Kristan Kris Allyn Gifford

Kristan Allyn Kris Gifford, 61, of Longmont died unexpectedly on Monday, January 27, 2014. He and his fiancé, Sandra Dolney, lived together in Longmont.Kris was born in McKeesport, PA, the eldest son of Richard and Ardelle (Sheldahl) Gifford. He grew up in Pennsylvania, California, New Mexico and Nevada. He was an Eagle Scout and graduated from Mt. Lebanon (PA) High School in 1970. He immediately joined the U.S. Navy and served in the nuclear submarine service, including Vietnam, until his honorable discharge in 1977.During this time he met and married Liz Sugden, and they raised three sons between 1975 and 1988. They lived all over the United States and in Venezuela while he worked in domestic and international startup and testing with Dravo, Bechtel, Kaiser Engineering, and Babcock & