Jeffrey John Passehl

On the evening of April 14th, 2023, in Telluride, Colorado, Jeffrey John Passehl left this world at the age of 60.

Jeff was born in Colorado Springs on December 7th, 1962, to his mother Gloria Drobnick (Smith) and father, Larry Passehl. His brother, Kevin, was born just over a year later.  When he was 3, the family moved to Montrose, Colorado, where Jeff spent his childhood and graduated from Montrose High in 1981. He briefly joined the Air Force, and upon his return began his over 20-year career at City Market in downtown Montrose. He married Cynthia Wiltse in 1987 and their first child, Jeremy John, was born in December of the following year. Their second child, Candice Dawn, was born in May of ’93.

2002 brought a period of great change, in which he explored other jobs and was divorced. He thoroughly enjoyed his time at the Montrose Rec. District, organizing and officiating baseball, hockey, soccer, basketball, and even creating wiffle ball and ultimate frisbee leagues. Other jobs included repairing transformers at Betz in Olathe and delivering ice cream to the Western Colorado and Eastern Utah regions for Dryers. While delivering ice cream, he found the opportunity to work at a new grocery franchise in Mountain Village which opened in 2007. That move culminated in a 17-year career wherein he had the opportunity to travel the U.S. to help set up new markets.

On his days off, he would often be found at his workplace. He loved almost all sports and always carried a frisbee, soccer ball, or hockey gear in his car. As a child, he collected baseball cards, which eventually led to collecting historic books, perfume, sneakers, and other sentimental items from his past. He spent countless hours reading books and poetry, listening to podcasts, and watching movies.

In recent years, he enjoyed visiting his children as they moved across the country. He also traveled the world, including Moldova, Egypt, Czech Republic, Ukraine, and Turkey. He was outgoing, yet endlessly introspective. Jeff was an overflowing, fun-loving spirit, a best friend to many, and had an appreciation of the weird, wacky, and ridiculous. He unapologetically marched to the beat of his own drum, was generous beyond reason, a reliable and loving father, and had a gift for spreading beauty and love.

Please join us in celebrating his life at Circle 3 Cowboy Fellowship on 62885 Lasalle Road in Montrose on Sunday, April 30th from 2-4 PM. Feel free to come with your stories and most interesting shoes. If you would like to support the family, please go here: https://gofund.me/874c5e58