Andrzej Juliusz Ulrych

In the distance I watch a sailboat head toward the horizon, and as it gets smaller, I know my father is drifting further away. The sails disappear, as does the boat and all that is left is the vast immense sky. That is my father’s spirit, larger than life.

Andrzej Juliusz Ulrych lived life without bounds, skied with finesse, climbed Makalu in the Himilayas without oxygen, and Everest, was an explorer, adventurer and architect.

He built the incredible house on West Buttermilk, with the idea that people shouldn’t live in square houses, that a nautilus shell and the Golden Mean proportion were the gateway to a new form of architecture. There were certain aspects of the building process that people said, “Andre it can’t be done!” He would furrow his thick eyebrows, get that glimmer in his eyes we all know too well, and say, “Just watch!” To our amazement he would defy all reasoning, and we would be utterly amazed. There was nothing in life that he did by the book and definitely his passing wasn’t any different. Having graduated from hospice three times, transitioning was on his terms. His wishes to have a home burial were fulfilled. Handled only by the hands of his loving family, he was placed in his new home.

Andre as everyone knew him, had been born May 20, 1934 in Warsaw, Poland to Juliusz Ulrych, minister of communication, and Sophie Ulrych, an engineer for the railroad. He had the infamous restaurant Andre’s. If one looks closely in Aspen, on that historic building where once people felt honored to work there, and others danced by the light of the moon and stars, you will find his name. With his passion for a life lived well and whole, he was instrumental in starting Seeds of Change, a company for organic heirloom seeds. His ongoing pursuit of an alternative life style is carried on by his family.

Andre passed away March 17, 2013 and is survived by his amorous and devoted wife, Jyoti, who made sure that his wishes throughout his battle with Parkinson’s were executed; his brother, Tadeusz J. Ulrych; the mother of his children, Brigitte Heller-Ulrych; his children, Barbara, Andre, and Julian; grandchildren Nathan, Juliana, Isabella, Sophia and Tristan; niece, Liza, her son Sebastian and nephew Jason.