FAIRCHILD, Gerard Lanham

1/7/2010 Gerard Lanham Fairchild Gerard Lanham Fairchild of Boulder died Sunday, Dec. 27, at Boulder Community Hospital. He was 83. Fairchild was born Sept. 1, 1926, in Leadville to Therése LaRoque Fairchild and Harrison Fairchild and spent his boyhood in Idaho Springs. As a young man, he acquired an interest in engineering when he accompanied his father on the Mount Evans road construction project. After graduating from Littleton High School in 1944, Fairchild went on to earn a bachelor of science in geology, with a concentration in philosophy, from St. Louis University in 1948. Fairchild began his career as a geological engineer with Climax Molybdenum Corporation and ASARCO Corporation before founding Sierra Resources Inc., a geological consulting firm in Denver. His passion for discoveries in his field led him on explorations of the mountains of the western United States, Liberia and Costa Rica. He met Mary Anne Shirley at his family home in Idaho Springs when his sister Therése brought her home to share Thanksgiving dinner. They married on Sept. 12, 1970, in Durango. Together they reveled in the remote paradise of the Colorado wilderness. Fairchild was defined by the solitude and grandeur of the "high country." He loved to travel and explore the highest points of the Rocky Mountains with his family. His enduring quest for knowledge and love of debate on subjects he was passionate about sustained him throughout his life. Fairchild imbued his three daughters-Roxanne Fairchild of Silverthorne, Germaine Fairchild of Naugatuck, Conn., and Melody Fairchild of Boulder-with a passion for learning, profound love for the earth and all its treasures, and compassion for their fellow human beings. They say that they remember their dad for his ability to see intrigue and beauty in the smallest of things, his dignity and grace in the face of hardship and pain, his love of country and his belief in the human spirit. Visitation was held on Thursday, Dec. 31, at Crist Mortuary, 3395 Penrose Place, Boulder, CO. A memorial service was held at Crist Mortuary immediately following visitation. In lieu of flowers, donations are suggested in honor of Gerard Fairchild to the National Mining Hall of Fame and Museum, Attn: Director Bob Hartzell, P.O. Box 981, Leadville, CO 80461. Copyright - Herald Democrat Leadville, Colorado