People

: Annaliesa Connor-Meissner; Student at Adams State University.

: Annalise Pelletier; Contributor to "Our River Our Valley", (source: Our River Our Valley: A Gunnison Valley Journal.)

: Anne "Annie" Staufer; Annie Staufer was born on 13 November 1937 in a small village in Surrey, England. Circa 1951, Staufer’s father decided he was weary of English weather and moved her family to The Bahamas. After a respite in the Caribbean, Anne’s mother declared that the children were not going to boarding school and the family subsequently migrated to Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In Toronto, Anne worked a stint for IBM after she finished school; eventually, she removed to Bermuda. In Bermuda, Anne met her husband, Josef “Joe” Staufer, while working at Elbow Beach Surf Club. After immigrating through Chicago, the Staufers relocated to Vail on 3 January 1963. Initially, Annie Staufer was not enthralled by winter in the Colorado Rockies. However, her husband was captivated by the entrepreneurial opportunities of Vail in addition to a snowcat ride with Pete Seibert (or possibly Earl Eaton) on the new Vail ski mountain. The first person Annie Staufer met, British Isles compatriot Daphne Slevin, became a good friend and helped Staufer adjust to her new home. Annie tested her business mettle by successfully operating Annie’s Gift Shop on East Meadow Drive for many years. Annie and Joe Staufer have been married over sixty years. They continue to live in the Red Sandstone home they purchased in 1971 from Earl Eaton with a handshake. Their son, Jonathon, was born 26 October 1968 in Denver, Colorado. Annie Staufer happily claims to still “love the charm of the Village” and urges today’s community to “keep the open space and the wild animals.”