Barbara Jan Aaker

It's with profound sadness, we share the passing of our beloved mom, grandma, friend, and wife "Sugar", Barbara J (Olmsted) Aaker. She left this world peacefully on December 20, 2023 at the age of 73 while visiting family in North Vancouver, BC. Barb was an irreplaceable friend, never ending support system, uniquely talented teacher, and the heart and soul of her family. Her immense kindness and ability to find joy in everything around her will leave a lasting legacy with all who knew her.

Barb’s life is hard to capture in words … beautiful, rich, and full of love. From an early age, she developed a deep curiosity and awareness of the wonder of the outdoors. Her most significant childhood memories were marked by weekend trips to a family-built cabin in the Adirondacks near Speculator, NY where her parents Tink and Lois introduced her to a lifetime love of skiing and swimming. Barb, with her brother Dave and sister Carol, spent countless hours in the pristine water of Lake Pleasant and at nearby Oak Mountain ski area. From that foundation, she moved with ease and grace in the mountains for the rest of her life.

After graduating from Pittsford High School in Rochester, NY, Barb made her way west to the Rockies on little more than the memories of a youth group trip to the Collegiate Range years earlier. It was a move that paid off. In Boulder, she met Steve Aaker who quickly became the love of her life. They shared a deep curiosity for the enormous beauty of Colorado. When not pursuing her distributed degree in English, Sociology, and Philosophy or watching Steve play with the Buffs basketball team, they spent their time in Estes Park, the Flatirons, and the surrounding wilderness of the state. Backpacking, skiing, hiking, and exploring. Colorado soon became a home from which she could never emotionally depart.

Following graduation from CU in 1972 and a beautiful wedding in Rocky Mountain National Park, the couple entered a world marked by a complex and turbulent political environment. Looking for a life away from the turmoil, they packed a VW bus and moved to Routt County in Northwest Colorado. Quiet, remote, and beautiful … it was a dream home for them.

Through the 70’s, life was a grand adventure. Barb deepened her love of cross-country skiing with an equally passionate set of friends. They chased powder turns in the endless aspen groves surrounding their homes in Columbine and Strawberry Park and made regular trips to the top of Rabbit Ears Pass. Her favorite being their many adventures to the top of Hahns Peak under moonlight. She found immense joy backpacking through the Zirkel Wilderness and across western Colorado with a quirky combo of Irish setters. Sharing these experiences around her new home with friends from the city was one of Barb’s great joys.

To keep the ski town dream alive, she worked wildly varied jobs between days in the backcountry, trips to Mt Werner and Howelson Hill, and increasingly regular visits south to Lake Powell. She spent time mapping with the Forest Service, perfected her famous pies as a baker for the Elk River Guest Ranch, designed beautiful stained-glass windows with a dear friend at Columbine Mountain Arts, ran a ticket window at the mountain, proof-read and edited at the Steamboat Pilot newspaper, and managed the books at a local doctor’s office. She could do it all and enjoyed this time of exploration, incredible adventure, and deep community building.

As they neared the 80’s, Steve and Barb moved to town and welcomed two kids into the world, Mandie and Karl. To all who knew her well, Barb was an incredible mom. The kids hit the jackpot with her as a parent. She was immensely kind, profoundly intelligent, and patient beyond belief. It was during this time that she established some of her most deeply held friendships. Within a five-year period, the close-knit group of young families in Steamboat had a flock of kids in need of care. Barb found a new career path as a teacher and caregiver running a much-needed in-home childcare service. Anyone that spent time in the little house at 19 Maple remembers a home filled with enthusiasm, fun, and love.

After 17 joyous years in NW Colorado, a new job for Steve moved the family West. With scepticism, Barb left the lush greenery of Steamboat Springs for the muted high dessert of Northern Nevada. However, one trip to Lake Tahoe and a few days skiing at Mt. Rose convinced her that it was a place she could love. In Reno, Barb met an amazing community of friends who shared many of the same interests. She pursued her passion for teaching with a certificate from the University of Nevada, Reno and soon took a job at Roy Gomm Elementary where she became the favorite of many students. As Mandie and Karl grew in school and sports, Barb took on a new role as expert basketball and swimming fan, always happy watching her kids compete. And of course, she continued to find the time to backpack and ski in the Sierra, sharing her well-developed outdoor skills with countless friends, couples from Steve’s work, and family. Unsurprisingly, her love of the outdoors became her reputation, inspiring a generation of people across Reno to pursue adventure.

Steve’s job once again moved the family in the early 2000’s. With the kids at college, they made the move back to Morrison, Colorado to live near Mandie and minutes away from Steve’s beloved parents, Bob and Bee, who loved Barb deeply. Yet again, it was the beautiful nature of the front range that brought Barb happiness. Taking her much loved golden retrievers into the local trails and up to a family cabin at Pearl Lake, North of Steamboat. She was back home. She traveled across U.S. to watch her kids compete at the collegiate level and provided unparalleled generosity, compassion, and care to Steve’s father Bob during his final year with cancer. She was truly the glue that held the family together.

A diagnosed lung condition in 2009 forced Barb to leave her cherished high-altitude setting in Colorado. Having recently welcomed their first grandkid, Leila, Steve and Barb moved to the oxygen-filled environment of Portland, Oregon to be close to family. Soon after, her favorite kids in the world were born, Leila, Lauren, Sofia, Drew, and Beau. Barb loved being a grandma and the grandkids unquestionably adored her. She loved the many family trips to Hawaii where she played on the beach, building sandcastles, and watching the kids swim for hours on end. She fell in love with the Islands of Hawaii and shared many trips with Steve in the last 15 years. Despite increasing physical limitations, she continued to find beauty in the trees and trails of Oregon, paddling and swimming in Lake Oswego, and regular visits to the Oregon Coast. Until her last day, she continued to share her love of nature, beautiful artistic ability, musical curiosity, exceptional writing and most importantly, her immensely kind spirit with her family. She was an irreplaceable light in the lives of her friends, her kids, her grandkids and lifetime love, Steve.

Barb leaves an indelible mark on the world through her kindness and optimism. Her incredible spirit will be missed more than words can describe.

Barb was proceeded in death by her father, Horace “Tink” Olmsted, her mother Lois Olmsted, her sister Carol Heaney, her brother Dave Olmsted, Steve’s parents, Bob and Bee Aaker, and her many beloved dogs, Bourbon, Brillig, Shawna, Habib, Willow, Nugget, Quincy, Tioga, and Sedona.

She is survived by her husband of over 51 years, Steve Aaker, her daughter Mandie (Aaker) Martin, son-in-law Aaron Martin, grandkids Lauren and Drew Martin, her son Karl Aaker, daughter-in-law Janelle Aaker, grandkids Leila, Sofia, and Beau Aaker, sister in-law Bobbi Olmsted, sister-in-law Kris (Aaker) Flanagan, brother-in-law Bill Flanagan, nieces Bridget Fullerton, Amy Overman, and Shannon Hance, nephews Adam Olmsted and Seamus Heaney, her golden retriever Mojo, and countless dear friends, family members, and students.

The family will be planning memorial summer celebrations in Colorado and Nevada. If you’d like to donate in Barb’s honor, the family asks that you support a charity of your choice or an organization that provide access to the outdoors and/or youth education.