In Memoriam

Ashley Bain ’94, as pictured in the 1994 Telesis yearbook

Ashley Bain ’94

Ashley Bain died peacefully on May 1, 2021, at Porter Adventist Hospital in Denver, Colo. at the age of 44. Ashley, the daughter of Annette and Harry Bain, sister to Yvette, aunt to Cameron, Ariana, and Kayleigh Bain, lived in Littleton. Ashley was a caring and loving daughter, aunt, and friend to many, and devoted her life to family and friends, and she will be missed by all who knew and loved her. She was the owner of a mortgage company and contract processing company, A+ Processing Solutions, offering contract mortgage loan processing to lenders and brokers and providing mortgage service. A small private family memorial service was held at Horan and McConaty Funeral Home in Centennial.

Condolences may be left at: tributearchive.com/obituaries/20979262/ Ashley-Bain

Herbert John Barr III ’72

John Barr, age 67, died January 30, 2021, in Ellsworth, Kan. John was born July 2, 1953, and lived most of his life in Kansas. He sold western hats under the trade name Johnny Bingo. John attended Colorado Academy for six years. Following graduation, he attended and graduated from the University of Kansas, where he was a member of Delta Upsilon fraternity. John moved to New York City, where he studied music, before returning to Kansas to start his hat business.

John is survived by his mother, stepfather, and three siblings. As John remembered in 1998, “The whole experience at CA is something I would not trade. Starting in 7th grade and being the only 7th grade sevenday boarder was tough. I was homesick for a time, but I was definitely prepared to leave home after a year. The experience unrelated to academics is what I remember and am glad for. The staff was top notch.”

John Barr ’72, as pictured in the 1972 Telesis yearbook

Jerry Dean Tucker ’49

Jerry was born on December 14, 1930, and passed away peacefully at the age of 89 on March 16, 2020. He received full military honors at Veteran’s Memorial Cemetery in Grand Junction, Colo. Jerry was born in Gordon, Neb. and enrolled at Colorado Military School (now Colorado Academy) in the fall of 1945. Jerry was a charter member of the Pilot’s Club at CMS in 1948, studying ground school subjects in the winter and flying aircraft in April from the Englewood Airport. He graduated in 1949. Jerry wed Anna Mae Prime on September 10, 1955, and enjoyed 64 years of marriage. Together they lived in Boulder, Estes Park, Nederland, Grants, N.M., Durango, Lakewood, and finally Delta, Colo. in 1993. Jerry served in the U.S. Air Force, managed country clubs, and spent many years working for the U.S. Geological Survey. Jerry was an avid reader, gun enthusiast, rock collector, and inventor. In his retirement, he ran a private lab on his property, where he worked with energy research, rocks and minerals, and reconstructing gemstones. Always handy, Jerry had the ability to fix anything, enjoyed telling stories, and was known for his generosity. In addition to his wife Anna, Jerry is survived by children Wyatt and Jeri (Steve), five grandchildren, seven great-grandchildren, and numerous nieces and nephews. Condolences may be sent to: Mrs. Anna Tucker, 579 1800 Rd., Delta, CO 81416-3017

Jerry Dean Tucker ’49 in his CMS uniform

Gary L. Wilkinson ’60

Gary L. Wilkinson, 77, of Oxford, Iowa died Wednesday, January 8, 2020, at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Iowa City. He was buried with Military Honors at the Rock Island National Cemetery, Rock Island, Ill. Gary came to CA in the fall of 1958. He was, in a way, a “Pioneer” of Colorado Academy, being one of only four young men in the first graduating class of CA. He played guard on the football team and received an >>>

Gary Wilkinson ’60, as pictured in the 1960 Telesis yearbook

<<< award for the most outstanding player. In addition, Gary played basketball, where his height became an advantage, baseball, and even tried the hurdles in track. He enjoyed the Glee Club and was the Vice-President of the Student Council. At Gary’s 50th Reunion, he remembered CA’s now-extinct football team and its influential Coach Bob Simms. Simms, he said, not only taught him how to play the game the right way, but gave him insight to personal capability. Gary’s family includes his wife, Loni Duncan; his children: Bryan Wilkinson (Katja), Eric Wilkinson (Michelle), Amy Wilkinson (Victor Pattella), and Laura Wilkinson; step-children: Ashley Dalziel-Sullivan (John Sullivan) and Clayton Duncan; eight grandchildren; three step-grandchildren; and Gary’s sister, Jeanne Foss (Duane).

