athletic and academic scholarships at Jacksonville University, where he started and played a majority of games for head coach, Matt Kerwick. His dedication to the sport continued after his move to Colorado, finding time to work with young players and coaching for the Aspen High School lacrosse team.
After graduation in 2013 from JU’s Davis School of Business with a dual bachelor’s degree in Marketing and Management, Owen moved to Denver where he accepted the position of Marketing Coordinator with Exclusive Resorts. A year later he moved to Aspen to become Marketing Coordinator for Snowmass Tourism. With his “do whatever it takes” attitude and strong interpersonal skills he was promoted to Group Sales Specialist in 2018.
Owen’s love of outdoor adventure in the Colorado Rockies also began at an early age, with vacations to his family home in Beaver Creek. Every winter Owen, with his brothers and groups of friends, came to own the mountain on their snowboards and skis. Days of excitement and laughter were followed by evenings of exhausted contentment and brief quiet while consuming a bowl of his Mom’s chili and a movie by the fire. It was destined that Owen would find his way back to the Colorado mountains to begin his adult life after college. He embraced all the mountains had to offer, and truly lived his dream — skiing, snowboarding, fly fishing, hiking and camping.
Throughout his life Owen found or attracted like-minded people. He met his first true love, Kali Kopf, shortly after moving to Aspen, and he was her first true love as well. Together, they enjoyed many of the same things and made each other happier than at any other time in their lives. He was quickly adopted by her family, Rick, Ingrid, Kevin and Kristin. He vacationed with them on several occasions and summited Mt. Rainer last year with Rick and Kevin. Owen was preceded in death by his paternal grandfather, Donald Green. He is survived by his parents, Travis and Patricia of Ocean Springs, Mississippi, by his brothers, Eamonn, of Atlanta, and Kyle, of Ocean Springs; by his paternal grandmother, Janet, also of Ocean Springs, and by his maternal grandparents, James and Eileen O’Grady of Framingham, Mass.
Owen was a beloved son, brother, colleague, teammate and friend, with a heart as big as the mountains he loved. His smile, laugh, and kind heart will be missed by all who knew him.
There will be a private gathering to celebrate Owen’s life in Aspen on Friday.