Lowell Milton McBride

L. Milton McBride of Boulder, Colorado, died on February 20, 2025, surrounded by family, following a cardiac event while he was a patient at Boulder Community hospital. Milt was born on June 7, 1941, in Missouri, to Lowell and Lorna (Boyd) McBride. In 1945 the family moved to Salida, Colorado, where Milt and his brother (Bob) and sister (Margarete) grew up. During his six-year stint in the Navy, he served on one of the first crews of the USS Tecumseh Polaris submarine. He attended CU Boulder for a B.S. in electrical engineering and M.B.A., and also met his future wife, Karen Johnson, there. His professional career was in power generation, primarily with Public Service (eventually Xcel Energy), where he served as head of Fort St Vrain nuclear power station (now deactivated), then of the Denver metro area, and finally of the Western Slope district. After he retired from Xcel, he directed a Kinder Morgan co-generation station in Fort Lupton for several years before retiring in 2008. Milt and Karen have two daughters, Rachel (Brett) Paradis and Lorna (Zach) Borger, and four grandchildren, Elly, Vienne, Camille, and Rylan, all of whom live nearby. Milt is also survived by his sister, Margarete Jennings, of Colorado Springs.

Milt was an engineer, athlete, singer, and general fix-it man. As a skier, he had soft spots for the deep powder at Monarch Ski area outside Salida and for the Milt’s Face run at Vail. He pitched fast-pitch softball in Salida or Boulder city leagues for 30 years, pitching right-handed and batting left. He loved golf, convincing Karen to time their wedding around his favorite tournament and deeply regretting not being able to play much in recent years because of various surgeries. A tenor with a pure, true voice, he sang duets with his mother on Sunday mornings on the Salida KVRH public radio station, performed with the CU Buffoons while in college, and joined the Chancel Choir at First Presbyterian Church of Boulder (now Grace Commons) in the 1980s. He and soprano Karen made long-lasting friends through that connection and the Jubilate Sacred Singers a cappella choir, and enjoyed tours in England and across the U.S.; a highlight was a Jubilate concert in Carnegie Hall in 2008. Milt was a family man through and through, and loved nothing more than seeing his family enjoying each other. Every member of his extended family knew to call on him if they needed a ride somewhere or a repair consultation.

“The Warrior,” grandchildren called him during his final hospital stay. Grandpa. Daddy. Uncle Milty. The Big Guy. How we will miss him.

If you wish to make a charitable contribution in Milt’s name, we suggest the Hillside School & Center for Dyslexia on Lookout Road in Gunbarrel, which is completing a specially-designed dyslexia center. Milt and Karen’s daughter Rachel is Director of Educational Programs at this valuable resource for students with dyslexia and related learning difficulties. For information, see https://www.coloradogives.org/story/Milt

A service honoring Milt’s life is planned for Saturday, April 5, at 1:00 pm in the chapel of Grace Commons Church in Boulder, with reception to follow.