Lodge owner, skier, community activist Pete Stone dies at 66

Community activist and avid skier Pete Stone died Saturday, Sept. 7, at his home with members of his family with him. He was 66 years old. He died of lymphoma and complications with cystic fibrosis.

He was born Nov. 4, 1935, in Mosinee, Wis., the son of Gert and Peb Stone. After graduating from Mosinee High School, he attended Dartmouth College in Hanover, N.H., for two years, where he was a member of the ski racing team and Kappa Sigma fraternity.

He transferred to the University of Utah in Salt Lake City because there was better snow to be found there. In Salt Lake, he was a campus leader and earned a degree in business and economics.

In June 1960, he married Ruth Dangerfield, whom he had met in college. They were married in the chapel of the First Presbyterian Church in Salt Lake. They celebrated their 42nd wedding anniversary this summer.

For a year and a half, Pete worked in the Midwest for the 3M Company, and then, wishing to get back to the mountains, he took a job with Warner Chilcott in Boulder. While living in Boulder he served on the ski patrol in Winter Park for nine years.

As a teenager in the early 1950s, Pete had come to Aspen with his father, staying at the Prospector Lodge, which had been built in 1947 by Ginny Horne. From then on Pete dreamed of living in Aspen and owning a ski lodge.

That dream came true when he and Ruth moved to Aspen on Sept. 1, 1969, and bought the Prospector from Ginny (Horne) and Pat Henry. The Stones and their two children lived in the lodge for six years and then bought a home on Fred Lane. They ran the lodge for 14 seasons, selling it in 1982. The lodge was razed and is now Prospector time-share condos.

Pete was always involved in community affairs. He was a member of the Lodging Association for many years and served as its president from 1970 to 1972. He was a member of the Aspen Rotary Club from 1971 until his death, serving as its president in 1976. He helped organize the first Deaf Camp Picnic and also organized the Rotary Club Circus, held in the 1970s. Having an appreciation of foreign cultures, Pete helped begin the Aspen Rotary student foreign exchange program, and over the years he and his family hosted eight exchange students.

Pete served on the board of the Music Associates of Aspen. He was on the board for the Wheeler Opera House restoration project. He was also a member of the Aspen Hall of Fame committee and served as trustee for the Bank of Aspen (which later became Norwest and then Wells Fargo).

Always a skier, Pete’s community involvement continued on the slopes, as well as off. He was a ski ambassador for the Aspen Skiing Company, he was a volunteer with the Aspen Ski Club, and he was involved with World Cup racing.

After selling the Prospector Lodge, Pete was the proprietor of Airport Liquors. However, he never missed a powder day.

Pete also contributed to medical research. His family participated in blood studies that located the marker on the gene for cystic fibrosis. His physician, Dr. David Rodman, has spoken at seminars around the world, using Pete as the example of the oldest living person with cystic fibrosis. A foundation is being established to raise matching funds for a chair in his name at National Jewish Hospital, where he spent much of the last year.

Survivors include his wife, Ruth Stone of Aspen; a sister, Nancy Stone of Kissimmee, Fla.; brothers Bob Stone of Dayton, Ohio, and Jonathan Stone of Andover, Mass.; children Todd (and wife Tara) Stone of Seattle and Melissa (and husband Jim) Dawson of Montrose; grandchildren Luke and Hannah Dawson; and close family friend Gerta Walls.

In lieu of flowers, the family has asked that donations be made to Colorado University Foundation Genetic Lung Disease Chair, in care of Administrator CC Med. University of Colorado Health Science Center, Box C-272, 4200 E. 9th St. Denver, CO 80262.

A memorial service will be held Saturday, Sept. 14, at 11 a.m. at Christ Episcopal Church, and a private burial will be held in Red Butte Cemetery.