Steamboat Springs - October 4, 2024
A brief visit to my favorite place to celebrate the life of Ted Serafy, a close friend and mentor.
Ted Serafy was an amazing guy. For the entire 16 years I've known him, I have always looked up to him. I first met Ted when I started as a liftie in 2008. I was assigned to the Morningside Lift, and he was one of my two supervisors. I loved working on the days when Ted was there. He would stop in and check on us and help close the lift at the end of the day, and I always had an opportunity to talk with him.
My background is in engineering, and I found a kindred spirit in Ted. We would often talk about our shared interest in astronomy too. I remember him supporting me bringing my telescope up to the top of Morningside, which I ultimately did. After spending a night there observing, I recall the next day sharing excitedly that I had seen M51 - the whirlpool galaxy - for the first time. With the dark skies of Steamboat, the spiral structure stood out and it was simply amazing. Being able to share that excitement with a fellow astronomer just added to it. Ted would talk to me about his own observations too and often remind me of astronomical events that I wasn’t up on. I loved hearing about all of it. This continued long beyond my time as a liftie, long after I left Steamboat.
Our conversations were not limited to astronomy by any stretch. In fact, most of the time I would pester him with questions about the lifts, structures, and other infrastructure all over the mountain. I thoroughly enjoyed those conversations too. I have always loved the giant machines, and Ted had such a depth of knowledge and passion for not just the lifts, but all of the structures on the mountain, that I couldn’t resist endlessly picking his brain about things. I loved every minute of it, every opportunity that I had to interact with him. The neat thing is that I don’t think he was ever once annoyed by it. He truly enjoyed what he did.
Ted was there for me during difficult times too. In the course of my divorce, I briefly explored moving back to Steamboat. He went out of his way to tour one of the homes that I was considering and gave me an assessment of its condition and needed fixes. And, he listened to me when I needed that the most. He was an irreplaceable confidant.
Ted remained one of my core connections to Steamboat until his death. Every time I made my way back, I always looked forward to talking to him, because I would always learn new things. Ted always struck me as a stoic of sorts - independent, logical, and detailed. He was very direct, and he clearly cared that things were done not just well, but right. I think there is more of him in the lifts and buildings on Mt. Werner than any of us could ever truly appreciate.
I learned a lot from Ted, and there is a lot about him that I emulate in my own life. I have nothing but respect and admiration for the man. I will miss my friend. I will never forget him. And I am truly grateful for every opportunity I had to interact with him. May he rest in peace.
