Frederick Harmon Brandenburg II

Frederick “Rick” Harmon Brandenburg II passed away in his home on Sunday, July 28th, 2024, of natural causes. Rick was born in Boston, Massachusetts on Dec. 13th, 1947, to Dr. Fredrick “Brandy” H. Brandenburg MD, and Charlotte Dennett (Brandenburg and later Otto).

Rick was the oldest of four siblings and is survived by Carl, Joan, and Craig. Growing up in the Hilltop neighborhood of Denver, Colorado, Rick attended Graland Country Day School and George Washington High School. In his youth, he enjoyed contact sports and getting into mischief with his friends and siblings. Throughout his life, he was an avid outdoorsman and felt the most comfortable and relaxed immersed in nature. As a child, he loved to take the ski train from Denver to the mountains to go skiing with his siblings. He loved hunting, fishing, and even falconry, especially with his father who taught him everything. At one point in his youth, he even had a pet raccoon that terrorized his mother!

Rick graduated from the University of Colorado in 1970 with a degree in Aerospace Engineering. He was also in the Army Reserve from 1968-1972. During college, he met CU student Mary Florman (Brandenburg and later Villalba). They would go on to marry in 1971, divorce in 1987 and have four children in between, three girls and a boy Katie, Morgan (deceased), Sarah, and Vaughn.

After college Rick worked for a brief period as an Engineer at the Gates Rubber Plant in Denver. In 1977 Rick became one of the earliest Real Estate Agents for REMAX and would go on to spend the rest of his career buying, selling, and managing residential real estate properties.

Rick had a lifelong curiosity about nature and was a constant naturalist. He could identify plants and animals and understood their behavior and environment. He loved to share this knowledge with others. Rick taught his girls how to fish and appreciate nature. He will be remembered for his deep raspy voice, his sense of humor, his laugh, his wisdom and advice - especially when it came to finances and real estate, his unwavering stubbornness, his honesty and directness, his commitment to routine, his sometimes comical frugalness, and how deeply he loved his children and family.

Rick was not easily impressed by flashy people or material things and never cared what other people thought about him, but he did appreciate a pretty lady! He centered his world around his daughters, sons-in-law, and grandchildren. He is survived by his three daughters, Katie, Sarah, and Vaughn, and their spouses Troy, Jason, and Sam – respectively, and his two grandsons Sonny and Marlon. All of whom loved him very much.

A private memorial service was held on Saturday, Aug. 10th with several members of his immediate and extended family. Stories were told and a shot of whiskey was had in his honor. It was a beautiful day with family that he would have loved to have attended. He was there in spirit.

His ashes will be scattered by his daughters in a quiet send-off near a fly-fishing stream in the Colorado mountains.