Kurt Damschroder

Like the avalanche that took him, his departure takes us. Kurt was our strong, creative, witty, chuckling bon vivant. Kurt, our son, brother, uncle, partner, and friend, slipped from this world on January 30, 2021. The power of his absence, the size of this hole, the irreconcilable nature of his passing reminds us of what he is in our hearts. And will always be.

Kurt was born in Toledo, Ohio, in 1963 but spent most of his young life in Petoskey, Michigan. After graduating with an Industrial Design degree from the University of Michigan in 1986, Kurt and his lust for adventure, his love for the creative process, and his quirky affable manner all found the right home in Park City. He enjoyed so much! Kurt filled his early ski bum years with joy and zest; powder days, mountain bike rides, the odd graphic-design gig, the creation of the most impeccable art pieces, many of which still hang in his house.

At just the right point, Kurt dusted off his degree, and among the days of adventuring in the mountains, he built a business that we all envied. It wasn't just the big things that made Kurt. Like his thriving enterprise at Atmosphere Studios, his timeless and iconic style, diligent house remodel, and place in the fabulous Damschroder family. It was also the little things. How he valued his friends, his amusement at human nature, and his straightforward opinions we both appreciated and cringed at. The many feasts he held at his funky octagonal house that only Kurt could have turned into warmth and comfort.

Kurt absorbed the values he learned as a fraternity brother at Michigan: friendship, love, and truth. He had the sophistication of an articulate intellectual and the humor of a 14-year-old. He had a firm grasp on design and angles and a healthy appreciation of irony.

We will miss so much, like invitations to go for a bike ride that morphed into a need to mow the lawn or wait while he got an oil change or did an about-face to go skiing. The way he could make you covet his old AstroVan, while he had the coolest classic Porsche sitting in his garage.

Kurt often joked about his avoidance of commitment yet was fiercely loyal to his family and those he loved. He developed an enriching and beautiful relationship with Denise Begue and her boys James and Alex.

Kurt had such a love for art and the possibilities of design, the what-ifs of making design better and more efficient. His deep appreciation for life, food, family, and friends will forever define our own mantras as we step into a life with vivid memories and deep sadness.

Kurt Damschroder is and will remain a mountain of a man; his spirit will forever live in every snowflake. As the snow continues to fall, it will blanket the world with him.