Alexander Pring-Wilson

Alexander (Sander) Pring-Wilson was born on February 5, 1978 in Colorado Springs, Colorado, a fifth generation Coloradoan. He died in Colorado Springs August 18, 2025.

In 1996 he graduated from Palmer High School, from which his maternal grandfather, Roy I. Pring also graduated. He attended and flourished at Colorado College, graduating in 2000 Magna Cum Laude in Classics. Sander then attended the University of Washington and received a certificate in teaching English as a foreign language. He later attended Harvard in pursuit of post graduate work in Slavic languages. He spoke (or read) at least seven languages.

Following this, he returned to Colorado Springs. He married Janice Olmstead, the love of his life, October 3, 2008. He later became Papa to Charlotte Alice Wilson, his beloved daughter. Sander's chief joy in life was Charlotte's birth. He was always so proud of her accomplishments and enjoyed his time with her, no matter what the occasion. He gleefully told everyone of her feats, most recently in swimming. Sander loved teaching Charlotte how to do things, like cooking and all about the world, although she was too young to learn his gin rummy tricks. He was an avid teacher of his nieces and nephew, as well as all the adults in the family. We will all miss his tutelage - he was fascinating.

Sander worked for his stepfather's company, LVW, to the benefit of both. He was known as an exceptionally hard worker, both in and out of the office. He loved spending time improving his family cabin and its surroundings, proofreading friends' writing prior to publication, and was always available to help friends and family with his handyman skills. Sander became an ad hoc officiant for many family weddings, including those of his sister, cousin, and uncle.

Sander was an avid and voracious reader. His family despaired of finding a book to give him that he hadn't read. He read widely and deeply in fiction, history, and philosophy. Sander was a self-taught gourmet cook. His turkey and the bacon explosion will be missed at every family holiday. He was skilled in music, particularly in voice and piano. He also played the organ, ukelele, guitar, and accordion, although with varying skill. His baritone voice was arguably his best instrument. We all loved to hear him sing. He had a beautiful voice and a large range.

Sander had many hobbies, including gardening, beekeeping, golf (well, he tried and enjoyed it), crossword puzzles, games and card games of all sorts, and fly fishing. He was an animal lover, at least if they were furry. Sander was a football player in high school and a rugby player in college. Also in his youth, he enjoyed running and hiking. He liked watching football and enjoyed following the Broncos (at least sometimes). He spent a lot of time traveling, mostly in the Slavic countries and Russia, but also to South America and Western Europe. He made friends along the way and enjoyed every minute.

He was known for his intelligence, wit, and kindness. Sander was treasured by all of us, and his loss diminishes our family. He happily gave both his time and council whenever requested. He was deeply loved by friends and family and is grievously missed.

As one of his dearest friends wrote (abridged): "Sander was a champion of the underdog, a lover of languages and Greek classics and detective novels. He had an immaculate memory and an agile brain. He hated bullies, loved the Constitution, and was a total history buff. He loved Colorado, his family, and Colorado College. He wanted to know how you were really doing. He helped people with the law and learning English. He could tell a good story and liked a good story. He was scientific and logical and knew the history and "why" of the most unlikely things - gadgets, doodads, urban architecture, why a lake went here and not there. He dabbled in everything a bit, geology, geography, literature, philosophy, and history of politics. He was good with tools and fixing things. He was a great teacher because as much as he liked to collect knowledge, he wanted to share it. He didn't like lies or hypocrisy. He brought people together from all walks of life. He had a gift of understanding people. He made the world better while he was in it and the world is better for him being here."

Sander is survived by his wife, daughter, mother Cynthia M. Pring (Eugene R. Griffith, Jr.), father Ross A. Wilson (Bette Wilson), sisters Jessica Cline (Zach) and Maggie Pring-Wilson (Scott Miller), his informally adopted brother Edmundo Martinez (Shawna Lampich), nieces Camdyn and Corryn Cline, nephew Casson Cline, and many other cherished family members.

Private arrangements are being made. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Innocence Project, The CTE Center at Boston University, or Colorado College.