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Larry Lichliter

Image of Larry Lichliter
Birth Date: 1943
Death Date: February 18, 2011
Age at Death: 68

Obituaries

Grand Junction Daily Sentinel page 7B - February 25, 2011

Larry Lichliter, age 68, passed
away Friday, February 18, in
Rancho Mirage, California after
an extended illness.
Larry was born in Cortez, Colorado,
in 1943, son of the late William
and Virginia Lichliter. He
grew up in Grand Junction, Colorado
and served as a Corporal in
the United States Marine Corps
prior to attending both Mesa State College and the University of
Denver, where he graduated with an accounting degree in 1969.
Larry started his career in finance with Samsonite, at the corporate
headquarters in Denver, Colorado. He moved to Vail in 1973 to take
a position as Controller for Cunningham Construction, a local developer.
In 1976, Larry joined Vail Associates, where he served as Director
of Finance for the start-up Beaver Creek Resort. In 1984 he was
promoted to Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer
for Mountain Operations of Vail Associates. Larry oversaw resort
development, the build out of the now famous Beaver Creek Resort
and the expansion of Vail Mountain to the largest ski resort in North
America.
In 1992 Larry, with co-founding partner, Mike Shannon, then
president of Vail Associates, created KSL Recreation, a leading real
estate and resort company.
Larry served as President of KSL Land Company, which was instrumental
in successfully purchasing and expanding the famed La
Quinta Resort & Club, PGA West and other iconic properties in the
company portfolio. He was also a founding Advisory Board Director
of KSL Capital Partners based in Denver, Colorado.
Larry has been involved with numerous civic endeavors, from
Colorado to California. He was a director of Vail Valley Medical
Center, a director of Colorado Ski Country USA, and since retirement,
a director of the Bob Hope Classic, benefitting over 40
non-profit groups throughout the Coachella Valley.
He is survived and loved by Martha T. Brown; his son and daughter-
in-law, Wade and Shannon Lichliter; granddaughter, Kristina
Forrester; great granddaughters Abby and Chloe all of California.
He is survived by his former wife, and Wade's mother, Sandra of
Colorado; his sister, Glenda Sinclair and his nieces, Tana Coates and
Garin Murphy-Sinclair of California, and his adored pets, Jasper,
Pijamita Barksdale I, Lolo and Missy.
He was an avid outdoorsman, expert fly fisherman, and always
enjoyed an occasional game of golf with good friends, of which he
had many. He was a man that if you were fortunate enough to have
had a relationship with him; he always left you in a better place than
where you were.
A memorial service will be held March 5th at 2:00 p.m. at La
Quinta Resort & Club in La Quinta, California.
The family is requesting that in lieu of flowers, charitable gifts and
tributes to Larry, whose remarkable life has changed so many be
made to Partners for Access to the Woods (P. A. W.), PO Box 348,
G r a n b y , C O 8 0 4 4 6 .
www.outdoors4all.org

Grand Junction Daily Sentinel page 6B - February 24, 2011

Former Grand Junction
resident Larry Lichliter, 68,
died Feb. 18, 2011, in Rancho
Mirage, Calif.
Mr. Lichliter was the former
fi nance director of Beaver
Creek Resort and the former
director of Vail Valley Medical
Center.
Services will be at 2 p.m.
March 5 at La Quinta Resort in
La Quinta, Calif.
Survivors include his partner,
Martha Brown; one son, Wade
Lichliter; one grandchild; and
one great-grandchild.

Vail Daily page A4

EAGLE COUNTY, Colorado — Larry Lichliter helped Vail transform into one of the world's premier ski resorts, while helping it retain its sense of community.

Lichliter died last Friday in Rancho Mirage, Calif., after an extended illness. He was 68.

A memorial service is scheduled for 2 p.m. March 5 at La Quinta Resort AND Club in La Quinta, Calif.

Former Vail Associates owner George Gillett called Lichliter “a first class partner.”

“He was a good guy, great with people but particularly good with our guests,” Gillett said.

Lichliter joined Vail Associates in 1976, as director of finance for the start-up Beaver Creek Resort. He quickly ascended to the company's executive ranks.

“He grew into it so rapidly. You couldn't hold him down. He was wonderful,” Gillett said.

In 1984, Lichliter was named Vail Associates' executive vice president and chief operating officer for mountain operations of Vail Associates, replacing Bob Parker.

“He had pretty big shoes to fill, and he did so admirably,” said Joe Macy, who worked with Lichliter for several years. “He worked hard. It took me years to realize how hard.”

Lichliter oversaw resort development, the build-out of the now-famous Beaver Creek Resort and the expansion of Vail Mountain to the largest ski resort in North America.

“He was good with people and good with numbers. Those don't always go together, but they did with him,” Macy said. “Any time you're in an executive position, you're going to have challenges with your subordinates, your equals and your superiors. He was good at weaving together those relationships.

Lichliter was born in Cortez in 1943, son of the late William and Virginia Lichliter. He grew up in Grand Junction and served as a corporal in the United States Marine Corps prior to attending both Mesa State College and the University of Denver, where he graduated with an accounting degree in 1969.

Lichliter started his finance career at Samsonite's corporate headquarters in Denver. He moved to Vail in 1973 as controller for Cunningham Construction, a local developer.

In 1992, Lichliter, with co-founding partner, Mike Shannon, then president of Vail Associates, created KSL Recreation, a leading real estate and resort company.

Lichliter served as president of KSL Land Company, which was instrumental in successfully purchasing and expanding the La Quinta Resort & Club, PGA West and other iconic properties in the company portfolio. He was also a founding advisory board director of KSL Capital Partners based in Denver.

Lichliter has been involved with numerous civic endeavors, from Colorado to California. He was a director of Vail Valley Medical Center, a director of Colorado Ski Country USA, and since retirement, a director of the Bob Hope Classic, benefiting more than 40 nonprofit groups throughout the Coachella Valley.

He is survived and loved by Martha T. Brown; his son and daughter-in-law Wade and Shannon Lichliter, granddaughter Kristina Forrester and great-granddaughters Abby and Chloe, all of California. He is also survived by his former wife and Wade's mother, Sandra, of Colorado; his sister, Glenda Sinclair, and his nieces Tana Coates and Garin Murphy-Sinclair, of California.

He was an avid outdoorsman, expert fly fisherman, and always enjoyed an occasional game of golf with his many good friends.

“He was a man who, if you were fortunate enough to have had a relationship with him, he always left you in a better place than where you were,” said Pat Peeples, who worked with Lichliter at Vail Associates.

The family is requesting that in lieu of flowers, charitable gifts and tributes to Larry be made to Partners for Access to the Woods (P. A. W.), P.O. Box 348, Granby, CO 80446 www.outdoors4all.org.

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