Daniel Gold

Daniel Gold died of heart failure on Thursday, Feb. 16, while skiing with his wife at Snowmass Ski Area. He was 61 years old.

Born on St. Patrick’s Day in 1944, Dan spent his childhood in Baltimore. He graduated from the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy and received his master’s degree from Johns Hopkins University. He was involved in the pharmacy profession for the next 40 years.

During Dan’s years in Maryland, he became an avid kayaker when the sport was still in its infancy. Constructing his own kayaks out of fiberglass, he and the members of the Baltimore Kayak Club ventured out on challenging rivers every weekend. A frequent skier at many East Coast resorts, he realized after his first ski trip out West that Colorado was in his future.

After marrying on Aspen Mountain during a ski vacation, Dan and his wife, Katherine Reppa, then packed up a U-Haul and moved to Aspen in 1983, where they lived the Colorado dream of skiing, hiking and marveling at the natural beauty of the area. For 13 years they lived in Aspen, where their sons Christopher, 21, and Jonathan, 18, were born, then moved to their dream house in Missouri Heights 10 years ago. Dan was devoted to his wife and children, and his activities revolved around them.

Dan’s many interests included music of all kinds, from Sinatra to Zeppelin, and he was an accomplished classical guitarist. He loved skiing, snowboarding and telemarking, as well as sailing at Ruedi and wakeboarding at Lake Powell. His many goals for the future are now unfulfilled, but his family will take comfort that Dan is forever young.

Dan is survived by his wife and sons; mother Clara; brothers Gary (Susan) and Eric (Paula); nephew Jonathan (Jamie) and niece Lissa (Todd), all of Maryland.

A memorial celebrating Dan’s life will be at 4 p.m. Monday, Feb. 27, at the Aspen Chapel, with a reception following the service. In lieu of flowers, a college fund for Christopher and Jonathan Gold has been set up at Alpine Bank.