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Eric Aspaas Obituary

Former Breen resident Eric Knute Aspaas died suddenly of a heart attack Saturday, May 14, 2011, in East Aurora, N.Y. He was 61.

Mr. Aspaas was born to Carl and Laura Belle Aspaas on Oct. 5, 1949, at the old Mercy Hospital in Durango. He grew up on his family's ranch just north of Breen. He was the co-valedictorian of the Class of 1967 at Durango High School.

Mr. Aspaas earned his Bachelor of Science from the University of Denver in 1971, where he was elected to join the Phi Beta Kappa Society for academic honors.

After graduation, Mr. Aspaas served in the Air Force from 1971 to 1975, and was stationed in Guam. His job was to download and analyze surveillance footage from spy planes doing reconnaissance in Vietnam.

Upon completing his military service, Mr. Aspaas worked for electronic research firms in Denver from 1975 to 1987. He moved to western New York in 1987, and had worked as an aerospace engineer at Moog Corp. for nearly 25 years.

On June 14, 1986, he married Kathie Menduni Harris in Littleton.

His sister Helen Ruth Aspaas said Mr. Aspaas was deeply devoted to his family.

"He was respected for his intellectual gifts and enjoyed reading and writing and loved animals," she said.

Mr. Aspaas is survived by his wife of 25 years, Kathie Aspaas, of East Aurora, N.Y.; daughters, Raisa Aspaas, Valerie Aspaas and Meredith Aspaas, all of East Aurora; sisters, Helen Ruth Aspaas of Hesperus and Richmond, Va., and Carla Foland of Gering, Neb.; and two nephews.

A memorial service was held Thursday, May 19, 2011, at Baker Memorial Methodist Church in East Aurora.

Memorial contributions may be sent to the Pacific Mountain Affiliate, American Heart Association, File 30947, P.O. Box 60000, San Francisco, CA 94160.

To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.

Published by The Durango Herald on Jul. 27, 2011.

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