Kristi Elyce

Kristi Elyce (née Brubaker) passed away in Loveland, Colorado on Sunday, August 10, 2025. She was born to C. Darrell Brubaker and Shir Lee (Grobe) Brubaker on December 29, 1961 in Boulder, Colorado. Kristi graduated from Centaurus High School in Lafayette, Colorado in 1980. She went on to earn a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Management and a Master of Science Degree in Management from Colorado State University.

Kristi was the Group Human Resources Director at Penton Media in Loveland, where she worked for 18 years, beginning in 1989. From 2007 to 2015, she was the Human Resources Director at Harmony Foundation, in Estes Park.

For 12 years, Kristi was very involved as a volunteer tent manager for the annual Sculpture in the Park event in Loveland, the largest juried sculpture show in the country. In 2015 she was employed by the Loveland High Plains Arts Council as the Business Manager for the Sculpture Show, and she was named the Executive Director of the show in 2017, a position she held until 2020. She was also an active Rotarian and the president of the Estes Valley Sunrise Rotary chapter from 2014 through 2015.

A proud native of Colorado, Kristi lived in the state her whole life. She took full advantage of what it had to offer, hiking, snow-shoeing and skiing whenever she had the opportunity. She was also a dedicated and highly accomplished cyclist who rode over many mountain passes (much to the astonishment of her sedentary mother and sister). In addition, Kristi was a world traveler, visiting Africa, New Zealand, Australia, Central America, and Europe.

Always creative, Kristi usually had a craft project or two in progress. She was a generous, caring friend to many, and loved her family and her cats, Java and Kiowa.

Sadly, Kristi's health declined in recent years and she left us much too soon. She will leave a giant void in our small family and we will miss her terribly. When Kristi became ill she was supported by her far-flung family, but especially by her brother, Sean; Sean's girlfriend, Christie Wright; and Kristi's partner, Jorge Vargas. They were Kristi's advocates and day-to-day support team.

Kristi is survived by her brother, Sean Brubaker of Loveland; her sister, Jana Brubaker and her husband John Bradley, of DeKalb, Illinois; her partner, Jorge Vargas of Loveland; her aunt, Tracy Brubaker of Santa Teresa, New Mexico, and many beloved cousins. She is predeceased by her parents, her aunt Carol Mead, and her uncle Bruce Brubaker.

Memorial services will be held at 10:30 a.m., Monday, September 22, 2025, at the First United Methodist Church, Sixth and Grant in Loveland. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that contributions be made to the Wild Animal Sanctuary, 2999 County Road 53, Keenesburg, CO 80643 (https://www.wildanimalsanctuary.org).