Kevin John Gregory

April 30, 1950 - October 17, 2012 Kevin J. Gregory of Evergreen passed away on October 17, 2012, of natural causes, while enjoying one of his many outdoor pastimes, duck hunting with his dog Rio. Kevin was born in Milwaukee, Wisc., and grew up in Beaver Falls, Pa. He was a graduate of the University of Cincinnati, and after spending time working in Miami, he put down roots and made his life in Colorado. Kevin is preceded in death by his father John S. Gregory, and is survived by his mother Helen M. Gregory (Virginia); his dog Rio; three sisters Paula J. Brobeck (Florida), Cindy A. Schweich (New Jersey) and Lisa M. Gosselin (Virginia); seven nieces and nephews; and many good friends, who were family to Kevin. Kevin worked as a server at the Briarwood Inn in Golden for 25 years, where he mastered the art of fine-dining service and was known as a consummate professional. Kevin also was able to turn his passion for fly-fishing into a career. An extremely accomplished fisherman, Kevin started his North Fork Guide Service 13 years ago at the North Fork Ranch in Shawnee. A gifted communicator, Kevin shared his passion for fly-fishing and pheasant and duck hunting with people from all walks of life. Kevin's legacy is the impact he made on the ranch and on the people he taught. Kevin grew an opportunity to teach a weekly introduction to fly-fishing class into the manifestation of his vision ��" turning that section of South Platte River into a world-class fishery. With Kevin's attention to detail, hunger to learn and strong work ethic, he of course, succeeded. From cutting down trees, to creating structure in the river for the fish, to stocking the river with quality trout, North Fork Ranch Fishing Lodge has become an Orvis-endorsed fishing lodge, which means it qualifies as one of the best fishing, outfitting and guide services in North America. Kevin also was an avid "wing shooter" and became a certified shooting instructor at the Quail Run Sports shooting club where he taught Skeet, Trap and Sporting Clays. Kevin also found time to take international fishing trips for fun with his good friends, and even though he still often was “on-duty” as a teacher to his friends, those trips were the highlight of his year. Kevin was a caring, generous man and terrific teacher. He tried and worked hard at everything he did, and he expected the same of others. Kevin was an expert skier, who was known to jump from helicopters to ski fresh powder. And, more than anything, Kevin was a great “dad” to his dogs. He always had one or two dogs that hunted and fished with him. He spent hours training them to be outstanding pheasant and duck hunting dogs and loved them as his companions. Outwardly Kevin might appear as a serious man, but he was known to regularly buy his dogs an extra meal at the drive-through or hold baby-talk conversations with them. He loved his dogs more than anything, and they returned the love by being smart, well-trained and loyal … just like their owner. Kevin was a huge Pittsburgh Steelers fan, from his days growing up in the Pittsburgh area, but he was known to watch the games on replay, so that he didn't have to endure the ups and downs of the game. He liked to know who won first, so he could enjoy the games. While the ducks, pheasants and trout in Colorado may not miss Kevin, he certainly will be missed by his friends, family, colleagues, students and dogs. A celebration of Kevin's life will be held at 1 p.m., on November 17, at the North Fork Ranch Fishing Lodge, 55395 Highway 285, Shawnee, CO 80475.