Finding words to express the magnitude of loss and feelings the EasyCare family is dealing with is difficult, to say the least. The shock is still lingering and the tears flow far more easily than words. Here are a few thoughts and tributes from the EasyCare family:
From Dee Reiter
Kevin and I arrived at EasyCare within a month of each other in 2010. From the start, Kevin became my “go-to guy” for his warmth, charm, knowledge, his willingness to always be there for me and he earned my trust very quickly. I loved his work ethic, his big smile, his quick wit, his sarcasm and his gentleness.
He was always my biggest fan in sharing my successes. In one of my last emails to him, I told him that my main concern was to exceed his goals for me and then we would both be happy. Kevin’s one word reply, “Amen.” He was my boss, my motivator, my friend.
We identified with each other as the “two worriers” in the company and both (laughingly) admitted that neither of us would ever change.
In 2010, Kevin and I flew to Massachusetts for Equine Affaire and spent five days together. You learn a lot about your teammate in five days of being together constantly. We are both the coffee drinking champions of EasyCare and it was a constant battle of Dunkin vs Starbucks. It was during this time that we both found ourselves, not only new to EasyCare, but new to our trade show booth and how I earned Kevin’s nickname, “Dee-vious” in getting (borrowing) the parts and pieces to put a trade show booth together. That name stuck until Wednesday, June 29, 2016. It was a name that endeared me to Kevin and now makes my cry.
Kevin’s hugs were the best and the last hug he gave me, he hung on for an extra long time. I wish he would have hung on so much longer.
Kevin, my heart is broken and I will miss you forever.
From Nancy Fredrick
Kevin, sweet Kevin…..you will be missed and loved forever.
From our first meeting here at EasyCare in 2010, you were a “Breath of Fresh Air”. Your smile was contagious. One look at you and a person could not help but smile back. Your happy attitude was so infectious. You have always been so gracious, forgiving and eloquent in everything you did and all interactions with everyone. You just had a way with words to make every person you came in contact with feel special.
I feel blessed to the moon and back that we had such a great connection these past six years.
My heart is broken that you are gone from this EasyCare family….but your memory and smile will live on forever for all of us.
Love you Bunches mi Amigo!!!!! Via con Dios~
From Kathy Sherer
Kevin had so many wonderful qualities but if I had to choose just one word to describe him, it would be “kind.”
The first time I met Kevin was shortly after he had moved to Durango. He needed pasture for his beloved horses, and I was the lucky one who had what he needed. When I met this handsome, gentle man, it was love at first sight. That sweet smile and adorable accent were like a magnet. When I saw him interact with his horses, I could see how patient and loving he was. I can still see that cute little grin of his as he stood and watched them like a proud father.
Every day, when his truck showed up, I always went out to see him. “Hello, lovie” is how he always greeted me, and it would make me smile every time. More than once, I jokingly asked Kevin if I could adopt him. My mothering instinct was telling me that this very gentle spirit needed to be protected.
On his visits, we sometimes talked about the possibility of my becoming part of the EasyCare team, but the timing wasn’t right until four months ago when I became a part-time Customer Service Representative. This is when I got to see another side to Kevin. As our beloved leader, he was not only kind, but he was also supportive, patient, encouraging, and obviously brilliant. We depended on him in every way.
Kevin would be happy to see how his EasyCare family is caring for each other as we pull together in his absence. If one of us is struggling, another team member steps in. If someone needs a hug, there’s always one available. The team that he built is closer than ever, and I know he’s smiling about that.
I’ll see you on the other side, lovie.
From Shari Murray
I already miss so much Kevin calling me on the phone and calling me “lovie”. "How are you lovie? How is your day going?" When Kevin asked, you could tell he really cared about how my day was going and how I was. He would ask me every time I talked to him “How is Mr. Muggles doing?” Kevin had a way about him that made everyone he had contact with feel special.
From Devan Mills
Kevs, I have been lucky enough in my life to meet a lot of wonderful people and there are a handful of those people that have made a profound impact on my life both professionally and personally, Mr. Myers you are certainly one of them. After coming to interview with EasyCare I ran into you, Derrick and Rebecca at the local Mexican joint, you of course greeted me with that big smile and told me, “These are your peeps” I did not have the job with EasyCare yet but after you said that I wanted nothing more to be one of those peeps, and thank you for letting me be one of your peeps. Kevin thank you for always encouraging me in the office and trusting me with projects that I would have never trusted myself with, you have helped me become a more confident person I will be eternally grateful for that. I have had conversations will my fellow employees about how EasyCare has very passionate employees, looking back you made us more passionate about what we do, your passion and knowledge rubbed off on all of us. Another person that made a huge impact on me life once told me ‘Devan, you ride for the brand sometimes that is hard to find in a person’ it took me sometime to figure out what he meant by that, but Kevin you most definitely rode for the brand; fiercely loyal, extremely passionate and never gave up until the job was done in both your personal and professional life. Thank you for always caring about how I was doing and genuinely wanting to know, always making sure myself and horses were taken care of. I am going to miss running into you after work in Falls Creek on horseback and being amazed that you somehow did 18 miles on your horse up there, Falls Creek is going to be missing a big piece of what made it so special. Our trip to Tucson last fall I learned so much about you which made me respect you on so many levels and also left me wondering “When does Kevin sleep, he does so much?” thank you for also answering every single question I had about saguaro cactus, I'm sure you were thinking “This girl needs to get out more.” Thank you for being a part of my journey in life, I am going to miss you as a leader, mentor and friend. Rest easy, although it was much too soon you certainly earned it.
