Crum, Richard Ellis, age 64, of Denver, CO passed away on May 22, 2024. He was born on April 23, 1960, and raised in Weston, Massachusetts.

Known as Rick to all, his childhood dream was to be a builder. According to family lore, he started early with the design and construction of an elaborate tree house complete with a staircase at his family's home in Sunapee, NH. As the decades unfolded, Rick refined his ambitions to making his mark in architectural design and to raising his sons.

Rick graduated from Phillips Exeter Academy in 1978. Then as a 4th generation Cornellian, Rick obtained bachelors' degrees in Structural Engineering and History in1983. His senior engineering project was the design and construction of a suspension bridge on the Cornell University campus which is still in use today. He also played lacrosse for Cornell. Rick then worked for big Chicago architectural and construction firms, including on the construction of United's terminal at Chicago O'Hare International Airport.

Rick graduated in 1989 with an MBA from the Harvard Business School. He then wrote and taught HBS real estate case studies that are still in use in MBA classes and are published in books. At HBS, he met his future wife and business partner of 30 years. Subsequently, they moved to Denver and built a family and a business.

In Denver, Rick was Founder and President of Weston Construction Corporation and Founder and Owner of Weston Homes LLC and Weston Properties for 30 years. Through Weston, he designed and built dozens of Denver homes known for beautiful, historically inspired details. Rick designed homes he intended to be an integral part of Denver's architectural fabric for more than a hundred years to come. Weston homes won numerous Colorado and National architectural design awards. He was a long-time member of the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art and the National Association of Home Builders and was a licensed real estate agent. Rick's passion for design, patient demeanor, strong work ethic, acute problem-solving skills, and fierce intelligence made him not only a good homebuilder but a priceless advocate and friend to his customers and tradespeople.

Rick's family and business were closely intertwined. He designed and built four homes for his family which doubled as Weston offices and model homes. These homes exemplified design possibilities for customers while allowing Rick to be close for his sons as they grew up. His family will always remember hearing at all hours the clank of Rick's metal ruler on his old wooden drafting table as he hand drew every intricate design detail for every Weston home. Rick also took great joy in supporting his sons' and their friends' creative endeavors both artistic and technical. In fact, major portions of the family homes were commandeered for these large-scale activities.

Rick notably counted among his friends his kids' friends' families, neighbors, Cornell fraternity brothers, HBS classmates, business associates, and professors. As the Race Car Bears and the Fire Breathing Dragons soccer coach and Marlins, Swim Dogs, and Toppers swim team volunteer, Rick was immersed in family life. Family vacations included far flung travel, extensively studying architectural styles and history which then informed Weston's designs. He was a voracious reader, dedicated cook, music enthusiast, and an avid sports participant and fan. He loved hosting and cooking for large gatherings, often including BBQ ribs and his mother's apple pie recipe.

Rick is predeceased by his parents M. Colyer Crum and Lois (Dodd) Crum and his brother William Colyer Crum. He is survived by his sons David Colyer Crum and Michael Miller Crum, their mother Michelle D. Miller, and his sisters Nancy Crum Ferry and Wendy Crum Bennet.

Memorials in Rick's honor may be made to Tunnel To Towers Foundation, Tunnel of Towers Foundation , and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital .