Vilis, 84, of Castle Rock, Colorado, died December 6, 2023 in Littleton, Colorado. He was born on December 1, 1939 in the family home known as 'Ripelis' on the Baltic Sea in Riga, Latvia to Ansis and Antra Berzins.  He always shared childhood memories of stained-glass windows made by his uncle and the beauty of his home and homeland prior to the Soviet occupation during WWII.  A harbinger of a lifelong love of art.

The first sign that Vilis was strong in spirit and body came after he contracted tuberculosis as a very young boy.  His parents, fearing he would not survive the deadly disease as they were living in a displaced persons camp in the American zone of Germany, made the impossible decision, during wartime, to send young Vilis to the French zone of Germany to live out his last days with his grandparents. Not only did he survive, he became even more fascinated by art, having been immersed in its many forms by his grandparents and other older relatives.  During this period, his uncle Harijs Ebersteins, painted a portrait of Vilis as a boy that remains a family treasure.

Among the lucky, his family escaped the occupation and eventually entered the United States after the war.  This was due to a fortuitous sponsorship, allowing them to depart the DP camp in Germany.  That sponsor was a contractor named Mr. Whitllock in Colorado.  Upon entry to the United States, his parents selected Colorado Springs, Colorado as their new home.   Widely recognized as a beautiful place with excellent air quality ideally suited for the recovery of someone with tuberculosis, and home to the TB sanitorium (now CU Austin Bluffs campus.)    Throughout his lifetime, Vilis held a deep and abiding love of Pikes Peak and all of Colorado's magnificent great outdoors.

During high school at Colorado Springs High School (now Palmer), and subsequent years at Colorado College (where his lifelong friend Jim Scarboro's father endowed his pursuit of higher education in art), Vilis continued to hone his natural artistic abilities in many forms, especially sculpture and painting.  His father Ansis Berzins, a trained architect and illustrator, taught Vilis how to render and use perspective drawings to illustrate architectural images. This was the beginning of what would become his award-winning career in design.

It was during high school that Vilis, a state champion wrestler, became keenly interested in a highly accomplished young student, Marilee Randol, whom he adored, pursued, and ultimately married in Montgomery, Alabama. Following a circuitous route to Marilee, Vilis and his older brother Ansis (also a fine artist) traveled the United States making a living and reputation as 'fine European muralists' painting many early street art murals throughout the U.S.  This beatnik phase of Vilis' life was resplendent with friends, conversations, folk music, poetry, and many beers. His philosophical and intellectual engagement with others remained a great pleasure for him throughout his lifetime and music and poetry of all types were a perpetual background.

At the beginning of the 1960s, Vilis began work at United Fixture Company.  His unique ability to illustrate perspective and plan drawings earned him singular employment and recognition. This marketable skill allowed prospective restaurant owners/operators to visualize layouts and design.  Spanning nearly 60 years and literally thousands of restaurants, bars, and nightclubs, Vilis' vast portfolio resulted in his being inducted into the Colorado Restaurant Association's Hall of Fame for lifetime achievement in 2018.  Among his proudest achievements were his lifelong friendship with Senator John Hickenlooper (and the birth of brewpubs in Colorado including the Wynkoop Brewing Company), his early years working in the Italian-American restaurant community and in Manitou Springs with Eddie Howard (Castaways Restaurant), work with Bobby Rifkin and Jerry Kernis in the 1970s heyday of nightclubs (like the Turn of the Century), longtime friendship with operator Jack Hogan (London House), Jack and Jan Leone in Denver's fine-dining 1980s, David Racine and Lee Goodfriend in the long-lived comfort food space, and his unparalleled accomplishments with his son, Mark Berzins and the Little Pub Company.   Vilis also became the hub for myriad tradespeople in the industry. Those included Phil Sedita, Byron Shafer, and hundreds of others. To this day, people recognize and respect the relationships Vilis formed in the restaurant business in Colorado.

A plaque from Vilis and Marilee Berzins dedicating Brian and Sondra Brewster's Nono's Cafe in Littleton, Colorado in 1996 still holds a place of prominence.  It reads simply, "Let The Light Shine on NoNo's-Vilis & Marilee Berzins," and it still does.

Vilis' other great passions included restoring classic sports cars and Landcruisers, woodworking, sculpture, and painting in acrylic.  He always saw something artistic in the environment or materials. His landscapes often showed the moody qualities of Colorado's mountains and skies.  He and Marilee renovated and built a half dozen homes in Colorado of astounding quality and beauty.  The love of their residential life was a geodesic dome house on four acres located high on the ridge near Castle Rock, Colorado.  The property featured unparalleled views and one-of-a-kind architecture; it was truly their 'piece de resistance'.

Survived by his beloved wife of 60 years, Marilee Randol Berzins, Littleton, Colorado, daughter Lisa Berzins Ruskaup, Englewood, Colorado, sons Mark Berzins, Denver, Colorado, Devin Berzins, Taylors, South Carolina, brother Peteris Berzins, Mesa, Arizona, sisters Ieva Hart and Kristine Truesdell, Colorado Springs, Colorado, grandchildren Caleb Williams, Clare Berzins, Aiden Berzins, Hope Ruskaup, Caroline Volin, Keaton Ruskaup, Sara and Katelyn Berzins, Patrick Berzins, Emily Ruskaup and Bridget Berzins." Preceded in death by parents Ansis and Antra Berzins, brothers Ansis and Kaspars Berzins, Colorado Springs, Colorado and daughter, Cara Mia Berzins.

A celebration of life will be held Sunday, January 28, 2024 at 3:00pm the Wynkoop Brewing Co, 1634 18th St. Denver, Colorado 80202. Please RSVP or request information to Lisa Berzins Ruskaup at lisa@habitcarbon.com .