Ryan Van Garsse
Obituaries
Steamboat Pilot & Today - February 5, 2020
Ryan Van Garsse, 33, passed away peacefully on January 12 after a long illness. His childhood years were spent in Rye, NY. While on a Colorado backpacking trip, he fell in love with the mountains. After earning a degree from the University of Colorado and working as a field biologist, Ryan moved to Steamboat Springs and joined ACZ Laboratories.
Ryan embraced the mountain town lifestyle and enjoyed the camaraderie of a community where enjoyment of the great outdoors is utmost priority. Ryan would routinely ski before work, hiking up the mountain before dawn. He became a skilled and passionate backcountry skier: many weekends were spent camping at the base of a mountain, where he would sleep a few hours before starting the arduous upward trek in order to reach the summit at day break. He came close to reaching his goal of climbing all 58 of Colorado’s 14ers, summiting 46 of them. Ryan is survived by his parents, Karen and Jim Van Garsse (Leawood, KS) and his sister, Jessica Van Garsse (Oakland, CA), as well as a large extended family and even larger chosen family of friends. A Celebration of Life is planned for June, 2020 in Steamboat Springs.
