Cloudy, 53° F
(June 11, 1965 - May 25, 2012)
Charles Alan Gunther, 46, died peacefully at his home in Cody holding his wife’s hand on Friday, May 25, 2012 after a 3 1/2 year battle with ALS/Lou Gehrig’s disease.
Chuck was born in Lancaster, Pa., to Jim and Charlene Gunther on June 11, 1965. Chuck grew up in Manheim, Pa., and graduated from Manheim Central High School in 1983. He attended two years at Shippensburg University in Shippensburg, Pa., as a physics major. After college, he went to work at RR Donnelley & Sons Printing.
In 1989, Chuck left Pennsylvania to work at Black Mountain Ranch in McCoy, Colo., and pursue his cowboy dreams. He met his wife, Kerry, while both were working on the ranch. Chuck lived on the ranch year-round and drove bus in Beaver Creek and Vail in the winter. They spent three summers working together at Black Mountain Ranch and were married in Eagle, Colo., on July 18, 1992. They started their life together in Paonia, Colo., where Chuck worked for Bar Diamond Ranch Outfitters for eight years.
In 1999, Chuck and Kerry began their 10-year career of managing dude ranches. They became the managers of Whistling Acres Guest Ranch in Paonia, Colo. In addition to ranching, the ranch also had a snowmobile program in which Chuck was the guide and mechanic. In 2001, they became the managers of Smith Fork Ranch in Crawford, Colo. In 2005, they became the managers of the 7D Ranch in Cody and retired in 2010. Chuck was passionate about dude ranching and loved sharing the West, the cowboy lifestyle and his love of horses with guests and staff. Chuck felt incredibly blessed to live his dream life of a horse wrangler, hunting guide and dude ranch manager from 1989-2010.
In January 2009, Chuck was diagnosed with ALS/Lou Gehrig’s disease. He fought a courageous battle never letting the disease affect his attitude or sense of humor. His illness also strengthened his faith. Chuck liked to say that “God knocked him off his horse so he could walk with him.” Chuck was the ALS Ambassador for MDA in Wyoming and appeared on the MDA/Jerry Lewis Telethon in 2009 and 2010.
Chuck was a member of Grace Baptist Church, a former board member of the Colorado Outfitter Association and member of the Dude Ranchers’ Association.
Chuck is survived by his wife, Kerry and their two young sons, Ethan and Eli; his parents, Jim and Charlene Gunther of Loveland, Colo., and his sister and brother-in-law, Robert and Amy (Gunther) Booth of Estes Park, Colo.
A memorial to celebrate Chuck’s life will be held at 11 a.m. on Friday, June 1 at Grace Baptist Church in Cody, with a reception to follow. Western attire is appropriate. An online guestbook is available at www.ballardfh.com.
