Vincent Botarelli, Jr.

Vince was an active and affable family man, a small business owner dedicated to his endeavors, a passionate bridge player always looking for the next game, a sometime sailor, occasional camper and fisherman, an avid gardener and lover of all things green and growing.  He is survived by his brother, five children, four grandchildren, cousins, nieces, nephews, a passel of grand-nieces and grand-nephews, a thriving willow tree (the pride of his back yard) and the many wildflowers he cultivated in his garden beds.

He grew up in Connecticut with his parents and his younger brother, many aunts, uncles and cousins with whom he enjoyed the seashore and the water.  He volunteered for the Peace Corps in the Dominican Republic, learned Spanish and how to choose the best mangoes.  He was a graduate of Fairfield University with a Bachelor in Economics and St. Louis University with a Masters in Hospital Administration.

He started his professional career as a hospital administrator but soon wanted fresh horizons so he moved his newly-started family west to wrangle New Mexico water, first as a part-owner of Sandia Well Drilling and later as founder and President of Coyote Manufacturing.  Even in the desert he kept flowers, a vegetable garden and the best lawn in the neighborhood.

Always looking for new opportunities and better education he moved the family again, this time to Colorado.  There he refined his Coyote pump controllers, dabbled in real estate, raced Star sailboats on Dillon Reservoir, made time for family camping trips and fly fishing.  In Evergreen he made the lawn and wildflowers look easy, though his tomatoes were a constant challenge.  In Westminster, he grew flowers in great variety and coaxed the willow tree in the back yard from a skinny sapling into a huge umbrella that now provides shade and a cool place to sit on a summer afternoon.

His children remember him for board games, word puzzles, pumpkin carving, swimming, sledding, camping, fishing, hiking, boating, whiffle ball, cowboy hats, vegetable gardens, the drilling rig he built for Sandia Well Drilling, his Ford Mustang and his penny loafers.

He loved his children and grandchildren, was generous with everyone and always had a smile to share.  Vince had many pursuits over his lifetime, but family, business, bridge, gardening and a well-kept lawn were constant.  He leaves his legacy in his children and will be deeply missed.

Please share memories you have with Vince's family on the Tribute Wall.