Delivering bad news is never easy and many of you may have already heard that we lost our beloved Mary Dale Gordon to a battle with bladder cancer at the end of September of 2021.
She passed peacefully in her home in Santa Fe, NM on her birthday, a perfect 81 years. I guess we never really know how many people we impact in this life and how many friendships we foster, but I can tell you that few of us will amass the richness of dear friends the way that Mary Dale was able to. The outpouring of love, compassion and kindness from her many friends and family overwhelmed her with joy in her final days. Mary Dale’s memorial service was held at Holy Faith Episcopal Church in Santa Fe with the reception held a short walk away at La Posada hotel. It was the kind of sun-soaked beautiful day in New Mexico that provided the perfect backdrop to help all in attendance in mourning and memorializing a truly exceptional woman. 
Mary Dale lived essentially 3 lives. Her roots were in Texas, and she was proud to have spent the first 1/3 of her life in the Lone Star state. She moved to Colorado in 1974 with her husband Jim, and their blended family of 4 kids. It was a new life filled with hardships and adventure, however when the subject of hardships came up, she could only ever recall the wonderful time she had running the Tumbling River Ranch. She had a legendary “get things done” attitude and packed a big punch for a lady with such a small frame. I had the unique pleasure of working for Mary Dale and getting to know her as my “boss,” years before she was my mother-in-law. She taught so many young people how to become quality adults and she impacted so many lives, both staff and guest, through her commitment to service.
For the remaining third of her life, she called Santa Fe, New Mexico home. She loved her life in New Mexico and became part of the fabric of the city of Santa Fe. She served her community through philanthropy at the Wheelwright museum, at an outreach program called Kitchen Angels providing meals to people in need throughout the Santa Fe community and at her beloved church, Holy Faith Episcopal. Many of Mary Dale’s friends attended her memorial service, a testament to the love and friendship that they shared with her during her time in Santa Fe. You can feel a gaping hole left in the congregation of Holy Faith and the city that she loved so dearly.
Jim is doing as well as anyone could expect, he is comforted by friends and family and the outpouring of sympathetic letters he has received daily from far off friends. He and his family are extremely grateful for all the kind thoughts.
As for the state of the ranch, and the rest of us here at Tumbling River, I am pleased to report that we are recovering from a busy summer. We went from 40% occupancy in 2020 to completely full in 2021. I think everyone was ready to leave their homes and get back outside. We celebrated many 51st wedding anniversaries and 81st birthdays this summer as the 50th and 80th celebrations were put on hold from the previous year. It was wonderful to be a part of so many family trips, reunions, and celebrations after 2020 and now 2022 looks to be much of the same.
Our summer staff were happy to arrive in the spring, also the victims of delayed plans and school lockdowns. They were pleased to find a relatively normal operation in the beautiful central Rockies. They jived with one another sharing common stories of unusual school years and interrupted travel plans. We had a few superstars back like Becky Brazelton and Conner Gordon in the counselor team, and Annon Blue, Henry LaGatta and our son, Finn in the wrangler team. Our chef, Jo, was new this year but made a big impact. She has agreed to make a second appearance in 2022, and possibly far into the future. We had Jim O up at high camp, Kevin Seuberling helping for a few weeks, and of course, we had Dave Carpenter for a good portion of the summer. Randall McKinnon played music on Mondays, Peter Krainz took the teens rock climbing on Tuesdays, Redtail was with us spinning yarns around the campfire Wednesday nights, and Bob Gaunt led the Friday night dances, helping us kick up our heels.
As for our family, all are healthy and doing well. Megan is busy filling a few remaining spots for the summer of 2022, so call her if you have time for a visit. She also wants me to mention that she is looking for sharp, positive, and motivated candidates for the summer staff. They must love to make friends and be willing to learn while working hard. Our 2021 staff was awesome and truly enjoyed their ranch experience. I might go so far as to say, their lives were changed for the better. We look forward to more of the same in 2022, so send them our way. Our daughter Laney is a sophomore at the University of Georgia and is living her best life. The Bulldawgs are looking good for a run at the National Championship, and we will know more by the time this letter reaches you. Regardless of what happens, she’s been on a heck of a ride. We visited her in the fall and watched the Dawgs get the “W” over South Carolina in October and then a month later we were back for her “parents” weekend. Happy to report she is doing great, and we are so proud of her.
Our son, Finn (17) is a Junior in high school and is working hard to keep his grades up.He will start applying for college in 2022, many of you have experienced how competitive that can be. Aside from school and working as a wrangler in the summer, he had the opportunity to play for his high school in the 4A State Championship for soccer this fall. In classic soccer style, they ended up losing 1-0 to the #1 ranked team. He had a great season and is now on to Lacrosse.
Miles (12) had a great summer at the ranch and was helpful in so many areas. He is at a new school for 7th grade, St Mary’s of Littleton and has come to really love it, though the multiple mass and uniform’s part he is still not sure about. He is busy playing competitive soccer, and middle school basketball while dabbling slightly in scholastic achievements in case Manchester United doesn’t come calling.
As for the author, I hit a milestone this summer…the big 50. In May, Megan surprised me with a mountain biking trip to northwest Arkansas to celebrate. We had a wonderful time and both escaped injury free. It was an amazing trip and she somehow managed to keep it a complete secret, which was probably more difficult than the mountain biking. At 50, every day begins with a symphony of pops, creaks, and cracks, but I soldier on with riding horses, riding bikes, and big mountain hikes to the best of my abilities. We have managed to stay outdoors this fall with the most amazing weather, but snow is heading our way, which is great as it will bring those beautiful green pastures and Rocky Mountain wildflowers! Well, that’s the news from the Ranch…you’re all caught up! We hope this letter brings your family health and happiness in the coming year. Enjoy a wonderful holiday season, and please reunite with family and friends. Stay warm and we will see you this summer.
Much love,
Scott, Megan, Laney, Finn & Miles. Rosie & Winnie too!
