“Life is Flyin’ By” – and one of our town’s most beautiful voices has been stilled (“Singer-songwriter dies in head-on crash north of Durango,” April 23). Greg Ryder’s voice, which I first heard 35 years ago or so – when we were kids! – left me star-struck and awestruck. That mellifluous voice was one of the first I heard when out and about in the bars and saloons, way back when times seemed simpler, when traffic lights were just beginning to appear here, when the Old West still seemed like our backyard.
Greg’s voice, a voice that evoked not only reverence for a simpler way of life and a respect for the beauties of hills and valleys and, above all, these deep and mystical mountains – that voice is now part of the eternal winds that moan and sigh in these still-limitless Colorado bluebird skies. And when storm clouds brew, and when they come sweeping in over the highlands to bury them in the white blanket that Greg so effortlessly flew over on his beloved skis, his beautiful voice will forever carry those life-giving snows, and serve forevermore as a reminder of his enormous heart and soul for us all.
Greg’s voice was one of those gifts that are given freely to be treasured forever. Greg’s gift was given with genuine love, because that’s what Greg did–- he loved. And I love you, man. Thank you so much for being.
Davitt M. Armstrong
Durango
