Avid skier remembered with funny stories
longmont» Bursts of laughter interrupted the tears Thursday at the celebration of life for Kevin Pitts, the skier who died Monday after striking a tree at the Breckenridge Ski Resort.
“He was freakin’ hilarious, the biggest goofball you’ve ever met in your life; did not care, loved to make a fool of himself because he really didn’t care,” said Rebecca, his wife for 21 years.
“I can’t tell you the number of times that I just laughed until my sides hurt. I mean, in fact just the other day, just doubled over because we had so much fun together.”
Pitts, 48, of Longmont, worked as a software technologist for Oracle Inc. and was passionate about skiing, mountain biking, traveling and, most of all, his family.
At Howe Mortuary, about 400 people gathered to hear family members and friends share primarily funny stories of the man they said was selfless, shamelessly funny, dedicated to his work, lived his life beautifully and had a bright smile that was almost always followed by a giggle.
Rebecca Vogel-Pitts, a Central Elementary School teacher, said she first met her husband as a 15-year-old in forensics class. They went their separate ways but were reunited about a decade later, sparking a “whirlwind romance.”
On the day he died, she said, they spent two hours in a condo they rented talking about kids and holiday plans before he headed out to go skiing.
“He held me close and gave me the longest, tightest hug he’s given me in a long time and he wouldn’t let go,” she said. “I’ll never forget it.”
Their 17-year-old son, Jackson, said the perfect balance of love and happiness at home was when his dad was around. He said his dad was his biggest fan at soccer games and a safety net when times got rough.
Kiera, Pitts’ 19-year-old daughter, said that when she was a high school student they debated about whether altruism — or the selfless concern for the well-being of others — was real.
“I think that the debate should’ve ended right then and there because altruism oozed out of his every pore,” she said of her father.