Passionate about nature, art, literature, and her wide circle of friends and family, Patricia Stein Spitzmiller of Dillon – “Pat” to all who knew her – died on May 27th doing what she loved most: exploring the world, enjoying the outdoors, and spending time with friends old and new.

Born on October 2, 1941 to Marge and Henry Stein, Pat spent her earliest years in Highland Park, Illinois, before moving with her parents and her two elder sisters to Aspen at the age of ten, and thus began her lifelong devotion to the wildlands of Colorado. Educated at the Aspen public schools, Colorado Rocky Mountain School, Colorado Women’s College and the University of Colorado, Pat met her husband, George, at her mother’s antique shop in Aspen, and the two of them were married on April 19th, 1969. Three years later they welcomed their daughter Kate.

The family of three spent nearly two decades living in Lexington, Massachusetts, where Pat worked as an educator and then as an occupational therapist. Although profoundly grief-stricken by George’s untimely death at the age of fifty, Pat determinedly built a deeply satisfying new life for herself in middle age, first by leaving New England for Dillon, where she and George had a vacation home, and then by creating a far-reaching network of friends and interests while also traveling the world. Pat delighted in the active, outdoorsy lifestyle of Summit County and immersed herself in hiking, snowshoeing, paddling, and skiing.

Nearly all of her travels involved strenuous outdoor activity, including her final trip to French Polynesia. When not out exploring the world, she treasured visits from her relatives of all ages and her far-flung network of friends, but she also cherished time alone reading or walking on local trails with her beloved golden retriever, Josie. She was an ardent supporter of culture and the arts, including the National Repertory Orchestra, the Keystone Science Center; and Theatre SilCo. Locals might have encountered her anywhere from Summit Public Radio & TV, where she was a past board member; to the local elementary school, where she and Josie read to children; to Colorado Mountain College, where she mentored first-generation college students.