Words that Gary wanted shared at this time: “I have had several roles in my life. They include son, brother, nephew, uncle, cousin, husband, father, grandfather, coach (soccer, baseball, basketball), student-athlete (8 high school varsity letters), student, graduate school class president, mentor, bureaucrat (ex-Fed), hospital director, retiree, politician (city council and mayor), farmer (wheat), military veteran (Navy), and friend. I have had a great time up to now and plan to continue doing just that. When I grew up, I had to learn to fight, run fast, or talk. I picked talking and haven’t stopped since.” To leave you with his favorite quote by Walt Disney, “It’s kind of fun to do the impossible.” n

BY ALAN GORAL

The family dog—Geoff’s dog, Scout— had to be put down. Geoff got the news from his mom as he drove to work. “Let me call you right back.” He pulled over to check flights on his phone. A quick detour to gather a few things at his house in Redondo Beach, plus the bag he always kept packed, and he was on his way to LAX. He called back less than 30 minutes later. “I have a flight in an hour. I’ll be home in less than three hours.”

That was Geoff, always willing to say, “yes:” to help his grandpa, to give a ride to his brother, to help his dad with a project, to plan a friend’s birthday party, to go on a 52-mile hike, or to comfort his dog. Geoff started at Colorado Academy in the Fourth Grade. Quiet and cautious at first, each new friend became a friend for life. With Middle School came sports, and dances, and friends of the girl persuasion. Upper School brought more new friends, but he never abandoned the previous ones. The Baseball Team won the District Championship for the first time ever in ‘06. The boys erupted from the dugout when Geoff hit his only high school home run in the semi-finals against rival Kent. Geoff’s two grandpas were witnesses that day to his triumph and to the genuine fraternity shared by the team. Lifelong friends made at CA were scattered to the collegiate winds, and Geoff landed in Boulder at CU. Geoff excelled as an architectural engineering student, specializing in lighting design. Good student and diehard Buff fittingly described him, but what truly defined him was the way he made new friendships and connected them together. He found allies in skiing, hiking, biking, music, and socializing— and also found confederates in mischief, from goofy Halloween costumes to epic house parties. Geoff and Aliey met in 2010. He was attending the Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane, Australia, and she was the joyful, energetic sister of his

Geoff Goral ’06

roommate. In Aliey he found a partner who was his equal in connecting friends and shared his passion for life. She matched him in intellect, rivaled him in goofiness, and was a willing accomplice to his exploits. As kindred spirits, they saw their lives together as an adventure that was just beginning. A townhouse in Melbourne—complete with vegetable garden—became their home base. Plans for a house in Colorado were near realization. Geoff’s notion of sending his Aussie-accented children to CA was becoming more than just a dream. In his professional life, Geoff designed lighting for famous restaurants, hotels and resorts, around the world. He loved his job and strove for excellence in all aspects of his work. Honors came, but again, it was his ability to connect and make strong alliances that defined him. Over a short, ten-year work career, Geoff sowed relationship seeds in numerous companies and organizations across a dozen countries.

Fond of saying, “we’ll sleep when we’re dead,” Geoff had a love of adventure and a disdain of lethargy—a body constantly in motion. His passions overflowed: chess enthusiast, skier, bike rider, photographer, mountaineer, gear hound, card counter, fly fisherman, softball guy, pilot, world traveler, outdoorsman, fantasy league manager, golfer, sports lover, Eagle Scout, musician, dog whisperer, builder, car guy, wood worker, CA Mustang, CU Buff, rock climber,