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Joe Philpott, in a picture taken earlier this winter in the Roaring Fork Valley near Carbondale, poses with a pair of Anvil skis sporting his artwork. Joe’s older brother, Jim, co-owns the Durango-based ski company./Courtesy photo
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Words to live by
Friends, family “keeping on” memory of Joe Philpott
by Page Buono
A month to the day an avalanche took the life of a young Durango man near Silverton, tragic news struck the community again. On Sat., March 2, Durango native Joseph “Joe” Philpott, 26, was killed in an avalanche close to Cameron Pass, near Fort Collins where he was attending Colorado State University.
A month to the day an avalanche took the life of a young Durango man near Silverton, tragic news struck the community again. On Sat., March 2, Durango native Joseph “Joe” Philpott, 26, was killed in an avalanche close to Cameron Pass, near Fort Collins where he was attending Colorado State University.
According to a letter from his family, Joe had a “quick and peaceful passing after a Saturday morning full of laughing, singing and skiing under a beautiful blue sky.”
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Joe is the son of George and Margaret Philpott, of Durango; and younger brother to Jim Philpott of Denver, Michael Philpott of Salmon, Idaho, and Livy Sparks of Japan. He is also survived by his girlfriend, Kylie Nulty, of Fort Collins; and two nephews and a niece.
Lifelong friend Nathan McGrath said the fact that Joe was killed in the mountains surrounded by loved ones and his faithful dog contributed to his legacy of living life to the fullest. “You’re going to screw up and you’re going to have hard times and you’re going to have great times,” said McGrath.
“... But it’s the great times that count, and you don’t know unless you go take adventures,” another friend, Robert Lawson, finished.
According to the Philpott family, Joe worked for the last seven years as a smoke jumper and was finishing up his forestry degree at CSU.
A picture on Joe’s Facebook page shows a sooty hand above a blurry, scorched ground. In the middle of the dark hand is a monarch butterfly.
The juxtaposition reveals Joe’s spirit – candid, authentic, artistic and thoughtful, those who knew him say.
“He had the depth and wisdom at 26 that a man might only get in a lifetime which was reflected in his brilliant paintings, his insightful poetry, and his finger pickin’ banjo tunes,” the Philpott family wrote.
Mary Jane Carol, another lifelong friend, remembers randomly receiving emails or texts from Joe reminding her that he loved her, and that she made the world a better place. “Joe was the kind of person who would share openly and without reservation,” she said.
McGrath got the call about his friend at 1 a.m. on Sunday morning, and made his way immediately to be with the Philpotts. “We’d all do anything for any of us, and that’s the way it’s always been,” he said.
Carol said the Durango childhood she shared with the Philpotts is a true example of a village raising a child. The village that raised Joe is now pulling together to mourn the loss. “We were friends before we ever even knew what a friendship meant,” said Carol.
Lawson, who lives in Denver, said coming home to Durango has allowed him to mourn the loss of his friend among loved ones. The only boy in his family, Lawson said McGrath and Joe were like brothers. “We didn’t have to talk, the three of us. We could go on a run and the coolest part was just being there and not talking – appreciating where we were and who we were with.”
By every account, Joe was always looking for the next adventure. He did, and was still doing, all the things he talked about as a kid – smoke jumping, surfing, para-gliding, kayaking and skiing, to name a few. “Joe’s enthusiasm for adventure didn’t know any bounds,” said friend Hunter Allen.
But friends say Joe did not take life lightly. He absorbed and pondered things, producing poetry, music and art. “I love the way he saw the world. He taught me so much about a wonderful way of living,” Nulty said.
Some of his paintings mold familiar landscapes into abstract or unrelated things like the strings of a banjo. Some of his artwork is even featured on the skis his older brother, Jim, produces through his business, Anvil Ski Company.
“The wisdom he created and instilled in so many people is still within all of us. I always called him ‘Fuego’ because he was so full of a fiery spirit,” Nulty said.
McGrath said during their last conversation about 10 days ago, Joe was “pumped” about where life was taking him, with goals to run a smoke jumper base after finishing at CSU.
“Joe was the kind of person who would not only light a room, but a whole forest, a surf break, an expansive blue sky, or a whole mountainside with his curly hair, his twinkling blue eyes, his laugh, and his endless gentle, kind words,” the Philpotts wrote.
The Philpott family wishes to extend a special thanks to Jamie Bach and Chad Crabtree, friends and former Durangoans, as well as the various agencies involved with the search and rescue efforts. “There were many common friends among the rescuers and smoke jumper friends of Joe’s, which is not a surprise,” the family wrote.
Many of Joe’s friends remember his signature end to a phone call; “I love you, I miss you,” followed by what now seems like his mandate to them – to “keep on keepin’ on.”
A memorial and celebration of Joe Philpott will be held Sat., March 9, at 3:30 p.m. at the Smiley Auditorium, 1309 East Third Ave.