Kim Richards Mestas passed away peacefully at home, surrounded by her family, on December 10th after a short and devastating 4 month battle with ovarian cancer and paraneoplastic syndrome. Kim was born in Ogden, Utah on May 17, 1958 to LuAnn Maughan Richards and Samuel Douglas Richards. She was the 4th of 5 children and was affectionately known as Kimmy to her family. After caring for her father during his own fight with terminal cancer, Kim was lucky enough to meet the love of her life, Manuel Mestas Jr., at the age of 17.
She always said that her dad sent Manuel to her to help her recover from the grief of losing her father. After graduating from Granite High School in 1976, she married Manuel Mestas Jr. on August 28, 1977. Kim and Manuel were inseparable best friends from the start and defined life-long love. They moved to East Carbon, Utah shortly after they were married and started their family 2 years later. Kim loved being a mom to her 3 children, Erin, Stacy and Ethan. Job changes took them to Price and South Jordan, Utah before they eventually landed in northern Colorado where they would finally settle and build their dream home with the best views. Kim loved traveling, camping (which later evolved to ‘glamping’), crafting, peonies, poppies, rainy days, Christmas, scenic drives, Rocky Mountain National Park, eating good food, adventuring and laughing. She and Manuel forged a life rich in experience and adventure together and she was his greatest support and cheerleader in life. Kim worked for Franklin Covey, Maxtor, and University of Colorado Health (Medical Center of the Rockies and Poudre Valley Hospital).
Kim was the ultimate planner and loved a good party. In her 15 years with UCH, she put those skills to work in supporting a director as well as an army of volunteers, chaplains and other key workers in the health system. She was much loved and retired in 2020, at the peak of the pandemic, with great plans for retirement and travel. Kim’s love of travel took her and Manuel to national parks, campgrounds all over the west, the east coast, Alaska, Hawaii and Europe. She especially loved NYC at Christmas time, Italy, the Oregon coast, Maui and the fall colors on the east coast but always said that nothing beats Colorado. Kim had 8 grandchildren and loved each of them for their unique personalities and loved to orchestrate patio parties with a theme for their birthdays and holidays. She gave the best back scratches, the best hugs and was the most welcoming person.
Kim was preceded in death by her parents as well as her sister, Lori, and her mother-in-law, Rosa. Kim is missed deeply by her husband, Manuel, as well as Erin (Spencer Anderson), Ethan (Kaitlin), and Stacy. Her 8 grandchildren carry on her memory and kindness, Kiana, Isabel, Milo, Mya, Keeler, Charlotte, Tatum, and Josie. Details regarding a celebration of life will be shared at a later time. Ovarian cancer is the most deadly gynecologic cancer and paraneoplastic syndrome is a rare complication with no cure and few treatments available. In lieu of flowers, please help us work toward improving outcomes and consider a donation to Ovarian Cancer Alliance at give.ocrahope.org.
