Connor Edward Vande Garde
Obituaries
Vail Daily page A2; A16 - March 12, 2021
Remembering Connor
Connor Vande Garde's ideal day was carving turns in Vail's Blue Sky Basin and cooking something up on the grill at Belle's Camp.
That's exactly what the 20-year-old was doing on March 11, 2020, when he lost an edge on one of his skis while flying down one of his favorite runs and barreled into a tree. The accident took Connor's life and left his parents, Blake and Nikki, and his three siblings, Nate, Caleb and Hailey, in shock and disbelief.
On Thursday, the Vande Garde family and some close friends returned to the tree where the accident occurred to honor Connor. The tree is located in a glade that sits skiers' left of The Star trail in Blue Sky Basin, visible from the Pete's Express chairlift.
There were plenty of laughs and smiles to go with some tears. Over the summer, working with members of Vail Ski Patrol, the family, which hails from the Kansas City suburb of Leawood, Kansas, was able to venture back to Blue Sky Basin to hang a plaque on the tree commemorating Connor's life.
Vail Ski Patrol helped to install this plaque honoring Connor Vande Garde over the summer.
Connor's grandparents, Larry and Linda Vande Garde of Overland Park, Kansas, also have a plaque on a bench near Gore Creek in Vail Village, and the family worked with the Vail Town Council to put a plaque honoring Connor on the same bench.
A second home
Blake Vande Garde said Vail "meant everything" to his late son.
The Vande Garde family has been coming to Vail for more than four decades. Larry and Linda Vande Garde bought a condo in the Creekside Building in Vail Village in 1978, and it's where Blake and Nikki stayed after their wedding and where their four children grew up during extended stays over the years. In the summers, the kids tubed down Gore Creek and watched the Fourth of July parade through Vail Village. In the winters, it was days spent out on the mountain, primarily in Vail's Back Bowls and Blue Sky Basin.
Nate Vande Garde was with his twin brother that day a year ago when the accident happened. He joked that Connor was carrying around 3 pounds of ground beef in his jacket that the two had planned to grill up later that day. He also said conditions were near-identical to Thursday — with soft snow on the ground and the bright sun shining overhead.
Nikki Vande Garde described her late son as a very sensitive, funny, goofy kid with a big heart. Connor was studying computer science at the University of Kansas and had friends all over the world that he played video games with, many of whom connected with the family to express their condolences after his death.
She said her son was a well of emotional support for her as she battled breast cancer after a diagnosis in Sept. 2019, constantly driving her to chemotherapy treatments and always trying to lift her spirits.
"I finished my chemo literally the end of February last year," she said. "This was going to be my first trip back up here. Not even to ski yet. So I was bald when he died. It was kind of like we had that victory of feeling like we were just coming back into maybe being a normal family, and then he died within less than three weeks after the end of that."
Thankful for the support
Blake Vande Garde said the family is forever grateful to the two physicians who were skiing nearby on March 11 last year and witnessed the accident and jumped into action to attend to Connor immediately. The two doctors didn't want to be named in coverage about the accident, but he said he made a point of sending them Connor's autopsy report to show that there was nothing that they could have done to save his son's life after the violent crash.
He also thanked the members of the Vail Ski Patrol who helped with the transport of Connor to Vail Health Hospital and he singled out Chris "Mongo" Reeder, a longtime patroller and supervisor, for helping to construct the plaque for Connor. The plaque includes a laser-printed piece of granite encased in a wood frame to survive the elements.
"I had the idea," Blake Vande Garde said. "He built this overnight and put it together."
On Thursday night, the family planned to have dinner at The George in Vail — one of their favorite hangouts — where Blake said he would attempt to make it through a toast for his son.
He was sure there would be more tears, but also plenty of smiles, reflecting on memories made in a place that's always been a home away from home.
"I'll try to get through it," he said.
Vail Daily page A8-9 - February 14, 2021
My family has considered the town of Vail its second home since 1978 when my parents purchased a condominium in the Creekside Building. Since that time, we have spent countless weeks skiing, rafting, golfing, hiking, tubing, fishing, and enjoying the beautiful scenery that the valley has to offer. My wife and I spent our honeymoon in Vail in 1995 and our twins celebrated their first birthday here in 2000. For my children, the town and mountain of Vail have been a source of joy and relaxation their entire lives.
The Vande Garde family has considered the town of Vail its second home since 1978.
On March 11, 2020, our eldest son, Connor E. Vande Garde, died in a skiing accident while skiing on Star in Blue Sky Basin. Connor's passing was a tragic, traumatic loss for our entire family, which we will grieve for the rest of our lives. Bystanders, Vail Ski Patrol, Eagle County Paramedics, and Vail Hospital did everything in their power to help Connor, but his injuries were too significant.
