November 23, 1935 - January 17, 2024
Richard M. Backes died on January 17 with his wife of over 64 years, Patricia, at his side.
Richard was born during the Great Depression in St. Bernard, NE to Lee and Stella Backes. He, along with his five siblings, had an upbringing in Humphrey, NE that was humble, required hard work, and instilled in him the need to provide for one’s family. At eleven years old he was already working by setting pins at the town’s bowling alley. He would later work at his uncles’ body shop where, as he often said, particularly when teaching his children how to drive, he learned to parallel park a car in a space mere inches longer than the car itself. After two years in the army, where he was stationed in Wiesbaden, Germany, he started a lifelong career with AT&T. It was with this job that he was able to move his family to Colorado where he not only made a rich network of friends but was able to replace his connection to the Nebraska Cornhuskers with an even deeper devotion to the Colorado Buffaloes.
Richard instilled in his children that the greatest and most memorable moments in life can be found in simple activities whether it be playing cards, competing with each other in a makeshift Track and Field course he once built in the back yard, or going camping in the canyons of Colorado or at Lake McConoughey in Nebraska. Through his and his wife’s hard work, he was also able to own a time share in Vail where he took his family nearly every July. These annual trips to Vail were so precious to his family that they all returned to the same condominium complex in Vail for his and his wife’s 60th wedding anniversary. Although his wife and children have since traveled with him to places as far as Hawaii, Mexico, and Europe, it is memories of these simpler moments that have and will continue to be their lifelong traveling companions.
Richard was an avid athlete and sports fan. He particularly loved baseball and golf. He was a star baseball player at St. Francis High in Humphrey, would play in adult leagues, and coached teams for several of his children. He also loved playing golf. In the last few years, when physical limitations made the sport impossible for him, he would sit on his home’s back porch which overlooked the 18th hole and watch the golfers tee off.
Richard married Patricia Werner in 1959 and remained married until his death. They were devout members of Nativity of Lord Church in Broomfield since their arrival in Colorado in 1971. It was their faith that compelled in them the need to help those struggling in their parish and in the community at large. Richard and Patricia would frequently feed those at the Samaritan Homeless Shelter in Denver.
In addition to his wife, Richard is also survived by his four children Lori, Rick, Jan, and Steve, their spouses, seven grandchildren, and nine great grandchildren. He was preceded in death by one granddaughter.
