In the early hours of February 15th, Victor Evans Garrett of Aspen passed away peacefully in the arms of his beloved wife, Beth, and rejoined the cosmos that he loved so much.
Victor adored his kids, cats, cars, stars, frosty adult beverages, and his band of brothers and sisters from Liberty to CME.
He is survived by his wife, Beth Albert, daughters Annie Garrett and Becky White (husband Matt), granddaughter Lucy, brother Norman D. Garrett (wife Jane), former wife Jan Garrett (husband J.D Martin) and dear friends too numerous to name.
Born in Denver, Colorado on May 7, 1945, the official end of World War II. Vic’s parents seized the opportunity to name their child Victor Evans: Victor E. for VE Day. Victor spent his early years in Denver, and after surviving a bout of polio, he moved with his family to Loveland. He completed his studies in political science at the University of Northern Colorado. Then he moved to D.C., where he joined the staff of US. Senator Gordon L. Allott, discovering what he didn’t want to do with the rest of his life, though politics fascinated him to the end.
Vic moved to the mountains in 1971 and began playing music with his first wife Jan at the Hotel Jerome Bar where the band Liberty was born. John Denver took a liking to the band and invited them to be his opening act. With Vic’s solid guitar and bass playing, Liberty became the first group to record on Denver’s Starwood label, taking on a 40-city tour in 1975. Liberty subsequently opened for Steve Martin, appearing on the Merv Griffin Show and the Tonight Show.
In 1977 Vic and Jan joined with the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band as the first American rock band to tour the Soviet Union. The music and the creativity continued with the birth of their twin daughters, Annie and Becky. Vic and Jan parted ways in 1986, but he remained a proud and loving father for the rest of his days, sharing his passion of astronomy, history, and the Beatles with his daughters.
Vic went on to become a recording engineer and stage manager at the Paradise Theater, providing sound for the likes of James Brown and the Eagles. He joined KSNO radio in 1984 as a DJ and Program Director. It was there that he met his second wife, Beth, and they embarked on a 19-year romance before finally tying the knot in 2006.
In 1995, Vic joined the team at Colorado Mt. Express as operations manager. His favorite job there was to mentor his “kids” working on visa from all over the world and he continued to stay in touch with many of them long after they returned home.
Vic was a talented musician and a wonderful friend: sublimely smart, with a dry and witty sense of humor. He was brimming with a wealth of little-known facts and stories, and as a dear friend recently wrote, “The world will be a much less interesting place without the mighty Victor in it.”
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Hospice of the Valley or Pathfinders. A celebration of life will be held this summer.
The music will surely be spectacular.