The only comfort is knowing that Connor's death was nearly instant and that he died doing what he loved more than anything in the world. On July 6, 2020, with the help of Vail Resorts, two ski patrol members drove our family back to Blue Sky Basin to visit the site of Connor's accident as well as Belle's Camp, Connor's favorite place to grill food while skiing. Visiting the site for the first time was both sorrowful and comforting.
With help from Vail Ski Patrol, a granite plaque, surrounded in a wooden frame built by a Ski Patrol member, was placed on the tree that Connor Vande Garde struck while skiing in Blue Sky Basin.
In 2013, my parents celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary and commemorated the occasion with a bench plaque through the town of Vail. The bench is located on the grassy area bordering Gore Creek, next to our building. Following Connor's death, my wife and I reached out to the town of Vail and members of the Vail Town Council about an additional plaque to commemorate Connor's life and his love of the Vail Valley. In November 2020, we received word that the town of Vail would be placing the requested plaque on my parent's bench. On December 28, 2020, the plaque was installed on the bench as Connor's grandparents watched. Then on January 22, 2021, with help from Vail Ski Patrol, a granite plaque, surrounded in a wooden frame built by a Ski Patrol member, was placed on the tree that Connor struck on Star.
The kindness of these actions to celebrate the life of our son was unexpected and our entire family will be forever grateful to Vail Resorts, Vail Ski Patrol, the town of Vail, and its residents for their love and support as we both grieve his loss and celebrate his life.
With love and appreciation,
Blake, Nikki, Nate, Caleb, and Hailey Vande Garde
Leawood Kansas and Vail
Vail Daily page A5 - April 3, 2020
Connor Vande Garde July 24, 1999 ~ March 11, 2020
Connor Edward Vande Garde, 20, of Leawood, Kansas, died unexpectedly after a serious accident while skiing in Blue Sky Basin on March 11, 2020 in Vail, Colorado. Connor was born on July 24, 1999 along with his twin brother Nate in Overland Park, Kansas to Blake and Nikki Vande Garde. Connor moved with his family to Charlotte, North Carolina in 2006 where they resided until their return to the Kansas City metro in 2015. After graduating from Blue Valley High School in May 2019, Connor was accepted into the computer engineering program at the University of Kansas where he began his studies in the fall of 2019. Connor worked as a cook and trainer at Freddy's Frozen Custard and Steakburgers in Overland Park, Kansas for nearly four years. Connor was especially known for his kindness. Upon graduating high school, he received an award in excellence "in having a scientific mind, great work ethic in flippin' hamburgers, and possessing a HUGE, kind and giving heart." He saw people without regard for color, disability, age, education, or any other factor. His laughter, sense of humor, helpful nature, emotional honesty, and compassion will be forever missed. Throughout his life, Connor's second home was the condominium in the Creekside Building in the Village purchased by his grandparents Larry and Linda Vande Garde more than forty years ago. Connor was an amazing skier who began skiing at the age of three. During the winter, Connor loved nothing more than hitting the slopes early and spending the day in Vail's Back Bowls and in Blue Sky Basin with his siblings. In the summer, he enjoyed hiking all over the valley and tubing down Gore Creek. The day before Connor's death, he and his brother met with Vail Ski Patrol to learn the protocol for joining their ranks. Connor enjoyed rock and heavy metal music and attended concerts in the Kanas City metro as often as he could. Connor attended Rock Fest in 2018 and had the privilege of receiving an all-access pass to the venue where he watched Ghost, one of his favorite bands, from the side stage. Connor was also a serious gamer, playing with friends from all over the world who gamed with him on numerous platforms. His favorite games were Call of Duty, Halo, and War Thunder. Connor is survived by his parents Blake and Nikki (Copple) Vande Garde, his twin brother Nate, his brother Caleb, and his sister Hailey, all of Leawood, Kansas; his girlfriend Jhadeya Lewis of Overland Park, Kansas; his grandparents Larry and Linda Vande Garde of Overland Park, Kansas; William and Sandra Lammers of Woodbury, Minnesota; and Hal and Lynnette Copple of Rock Hill, South Carolina; his uncle Trent and aunt Linda of Topeka, Kansas; his aunt Culle of Dallas, Texas; his aunt Jodi Dennison of Kearney, Nebraska; his uncle Chris and aunt Stephanie Copple of Columbia, South Carolina; and his aunt Becky Copple of Charlotte, North Carolina. A celebration of life will be scheduled in the future after the coronavirus has run its course. A scholarship in the spirit of Connor's huge, kind heart is being set-up in his name. At this time, donations to this fund can be sent to Blake Vande Garde at 8900 State Line Rd # 500, Leawood, KS 66206.
