Theodore Farwell

1931 - 2015

Theodore (Ted) Farwell died on January 25th at his home in Longmont, Colorado at the age of 84. Ted is survived by his wife of 60 years, Sigrid Olafson Farwell, and by his three children: Meghan (Tim) Deinhard, Peter (Sue) Farwell, and Eric Farwell. He is also survived by his brother Norman (Peggy) Farwell, and sisters-in-law Barbara Farwell, Erna Olafson, and Freya Olafson as well as a number of nieces and nephews. Grandchildren are Ian (Megan) Swanson, Perrin Swanson, and Kayla Farwell. Great-granddaughter Emma Lyn Swanson joined the family in 2014. Ted's brother David predeceased him. Ted was born January 1st, 1931 in Greenfield, Massachusetts. He grew up in Montague, MA, graduating from Turners Falls High School in 1948. Ted attended Forestry School at Syracuse University for two years, and later completed his undergraduate work in economics at Denver University. While there he skied for the DU championship ski team before going on to Stanford's Graduate School of Business where he received an MBA degree. Ted developed a life-long love of the outdoors, and of skiing in particular, a love that lasted all his life. When he was a sophomore at Syracuse University he placed well enough in ski meets that he decided he could ski on the Olympic team if he quit school and trained. Thus, he traveled to Steamboat Springs, where he camped on the hillside near the jumping hill, sleeping in a hammock, and working toward his dream. He must have made the right decision in going to Steamboat; he competed in three Olympic Games: 1952 in Oslo, Norway; 1956 in Cortina, Italy; and 1960 at Squaw Valley, California. His 11th place finish in the Nordic Combined event at the 1952 games (a combination of ski jumping and cross country racing) was the highest placement for an American-born Nordic Combined skier, a record that would stand for the next 50 years. During the early 1950's he went through pilot training for the Air Force; after jet training he became a helicopter pilot, with active duty in Labrador and Massachusetts. He loved flying, and continued piloting small aircraft after he left the armed services. Ted worked in the ski industry all his adult life as a consultant in planning and appraisal of ski areas. He was proudest of having designed the first National Economic Analysis of Ski Areas for the National Ski Areas Association. The NSAA still updates and uses it to this day. Later, Ted did literally hundreds of ski area appraisals which gave him a comprehensive view of the ski industry in our nation. He was recognized for his achievements in 1992 when he was inducted into the Colorado Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame and the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame. Ted is also a member of the University of Denver Athletic Hall of Fame. In 1954 Ted married Sigrid Olafson of Ithaca, New York. During their life together, they raised three children and lived in Massachusetts, California, New Hampshire, and Colorado. In retirement, they travelled all over the U.S. but lived in Idaho before returning to live in Colorado. No matter where he lived, he remained an ardent Denver Broncos fan. Ted's family and friends will remember him as a loving, appreciative member of the communities with which he was involved through the years: his family, his ski teams, the ski resorts for which he consulted, the communities in which he lived, and in the Unity churches to which he belonged. A memorial service will take place at Columbine Spiritual Center at 8900 E. Arapahoe Rd., Boulder, CO on Sunday, February 8, at 2:00 PM. In lieu of flowers, consider making a contribution in Ted's name to: the Colorado Ski and Snowboard Museum and Hall of Fame at 231 S. Frontage Road East, Vail, CO 81657 or to: Hospice TRU Community Care, 2594 Trailridge Dr. East, Lafayette, CO 80026.