Longtime resident George dies

Colorado native and longtime Aspen resident Karin George died Saturday after being diagnosed with cancer in December.Karin, 62, was married to Bob George, president of Mason & Morse Real Estate who died suddenly of undetermined natural causes in June. The couple, married 39 years, were college sweethearts who met at the University of Colorado in Boulder, and moved to Aspen after graduation.

“Her whole life was us kids and my dad,” said daughter Stacey Hale. “Up until the end she was taking care of us kids, making sure we were eating when she was the one who wasn’t. She was strong willed, especially for my dad. She was fighting cancer for him more than anything, and she really gave it her all.”Over the past few years Hale said her parents began spending time at their ranch in Divide Creek, near Silt. The couple loved to sit on their porch and watch the sunsets. Hale said it was twilight on Saturday when her mom died, surrounded by her children as the mountains grew dark.Karin George was born in Aurora, Colo., in 1942 to Bob and Irene Knudson. She and Bob George were part of the Aspen community since they moved here after college. Her husband and Bob Starodoj became business partners in the early 1960s, and eventually took over Mason & Morse Real Estate, growing it into the valley’s largest real estate firm.

Hale said her mom kept her dad “grounded.””They were soul mates and great friends,” Hale said. “He loved to come home to her every day.” Karin George liked to garden, and loved to take care of animals – she often volunteered walking dogs from the Aspen Animal Shelter. She had also volunteered at Aspen Valley Hospital.In the 1980s Karin George was a steadfast runner, completing both the New York City and Dublin marathons.

Karin George was preceded in death by her parents, her sister Kesti, and her husband, Bob George. She is survived by her sister-in-law Glennis Beck, three children and their spouses, Kristen and Steve Fitzgerald, Robbie George and Clara Coleman and Stacey and Dirk Hale; and her four grandchildren, Ryan, Kelsey, Robbie and Savanna, with one grandson due in October.A private gathering for family and friends will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers the family requests donations to be made to the Aspen Animal Shelter or Roaring Fork Hospice, which proved especially helpful to mother and family in Karin’s final months.Naomi Havlen’s e-mail address is nhavlen@aspentimes.com