Frank “Chip” Richard Anthony Tuthill died unexpectedly in his sleep on Dec. 31, 2015. He was 63 years old.
Family, friends and acquaintances were shocked by his death, as Chip was so vital, healthy, active and always following his passions.
Chip grew up in Hamden, Connecticut, and lived there most of his life. He graduated from Hamden High School in 1970. He studied at Hart School of Music in Hartford for two years and then went to work for the family business: The F. Tuthill and Son Construction Co. He eventually ran the company for 36 years. He was a master carpenter and a master woodworker. In 1974, he married Cynthia Soltis, and they had two children, Diana Dae Tuthill Hoover and Frank Joseph Tuthill. In August 1997, Chip married the love of his life, Bernadette Zemina Tuthill. In 2006, they moved to Colorado to be closer to Bernadette’s daughter and grandchildren. Chip loved being a grandfather and took a very active interest in their lives.
Chip was passionate about everything in his life. After working construction all day, he’d go home, grab his dog “Jack” and hit the trails of Chicken Creek, where they would run 10 miles despite darkness, freezing cold or icy terrain. He was always reading – multiple books in progress at all times. He had moved his father’s huge collection of Louis L’Amour books with him to Colorado, and he read them repeatedly. He also enjoyed the Robert Jordan Wheel of Time books, and the Harry Potter series. He read much headier books – those that most of us would tire from simply reading the book jacket description. When he cooked, it was an organic, vegetarian, spicy madness, usually too hot for his guests. When his meal was finished, he’d go for his version of a nightcap: the piano.
Chip was an accomplished pianist, a member of the Piano Technicians Guild and owner of Tuthill Piano Services. He had a beautiful singing voice and could be heard singing and playing every day without fail.
Chip had a remarkable memory and a penchant for details. Condolences to the family consistently mention his “brilliant mind” and his ability to recall detailed information quickly and clearly. If he did not know the answer to a question, he researched it until he found an answer.
Trail running, hiking, mountain climbing and ultramarathons were longtime passions. He traveled to Nepal to climb the Himalayas, and to South America, and to Alaska to climb Denali. He ran in many ultramarathons, the most notable of which is the Barkley Marathon in Frozen Head, Tennessee, which is one of the hardest “trail” runs in the world. He completed many 100-milers including the Vermont 100 and the Superior 100 in Minnesota. On eight occasions, Chip hiked the Grand Canyon from rim-to-rim-to-rim.
Since Chip’s passing, his wife, Bernadette, has received an outpouring of emails, messages, and handwritten notes from fellow Barkley Marathon participants. Rich Limacher, a fellow participant in the Barkley, said:
“I regard Chip as ‘old guard,’ tried-and-true, inspirational, and one of those forefathers of Barkley (indeed of ultra-running) lore that future generation ought not to forget. ... He was a shop man, fabricator, carpenter, metalsmith, and builder of everything practical that modern society still needs and understands. ... Chip was my MAN, my man of many talents. ... His voice was operatic. His knowledge of the fine art of music encyclopedic. ... When I first showed up the infamous Barkley and had my bruised-and-briared pansy-ass handed to me ...it was Chip who took me aside and explained ‘tracking.’ ... He taught me how to survive in the woods.”
Chip’s children fondly remember their childhood filled with the music he would play and the lullabies he would sing to them. Surrounded by music, as they would lay underneath the piano as Chip danced his fingers over the keys for hours. They found hiding spots for their toys in the hollows of the piano’s underbelly. His son Frank said: “My father pursued his passions regardless of what others may have thought” and that his father “never ceased to try to improve himself.”
Chip discovered joy when his grandchildren James, Evie and Ellie Hoover were born. He visited them in California whenever he could.
Active in his community, Chip volunteered his skills to the Mancos Public Library. He served on the Mancos Board of Trustees and was treasurer of the Montezuma County Democrats. He was tireless in his leadership with CCOR, trying to improve our air quality. He played the piano for the Mancos schools Christmas show, as well as many local theater productions including “Chicago” performed at the Mancos Opera House. Chip was also a regular “Fact Check” columnist for the Mancos Times and The (Cortez) Journal.
Chip was preceded in death by his grandmothers, Vera Turissi and Doris Meinsen, grandfather Richard Meinsen, mother Patricia Gallo, father, Frank Tuthill and sister, Susan Orr Kelley. He is survived by his wife, Bernadette, his step-children Celeste Aurorean and Thomas Bowler, his daughter Diana Dae Tuthill Hoover and son-in-law David Hoover, son Frank Joseph Tuthill and his partner Jason Jung, his sisters Valerie Tuthill and Linda Orr, nephew Richard Smith, niece Teri Smith and grandchildren, Axel and Maya Bonde , James, Evelyn and Eleanor Hoover.
Further announcements to follow for a spring memorial service. His ashes will be spread at one of his favorite places. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to 350.org, or any organization that is working to stop climate change.
Thank you Chip, by living your passions, you continue to inspire us all to follow ours.
You are missed.