With the utmost respect- Devs
From Jean Welch
Before I started working at EasyCare, I was first introduced to Kevin through his Blogs. My first impressions of him were that he was adorable, funny, and clearly committed to helping horses. His English humor and wit came through in his writings. I read everything he wrote, never thinking that one day I would actually meet him, let alone work at the same Company. He was an accomplished endurance rider, an actual Tevis rider! He was somewhat of a superstar/celebrity in my book.
When I finally had the honor of meeting him, I was so nervous, but his warm smile greeted me as if we were longtime friends. He looked me in the eye and shook my hand and made me feel at ease.
As our friendship grew, he became more like a brother, sharing his knowledge, insights, words of wisdom, and dreams of the future. He had this uncanny way of diffusing a tense situation into something to giggle about. He has been a great inspiration to me, and I will miss him terribly.
From Rebecca Balboni
Oh Kevy, my most favorite leprechaun, I so hope you have found the peace that eluded you in this life. I am grateful for your leadership and mentoring in the office, for our adventures into the wilds of Colorado (sometimes the wilds of downtown), and for every precious mile ridden together. You, kind sir, could sure turn a phrase. You were a phenomenal chef, a horseman beyond compare, a scholar, and a loyal friend. I miss our banter and your infectious 1,000 watt grin. I don’t know how you did it, but you managed to “get” every person who came across your path. So kind and generous with your words, you were the best at making everyone comfortable. A diplomat in the truest sense of the word. You were the anti-awkward. You taught me so many lessons about how to be-just by being your inimitable self. Thank you for our short time together. You have changed my life in ways you could never imagine. Ride on, Kevin, ride on and on and on.
From Debbie Schwiebert
Dear Kevin,
Man, you worked hard and played hard. Sometimes I wondered how in the world you were able to do it all but that’s just how you rolled.
We shared some great times riding together and laughed until we cried during the EasyCare photo shoots. I’ll confess I was never more stoked than to fix you up with a “real hat”! You wore it well my friend. Good times and special memories.
Your life made a difference, thank you.
From Christoph Schork, The Bootmeister
Kevy!!
Kevin left us hanging. I cannot help wondering where I failed him and what I missed during the last few months of his life. I still have not come up with an answer and I might never come up with one. So I am left with the memories of Kevy, how I often called him endearingly, and what he meant to me.
Few people have touched my life the way Kevin has. He was a person of infallible character, a man with high morals, a person that listened to everybody patiently and never failed to give advice when asked. Kevin also was a man of highest intellectual capacity. Witty, smart, funny and mentally stimulating,
these were some of his outstanding personal traits. There was not one single topic I could not discuss with him. His understanding of the world was refreshing. Tolerant in every respect, yet a man with conviction. For years we worked together within the EasyCare family. Highly professional and
knowledgeable in every aspect of the business, I could always rely on Kevin to come up with a solution to any problems that came up.
Kevin made work to be fun. His joyfulness, smile and laughter was contagious and will be a part of me forever. In private, we spent countless hours riding together on our horses, riding bikes, running or just sitting and discussing politics, history and life. Kevin also took active part in other peoples success. His friends accomplishments made him happy. I feel privileged to call him my friend. His memory will be with me for the rest of my life. I will miss
him. He left a big void in my life.
From Becky Caldwell
Kev,
When we first met, I was at a turning point in my life where I felt like my world had been flipped upside down and I was starting over from scratch. I was terrified and insecure. But when I walked through those doors for my first official EasyCare interview, I was overtaken by your incredible smile. I was instantly at ease, as though I had known you my whole life. Over the past few years you've challenged me, encouraged me, empowered me to take on any new challenge with confidence and grace, and quickly became a very important part of my family. You supported me through the hard times and celebrated with me through the great times.
Over this last week, my heart has been flooded with memories of you. In this swirling video reel playing over and over in my head, there is one specific memory that stands out above the rest. It was a beautiful Spring day and you and I decided to go for a run after work. Even though there was a slight chance of rain, we headed up Junction Creek and made our way up to Gudy's Rest. As we began our descent, it started to sprinkle. Then it started to rain………no, it started to POUR!! You and I ran, giggling and smiling like little kids, through calf deep mud puddles and what seemed like a river washing us down the trail. When we got back to the car, we were both soaked and my face hurt from laughing so hard and smiling so big. I'll never forget the smile on your soaking wet face that day. It is a vision I will carry with me always. Although you're no longer here with me, and I don't get to see that incredible smile every day, I know you're not truly gone. You are still here with me……with all of us who love you. And through this broken heart, my comfort comes in knowing that you are finally at peace, and that you will forever be laughing and smiling, and splashing through mud puddles.
Fly free, my friend. I love you, Kev.
The EasyCare family is sending love to all who knew and loved Kevin. "Have patience with everything that remains unsolved in your heart."
Peace to you all.
