Native Trentaz loved fishing above all

Arthur Trentaz, father, fisherman, husband and lifelong Aspen-area resident whose family ranched the homestead now known as Starwood subdivision, died on Tuesday in Glenwood Springs. He was 92.

Among friends and family he is remembered as a kind, quiet man who loved fly-fishing and people. A week before his death, Trentaz caught six fish with his wife on Ruedi Lake.”He didn’t talk a lot but you always knew that he cared about things and that he cared about people,” his daughter Mary Lou Regelin said.Trentaz was born in 1911 in Aspen to recent immigrants from Aosta, in Northern Italy. He and his brother were raised in town until Arthur turned 16. His father, a miner, moved the family to a ranch on McLain Flats, determined to keep his sons out of the mines.With little ranching experience, Arthur’s family began mostly as farmers, growing potatoes, grain and hay before eventually raising cattle. In the late 1930s, Amelia Cullet, the daughter of family friends, was introduced to Arthur at the family ranch. The two dated for three years before marrying in 1940.

In 1962, Trentaz sold his ranch to developer Edgar Stern and moved to a home in Aspen’s West End. Stern went on to develop Starwood, which remains one of the valley’s most exclusive subdivisions.”He was one of the first ranchers to sell,” his wife Amelia remembered. “We were ready to leave. Ranching is hard work.”After he left ranching, Trentaz took a job as a lift operator for the Aspen Skiing Company on Buttermilk Mountain, a job he kept until full retirement in 1979. The job let Trentaz, a passionate fisherman, spend the summers exploring the streams and lakes around Aspen. He would also make yearly trips to visit his daughter and son-in-law in Alaska, as much for the salmon fishing as the undying love of his daughter.

In 1994, Trentaz moved to Glenwood Springs, where he continued to fish until his death. He also tended a community garden plot in Glenwood until his health began to fail three years ago.Trentaz is survived by his wife Amelia, his son Fred, his daughter Mary Lou Regelin, and four grandchildren. A rosary service will be held at Farnum-Holt chapel in Glenwood Springs at 7 p.m. today. A funeral service will be held at St. Stephens Catholic Church in Glenwood at 10 a.m. tomorrow. A graveside service will follow at 3 p.m. at Red Butte cemetery in Aspen.In lieu of flowers, the family wishes that donations be made to Mountain Valley Development Services; Hearts and Hands Ministry in Glenwood Springs, or your charity of choice.Eben Harrell’s e-mail address is eharrell@aspentimes.com