Rebecca Strelitz

"Life is short, laugh easy, break the rules, keep it simple, love honestly, ride often, ride free and never regret anything that makes you smile"

On the evening of June 14th, 2015, Rebecca Ryan Strelitz, 30, of Denver, CO passed away as a result of injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident earlier that day.

Rebecca was born in New York, NY, on January 11th, 1985. She was the fourth child, and second daughter of Joy Margaret and Paul Roger Strelitz. Rebecca lived in New Jersey until the age of 7 when her family moved to Colorado Springs, CO. Rebecca was an avid skateboarder and snowboarder, active volunteer, ardent outdoorsman and motorcycle enthusiast.

Rebecca graduated from the University of Colorado at Boulder with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in 2007 and immediately accepted an accounting position at the popular apparel store, Terra Verde in Colorado Springs, CO. Looking to move into a position that allowed her to actively pursue her lifelong passion for wildlife conservation, Rebecca enrolled in the Master of Applied Science in Environmental Policy and Management program at the Denver University. Upon graduating Rebecca quickly found a home at Conservation Colorado where she spearheaded the effort to designate Brown's Canyon as a national monument. The effort, which she started while in graduate school, took eight years to bring to fruition, a testament to Rebecca's determination to protect and preserve the integrity, stability, and beauty of the state she loved, Colorado.

Rebecca touched so many people, and her personality, sense of humor, compassion and love of life will forever be cherished. Her last years were her most adventurous. Her love for the outdoors was clear to everyone who knew her. After hearing of her passing, her twin sister Sarah, summed up her life best with the following quote, "Rebecca is traveling free and easy down a road that never ends".

Rebecca is survived by her parents, Joy and Paul, her two brothers, Matthew and Mark, her two sisters, Sarah and Katharine, loving uncles, aunts, cousins, nieces, nephews and a host of long-time friends.

A celebration of Rebecca's life will be held on Friday, June 19, at 11 a.m. at Good Shepherd Catholic Church. As an expression of sympathy, memorial contributions in Rebecca's honor may be made to Conservation Colorado.