Wayne "Beaver" Fowler passed away after a long, fulfilling life. Wayne was born in Denver, Colorado in 1932. He graduated from East High School in 1950 and from the University of Colorado School of Law in 1956. After serving as a member of ROTC at CU, he entered the Air Force upon graduating and earned his wings in 1957. He served as an investigator for the Air Force Office of Special Investigations (OSI) until the end of his service requirement in 1959.

Wayne went on to practice law for 55 years, first as a water law attorney for the Denver Water Board and later for Saunders, Snyder, Ross & Dickson (SSRD) as a litigator as the firm steered the development of water law and natural resources law in Colorado. SSRD also represented two major health care clients, Colorado Blue Cross and Blue Shield and Presbyterian Medical Center in the mid 1960's when the Medicare and Medicaid programs came into existence. Wayne moved into the health care arena and played a central role in developing hospital law in Colorado. While learning about the new specialty of health law, he and other similar attorneys across the country formed the American Academy of Hospital Attorneys now known as the National Health Lawyers' Association. Wayne had a role in developing legal structures for the delivery of health care services over the last 50 years, as well as funding mechanics to pay for the construction and renovation of health care systems. In the 1990's, Wayne had a role in structuring the arrangement under which several Denver hospitals sold themselves to for-profit chains. The monies from these sales have been set aside in community foundations organized to promote community wellness across Colorado. They currently total over $3 billion and provide substantial grants annually.

Wayne was a fixture at the Winter Park Ski Resort (WP), serving on the WP Volunteer Ski Patrol for 55 years. He founded the WP Ski Club, which started as a youth ski racing organization and is now known as the Competition Center. He was involved in the Denver community in various ways, from biking directly from work in his suit and tie to coach youth soccer to serving on the KUVO public jazz station's Community Advisory Board for over ten years. He was an avid sportsman: a marathon runner who ran a Boston Marathon in just over three hours, a cyclist, a skier, and a squash player. Beaver's friends and family will miss his smile and the twinkle in his eye and that good-natured urge to instigate a controversial discussion.

Wayne is survived by Trudy Fowler, his wife of 66 years; daughters, Kristen Tourangeau and Loren Kline; son, Peter Fowler, grandchildren; Perrin Tourangeau, Eva Tourangeau, Logan Gloe, Charlie Ann Alberts, Chandler Kline, Adalaide Kline, Grant Kline, Angelika Kline, Melissa
Kline, and Henry Fowler, and great-grandchildren; Cameron Gloe and Luker Gloe.

Memorials in Beaver's honor may be made to https://www.kuvo.org/ways-to-listen/