RIP Uwe Bobrow

April 24, 1944–May 12, 2023

Uwe Bobrow lived a good life. From humble beginnings, Uwe worked hard to raise his station in the world. With a sly smile and wry sense of humor, he left an indelible mark wherever he went. From across the Atlantic in Germany to upstate New York to the Colorado Rockies, Uwe amassed an expansive adoptive family whom he loved as his own kin. He was generous and kind, a hearty epicurean and a gifted raconteur. If you counted yourself lucky enough to be invited to his table, you would feast on home-made culinary masterpieces and tall tales of Uwe’s escape from communist rule, his antics in various refugee camps, his first glimpse of a shopping area in West Germany (“the first time I ever saw color,” he would later say) and, if you were truly lucky, a sentimental remembrance of the first time he met the love of his life, Nancy Churchill.

Uwe was born in Magdeburg, Germany (old East Germany), on April 24, 1944, to Lucie Jergenson and Vladimir Bobrow. His father, a doctor, was killed in World War II when Uwe was 9 months old. His mother was left to raise Uwe and his two sisters, Ariana and Xenia, on her own behind the Iron Curtain. In 1955, living in Magdeburg, a neighbor turned Uwe’s mother in to East German police on an erroneous suspicion of spying. Within twenty-four hours, she made a daring escape across the border with Uwe and his sisters, bringing only what they could carry without suspicion. Uwe was 11. Once across the border, Uwe and his family spent two years in West German refugee camps, living a surreal normalcy behind guarded fences, buying contraband for Russian soldiers while attending middle school. His mother and his sister Ariana even worked as nurses while staying at the camp.

After two years waiting in refugee camps, Uwe’s family was finally granted permission to immigrate to the United States, where they were sponsored by his “Aunt Olga from the Volga,” who had previously emigrated and settled in Syracuse, N.Y.

Uwe entered Central Tech High School in Syracuse without speaking any English. He learned the language of his new country by watching Spaghetti Westerns on TV. After graduating from high school in 1961, Uwe attended Onondaga Community College and then Syracuse University, graduating in 1965. After graduating college, Uwe married Kathleen Carey, and they had a son, Eric. The marriage ended, but the close bond Uwe forged with his son would shape his life. Uwe was heartbroken when Eric passed away unexpectedly in 2012.

Uwe began his career after college working in educational communications at Upstate Medical Center in Syracuse, but his dream was to own his own business. He started the imprinted sportswear store Mr. Tops in a Syracuse mall in 1978, and by 1985, it had grown to seven stores in upstate New York. Later, he bought Kraft Liquor store in Syracuse, which he operated until 2003.

Uwe learned to ski in his twenties at Song Mountain in upstate New York. He later joined a local ski club, the Syracuse Ski Hawks, and served as the club’s president from 1975-1979, while the club grew from a small group to more than 1,500 members.

The ’70s were a wild time in the ski industry, and in 1975 the club chartered a trip to Aspen, Colo., where Uwe met the love of his life, Nancy Churchill, from Winterport, Maine. They were engaged a year later, when the ski club returned to Aspen for the now-annual trip.

After marrying in 1976, Uwe and Nancy were inseparable until his passing, 48 years later. They ran their businesses together, and they loved to travel. In their 48 years together, they visited exotic locations as far as China, Turkey, Nepal, Central and South America, Greece, Macedonia, Croatia, Scandinavia and, of course, Uwe’s native Germany.

After their wedding, Uwe and Nancy moved to Tully, N.Y., where they raised their daughter, Karen, and lots of pups. Uwe and Nancy welcomed nine exchange students, mostly from Germany, during their time in Tully and formed friendships that would last the rest of Uwe’s life. The weekly “pizza and wing night” tradition the Bobrows began for their exchange students endures to this day, and the Bobrow household continues to receive regular care packages from Germany to keep them stocked with Uwe’s favorite German foods. Uwe helped shape the lives of every one of their exchange students, who became as much a part of his family as his own children. When it came time for Uwe and Nancy to consider where to retire, Colorado was the obvious choice. They bought a lot in the Aspen Valley in 1999 and built their dream home in Missouri Heights in 2006, making the valley their permanent home.

Not ready to stop working, Uwe took a job with The Aspen Skiing Company and worked as the Guest Service Lead at Buttermilk under John Kneiper. He loved the eight years he spent at Buttermilk, where he managed to “adopt” still more family members plucked from the mountain’s guest service department, lifts, patrol and ski school. Some of their skis still reside under Uwe’s home. It was during their time in Colorado that Uwe settled into his greatest role, grandfather. His daughter, Karen, blessed him with three grandchildren, Nadya, Toby and Willow, and their arrival breathed new life into Uwe during his golden years. He was fortunate to be able to take “Nacho” (Nadya), his eldest grandchild, to Germany to share his history.

Uwe truly lived The American Dream. From his escape from East Germany with not more than he could wear, to life as an immigrant in a post-war U.S., to his entrepreneurial rise, to his retirement with his beloved wife in his dream home with a million-dollar Sopris view, to his swan song as “Opa” to his grandchildren, he transformed his life and found success through hard work and love for his family. Uwe Bobrow lived a good life.

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Uwe Bobrow passed away peacefully on May 12, 2023, with his wife, Nancy, by his side. He was preceded in death by his father, Vladimir, and mother, Lucie; sister Xenia; and son, Eric. He is survived by his wife, Nancy Churchill Bobrow; sister Ariana Bobrow (David); daughter Karen Bobrow Breuer (Jeff); three grandchildren, Nadya, Toby and Willow; his German Shepherd, Franzi; and one Mercedes Benz, aka “Benno.”

Memorials for Uwe in Aspen (7/10/23), Syracuse, and Germany will be announced when scheduled. In lieu of flowers, Uwe’s family request donations be made in Uwe Bobrow’s name to Roaring Fork Fire Rescue’s Paramedic Scholarship Program at roaringforkfire.org/donate.

(Published in the Aspen Times on June 16, 2023) ◼︎