Alex Pappas

Alex Pappas, longtime resident of Bayfield and Ignacio, CO, died unexpectedly of natural causes at his home on August 5. Alex, the son of George and Celia Pappas, was born in Lynn, MA in 1950, and grew up north of Boston, surrounded by his large Greek family. He graduated from Peabody Veterans Memorial High School in 1967 and in 1971, earned a Bachelor's Degree from Tufts University and a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree, with a concentration in Photography, from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.

After graduation and a surfing pilgrimage through Europe, Alex loaded up his car and headed West, never looking back. His first stop was in South Dakota where a cousin who worked for Time Magazine asked him to photograph protests seeking justice for the murder of a Native man from the Pine Ridge Reservation. After working on a ranch in South Dakota, he made his way to southwestern Colorado, where he led pack trips, managed a small ski area, and generally fell in love with the area that would become his adopted home. He eventually settled near Ignacio, where he purchased "Rancho Notso Grande" in the early 1980s. In the late 1980s, his home was destroyed by fire and he rebuilt it, almost single-handedly.

At about this time, Alex started his own business-Cowboys Custom Horsehair Company-and became proficient in the dying art of horsehair hitching. He created and sold headstalls and related items, using the hair from his own horses. He conducted seminars and exhibited his work across the country, including at the Gene Autry Western Heritage Museum in Los Angeles and the Smithsonian in Washington, DC. Alex then transitioned to creating and restoring Western horse tack, primarily leather goods. For many years, he travelled to horse shows throughout the West where he sold his wares and developed many friendships.

Alex never left the house without his boots and hat. He was a collector. His favorite weekend pastime was making the rounds of the Saturday morning yard sales, where he recognized a good deal when he saw it. He was proud of his extensive fly-rod collection. Alex was "old school," relying on face-to-face contact and live phone calls to maintain his friendships and do his business and shopping. He didn't text, email, or surf the Web.

Alex was preceded in death by his parents. He is survived by his older brother Peter Pappas of San Antonio, TX, his niece Sara Bellamy and her family of Denver, and his nephew Philip Pappas and his family of Kalispell, MT. We will miss his good nature, quirky sense of humor, and helpful tips for any type of car- or home repair-related issue. His remains have been cremated and will be spread on his beloved property west of Ignacio, which he often referred to as his "personal Disneyland."