Charles "Chuck" Pettet

Charles Pettet (better known as “Chuck” to all who knew him) was born on July 7, 1955 in St. Louis, Missouri to parents N. Earl and Jeanette Pettet. Then, in 1960, shortly after the birth of his youngest brother Jim, the family relocated to Littleton, Colorado where all four boys grew into young men attending church, playing sports, and living the all-American lifestyle in a house on Harrison Street.

Chuck, along with all his brothers, attended J K Mullen High School. He was an intelligent and athletically gifted kid and was especially good at football which led him to receive a division one scholarship to the University of New Mexico his senior year.

After his time at New Mexico, he returned to Colorado. But his football dreams were not over. He tried out to play professional football with the Broncos. But, sadly, an injury during training camp would keep him from playing. Looking for a new start after the death of his mom and the end of his football career in 1986, he moved to Chicago to pursue a big-time career in trading for Lehman Brothers. Here, he found great success both personally and financially and met some of his best friends along the way. He enjoyed living in Chicago, but still missed his home back in Colorado. So, Chuck relocated again to Vail to live with his longtime friend Tom in Bachelor’s Gulch.

It's here that Chuck grew his passion for skiing and outdoor adventure. Chuck loved any activity where he could be in the Colorado outdoors. He came to love fly fishing, mountain biking and hiking, just to name a few.

But, when his first niece Jackie was born to little brother Jim and wife Joan, Chuck soon realized driving from Vail every weekend to see them in Denver wasn’t all that practical – an elk even paid the price once…oops. So, to be closer to the family, Chuck moved yet again to Boulder where he settled into an apartment on the Pearl Street mall overlooking the Flatirons. He would live here for the remainder of his life.

Chuck loved Boulder. He enjoyed the easy access to the mountains, the lively people and culture and the scenic views from his back porch. And, it didn’t hurt that it was only a 45 minute drive away from his family. It was the best of both worlds.

Since Chuck never married or had any children of his own, he grew incredibly close to his brother Jim and sister-in-law Joan’s children Jackie, Jimmy, and Katherine. He was always involved in any activity the family did and felt like a second father to all of them. He gave countless hours of good advice and was always there to support them through anything life threw their way - both good and bad. He also had a wicked sense of humor- known to slip a dirty joke here and there- and brought his own unique flare to any family gathering this way. Some of his classic jokes still make us smile to this day.

Chuck was also incredibly close to his little brother Jim and his wife Joan. They enjoyed hanging out together and Jim and Chuck enjoyed doing “manly” activities with nephew Jimmy not far behind them.

Even though Chuck had a full life, the last few years were not easy. He was stricken with many illnesses that left him struggling for mobility and made doing the things he loved and seeing the people he cared about most incredibly difficult. However, besides the outward physical signs, he would never let you know it. He pushed through pain and discomfort on a regular basis in an attempt to stay with all of us just a little bit longer.

Tragically, he lost his fight with his chronic illnesses and passed away on October 23, 2022 at the young age of 67. He is preceded in death by many family and friends. Most notably his mother Jeanette, his father N. Earl, older brother John and his sister-in-law Joan. But he is survived by many, and his spirit will continue to live on in all of those who knew and loved him. He will never be forgotten, and he will be dearly missed until we can reunite with him again one day.