Kim Clark

If you spent enough time with Kim Clark, chances are she convinced you to do something you never thought you could. Maybe it was a backcountry ski tour, a hundred-mile ride, a summit push, a multipitch rock climb, or a trail that seemed just a little too long and steep.

Whatever it was, Kim had a remarkable way of helping others discover their own capabilities. She patiently taught skills, encouraged resilience, and believed that a little controlled chaos was good for personal growth.

Kim passed away peacefully at her home in Arvada, Colorado, on August 10, 2026, after a courageous fight with pancreatic cancer. She was 59 years old.

Born on February 16, 1967, in Amarillo, Texas, Kimberly Kristina Koch Clark grew up in Morrison, Colorado. She spent her childhood skiing, hiking, camping, cheerleading, and competing in gymnastics. From an early age, she was naturally outgoing; her warmth and genuine interest in others made friendships come naturally.

These formative experiences shaped the curiosity, kindness, and adventurous spirit that would define the rest of her life. After graduating from Evergreen High School in 1985, she earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from Linfield College in McMinnville, Oregon. She then returned to Summit County in Colorado where she lived and recreated for over a decade. Although the mountains remained a constant, Kim discovered another calling, caring for others. She graduated cum laude from the University of Colorado School of Nursing in Denver, Colorado in 2002.

Kim rarely missed an opportunity to explore, travel, and push her physical limits. Her tenacity and mental strength served her well in a variety of outdoor pursuits, including rock climbing, trail running, backcountry skiing, mountain biking, surfing, and scuba diving to name a few. Yet Kim’s greatest satisfaction came from bringing others along. Adventure, to Kim, was always better when shared.

This same approach shaped her nursing career. For more than 22 years, Kim cared for critically ill patients as a Medical Intensive Care Unit Charge Nurse at the University of Colorado Hospital in Aurora, Colorado. She was an exceptional clinician and made patients feel deeply cared for. Colleagues remember Kiim as a trusted mentor who generously shared her knowledge. She had a steady presence in the most difficult moments and never lost her sense of humor.

Relationships were the focus of Kim’s life. She loved deeply and intentionally, investing wholeheartedly in the people fortunate to call her family or friend. With Eric, Tysen, and Sierra, she built a life rooted in adventure, laughter, travel, and shared experiences. She instilled in them a love for the outdoors and the courage to embrace any challenge.

She invited her family to seek adventure. Joined by her parents, Kim created treasured memories while traveling thorough Greece and Aruba and exploring Colorado’s mountains and wildflowers that they will hold in their hearts for years to come.

Everywhere Kim went she cultivated community. Whether in the backcountry or around the kitchen table, she welcomed others without hesitation and left her friends feeling stronger, more capable, and grateful to have shared the journey with her.

When faced with a devasting cancer diagnosis, Kim responded with the same fierce determination that had shaped her life. She continued to seek joy, plan adventures, exercise when she could, and cherish time with those she loved. She met every setback with remarkable courage and inspired everyone around her.

Kim is survived by her partner, Eric Lashinsky; his children Tysen and Sierra, Arvada, Colorado; her parents Diana and Jim Koskinen, Durango Colorado; her biological father, Larry Koch, Thorton, Colorado; her brother Todd Koskinen (Melissa) and niece Julia, Durango, Colorado; and many extended family members, friends, colleagues, and adventure partners.

A celebration of Kim’s life will take place on September 18, 2026, at Black Mountain Lodge, Arapahoe Basin Ski Area, 28194 US-6, Dillon, CO 80435, from 12:00 to 3:00 pm. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to Wings of Hope for Pancreatic Research, in Kim’s name. https://www.wingsofhopepcr.org/memoriam.html