Snowmass Village, CO - Stephen (Steve) Michael Stay

January 31, 1941 - April 16, 2024

Stephen Michael Stay died peacefully on April 16, while listening to John Denver's song, "Rocky Mountain High." That same song title headlined The Aspen Times newspaper on the day of Steve's passing; clearly a sign from above! Steve lived valiantly with Alzheimer's for seven years before the disease eventually took his life at age 83.

Steve was born in Las Vegas on January 31, 1941. When he was five years old, his family moved to Boulder City, Nevada, a quaint town near Lake Mead/Hoover Dam. Steve was raised by his adoring mother Lucy and his father Frank Stay, alongside his older siblings Frank and Lucille.

Steve learned the meaning of hard work at a very young age while working with his father and brother at their families construction company. He later went on to earn a degree in mechanical engineering from San Jose State University in San Jose, California.

Steve met the love of his life, Sandy from San Francisco, on a water skiing trip in 1968, and they married just two years later on September 5, 1970. Shortly thereafter, the happy couple relocated from San Francisco, CA to Auburn, AL for Steve's engineering project with Ampex Corporation, developing magnetic tape.

Less than a year later, the mountains began to call Steve and Sandy back to the slopes. In 1971, as luck would have it, they were offered a management position at the Thunderbird Lodge in Taos Ski Valley, New Mexico. The couple's awesome three-year adventure in Taos only fueled their passion for ski-town living.

Steve and Sandy moved to Snowmass Village, CO in 1974 where Steve combined his exceptional interpersonal skills with his background in engineering to become a highly esteemed real estate broker in Aspen/Snowmass. Steve's incredibly successful career spanned over 45 years.

Steve had a gift of touching the lives of everyone he met with his warmth and kindness. He also adored animals of all kinds. His former dogs and cats hit the pet jackpot with he and Sandy as their owners.

Steve mastered the work/play balance, for as hard as he worked, he always found time for traveling, skiing, hiking, sailing, golfing, fishing, running marathons and attending concerts with his beloved partner Sandy always by his side.

Together they traveled to all seven continents and hiked many, many mountains in Colorado and around the world. Their incredible travels included: countless vacations to Hawaii, trekking adventures in Nepal, Bhutan, Patagonia, MachuPicchu and Tanzania (Mount Kilimanjaro), five safaris in Africa, cycling in Tuscany, sea kayaking in Palau in the South Pacific and sailing: the West Indies, Tahiti, Tonga and Thailand.

Despite his love for world travel, Steve's most treasured places on earth were Snowmass Village, CO and the small town of Boulder City, NV, where Steve always remained close to his intimate high school class. Snowmass Village and Boulder City were home to Steve in every sense of the word.

Steve is survived by his wife Sandy, his sister Lucille, his daughter Lisa from a previous marriage and many cousins, nieces, nephews and dear friends.

Please join us in celebrating Steve's incredible life and legacy on Friday, June 21 from 4:30-7:00 PM at The Snowmass Club's Three Peaks Restaurant.

In lieu of flowers, donations to a charity in Steve's honor are welcomed:

Alzheimer's Association

Offers help and hope to the nearly 7 million Americans living with Alzheimer's Disease.

https://act.alz.org

Aspen Valley Land Trust

Conserving land and connecting community

https://www.avlt.org