Obituary of Chad Tannon Culter

Chad Tannon Culter

February 9, 1967 - December 4, 2022

Chad Culter passed away Dec. 4, 2022 in Colorado Springs; he was 55. Chad Tannon Culter was born in Denver in 1967 to John and Sarah Culter of Idaho Springs, and spent his early years rambling among the foothills of Clear Creek County, part of a band of little rascals comprised of Chad, his brothers Brandon and Todd, and their cousins Tracy, Sam, Leslie and Amy. Chad was a good student and an athletic and confident boy who survived (and probably invented) games involving dressing in many layers and shooting one another with BB guns, dropping rocks into exposed mine shafts, and sledding the chutes that fed into Clear Creek.

Chad and his brothers grew up in Arvada, raised by his mother, Sarah. Their family grew to include Mike Kochis, who became a dad to the boys, and who would later become “Papa K” to Chad’s kids. Together the family spent much of their free time camping, fishing, riding motorcycles, water skiing and downhill skiing, and attending the boys’ sporting events.

Chad was a standout athlete in his youth. In high school, he placed fifth in the state wrestling tournament and was a cornerback on the Arvada High School football team that took second place at state, also playing quarterback at times. Chad graduated from Arvada High in 1985; he remained proud of his AHS roots and stayed in close contact with many of the friends he made there.

Chad went to Hastings College in Nebraska on a football scholarship. He soon realized that small-town living wasn’t for him, and he joined the U.S. Navy in 1989, serving as a fire control technician and traveling the world until his honorable discharge in 1995.

During his travels in Hawaii with the Navy, he met Corie Jenson and they married and moved back to the west Denver suburbs, settling in Golden. He earned a degree in business administration, and worked in several industries in his career, including transportation infrastructure and building-safety systems, and was a naturally skilled sales rep and liaison to clients thanks to his outgoing personality.

Chad’s proudest accomplishment was his children, Zack and Alex. Chad was a loving, intentional and devoted father, and both kids grew up to have his good looks, quick wit and ability to strike up a conversation with anyone. Zack was the first grandchild in the current Culter family, and Alex was the first girl in generations, so each of their arrivals was Lion-King-esque, and they only grew as a source of pride and joy throughout Chad’s life.

A constant presence at his kids’ sporting and school events, Chad never missed a football, baseball, wrestling, soccer, softball or volleyball contest that involved them, and he volunteered as a coach for several seasons. His mother remembers Chad sprinting beyond the little league outfield to retrieve Zack’s first-ever home run ball.

Social and gregarious, he went big for holidays and birthdays – whether it was decorating the house, showing up at his mom’s bowling party in a loud bowling shirt, dressing as Snooki for Halloween, or gifting hand-picked silly pajamas on Christmas morning. He loved to cook, loved music, and had a soft spot for animals, including a six-toed cat named Mookie.

Chad’s passion for sports took many forms. He loved Nascar, golf and especially football, immersing himself in fantasy football in recent years and even authoring a fantasy football blog. A die-hard Broncos fan, Chad suggested naming his daughter “Janelle Way” when she was born on John Elway’s birthday, but he was overruled. Regardless, every year on Alex’s birthday when she appeared at the breakfast table, her dad’s routine came first: “It’s someone’s birthday today … someone verrrrry special … JOHN ELWAY!”

Chad had a big personality and wore his heart on his sleeve. He was generous, giving and affectionate, and was fiercely loyal to those he cared about the most.

Chad is survived by his children, Zack (25) and Alex (22); his mother, Sarah Shepherd; his brothers Brandon and Todd; and his former spouse, Corie.

Memorial services for Chad will be held at Aspen Mortuary at 6370 Union St. in Arvada on Friday, Dec. 16 at 2 p.m. A reception will follow at Indian Tree Golf Club at 7555 Wadsworth Blvd. in Arvada.