Kirby Hughes Obituary

KIRBY B HUGHES
December 20, 1950 January 16, 2021.

KIRBY BRIAN HUGHES, 70, of Colorado Springs, CO, died at home, attended by his wife, on 1/16/21, of pancreatic cancer.
Kirby was born in Spencer, Iowa on December 20, 1950, and raised in Iowa, Arizona, Mexico City, Boulder, CO and Dayton, Ohio. He graduated from Beavercreek (Ohio) High School in 1969 and Ohio State University in 1973, where he continued post graduate work in Astrophysics until 1974. He later attended the University of Colorado and Colorado Technical College for additional Post-Graduate study. He moved from Ohio to Boulder and Denver before finally making Colorado Springs his home in 1977. He was employed as a systems engineer for CTA, Ford Aerospace, TRW and others, working in many locations, including Cheyenne Mountain, Lockheed Martin, as well as Peterson and Schriever Air Force Bases. He was an investor. He owned and managed several rental homes in Colorado Springs for 40 years, and was devoted to his tenants.
Kirby was a dedicated and passionate environmentalist, as well as an avid student of archeology, history, philosophy, astronomy, physics and the sciences. He played in the orchestra in Dayton and loved music. He was an enthusiastic traveler, hitchhiking throughout Europe as a teenager. He was ready for any adventure with his partner in life for the past 24 years. They travelled together to 35 foreign countries. Kirby had been active in the Colorado Mountain Club (scaling 2 Fourteeners in one day) and many other outdoor and service oriented organizations. Throughout the 1980s, Kirby was active with Sertoma International, starting a local chapter in 1986. He was active in The Colorado Archeological Society, The Natural Arches and Bridge Society, and several other groups before focusing his life on environmental activism. He helped found "Citizens for Victor" and was a fixture with the Sierra Club both locally and at the state level for decades. He belonged to 2-3 dozen local, state, national and international environmental organizations at any one time. His primary goal was to protect the water of Colorado through implementation of responsible regulation of the mining, oil and gas industry to ensure Colorado's wildlife and ecosystems thrived for current and future generations. He was also a strong advocate for Public Television (PBS) and education.
Kirby had boundless energy, optimism and enthusiasm. He wanted to make people smile. He never met anyone he didn't want to talk to or try to help in some way. He was the most generous and kind man I've ever known, always acting with honesty, integrity and good intentions. He was loved by many and will be greatly missed.
Kirby leaves behind his wife, Dr. Sara Crowner, his brother, L. Robert Hughes, Jr. (Adele Kirk) of North Carolina, his sister Lucretia Hughes (Stan Shurygailo) of Seattle, and two nieces. Surviving him are also four brothers and one sister and their spouses, seven nephews and one niece on his wife's side, as well as many long time close friends.
He is preceded in death by his parents, Lawrence Robert Hughes and Patricia May Hughes (Kirby), and his brother Kimball Hughes.
A celebration of Kirby's life will be planned for the future. Share photos and stories on the guestbook. Please plant a tree, enjoy our great outdoors and support your favorite environmental organization (eg. Earth Justice, Conservation Colorado, Ocean Conservancy, Sierra Club), as well as your PBS Station in his honor. He would have liked that.