George was an extraordinary person who influenced many lives. We look forward to enriching our understanding of him by collecting your perspectives of him. It will take all of us sharing how we knew him, what he meant to us, how he changed our lives, and our favorite stories to understand this many-faceted man. You are invited to contribute here.
You can read about him in the articles we'll post, see him talk about his life and work in a video made by the Aspen Hall of Fame, and in the stories we all share here.
The person who knew him best is Patti Quinn Stranahan, who met him May 20, 1978, 43 years before the day he died, when she was in her twenties and he was an extraordinarily handsome 46-year-old. They fell in love and were married almost 41 years. As they embarked on married life, they started the Woody Creek Tavern together with some friends. It was one of many adventures and a life of deepening partnership and collaboration. Their relationship shifted on March 3, 2019 when George fainted and fell, breaking his neck among other injuries. Patti lived with him in the hospital and rehab unit in Grand Junction, CO for 81 days, and brought him home to a new stage of life centered at home, and around his needs, for the next 729 days. During this time, he continued to scheme and mentor others while surviving multiple physical challenges, including them both having COVID-19. The most recent challenge in the form of aortic valve stenosis led to his choice to proceed with valve replacement surgery in Denver. As Patti shared from their conversations, he still enjoyed life, despite it not being what he was used to and as limited as it had become. There were still joys and things he looked forward to, a result of Patti's loving care and his ability to adjust his expectations to new realities. After asking if Patti was willing to help him through another health challenge with the moonshot of surgical intervention, he underwent surgery on May 19th. He went out after putting all of his chips on the table, not regaining consciousness after the surgery. He left this life with Patti by his side, his daughter, Brie in the room and his other children and some grandchildren present through the gift of Zoom.
His descendants are Molly (and her husband, Tom Curtin) of Tucson, AZ; Patrick of Bozeman, MT (and his partner, Anna Williams) and children Madison of Bozeman and Austin of Santa Barbara; Stuart (and his wife Linda) and son Francisco of Bainbridge Island, WA; Brie of Nederland, CO and her children Rayna Miller of Portola, CA and Taig of Nederland; and Ben of Los Angeles, CA. His son, Mark, predeceased him on December 30, 2020, leaving his children Laine of Berlin, Germany, Stephen (Gus) of Garden City, MI, Mason and Max and their mother, Karen Prochnow of Ann Arbor, MI. George's goddaughter, Juliana Pfister also survives along with his brother Michael of Aspen, CO and sister Mary of Arlee, MT, four sisters-in-law and many nieces and nephews.
Obituary from the Aspen Times: https://www.aspentimes.com/news/valley-legend-george-stranahan-dies-leaves-behind-storied-legacy/
Obituary from the Aspen Daily News: https://www.aspendailynews.com/news/aspen-hall-of-famer-george-stranahan-leaves-far-reaching-legacy/article_cad2f848-baab-11eb-b23c-6705b45bb9bd.html
Article and video from George's induction into the Aspen Hall of Fame in 2002: https://www.aspenhalloffame.org/inductee/george-stranahan/
Obituary from the New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/20/us/george-stranahan-dead.html Check out Comments, some of them add a lot.
Obituary from the Wall Street Journal https://www.wsj.com/articles/george-stranahan-made-a-mark-in-physics-and-craft-brewing-11624629600?st=ndk5rhufmwz0ksv&reflink=article_email_share
From the Toledo Blade https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/toledoblade/name/george-stranahan-obituary?id=10907390
From the Sopris Sun (corrections, Frank Stranahan was his grandfather, and he and Patti and another couple founded the Woody Creek Tavern). https://soprissun.com/2021/05/26/obituary-george-stranahan/
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