Fifth-generation Aspenite born to Popish family

ASPEN – Tristan Popish can claim something that few locals can: He’s a fifth-generation Aspen native. So far, though, he’s not saying much.Born April 4 to parents Dan and Sarah Popish of Carbondale, Tristan is the latest member of one of the area’s oldest families and the third generation of Popishes to be born at Aspen Valley Hospital – a fact of particular interest in the hospital’s maternity ward.”They’re like, guess what, we don’t have many of these,” said Dan, who was born at AVH in 1985. Dan’s father, Tony Popish, was born in 1955 at the old Aspen Valley Hospital, which was located near the base of Red Mountain. In the generations before that, childbirth didn’t typically take place in a hospital setting.Dan’s grandfather (Tristan’s great-grandfather), Joe Popish, was born in 1924 in a house on Hyman Avenue in Aspen. Joe’s mother (Dan’s great-grandmother), Jennie Vedic Popish, was born at the family’s ranch east of Aspen, in the area that is now the North Star Nature Preserve.Whether Tristan will carry on the tradition, adding a sixth generation born in Aspen, remains to be seen, but his dad is optimistic.”If he likes the place just as much as I do, it’s hard to leave,” said Dan, who recently took a job in the Pitkin County Assessor’s Office. (Sarah works for Myers & Co. in Basalt.) Tony Popish, a former Aspen ski patroller, is now a building inspector and plans examiner for the county. Both men ski, and Dan is expects Tristan will, as well.”Hopefully, he’ll love to ski,” said Dan. “Then the odds are pretty high that he’ll have a kid here.”janet@aspentimes.com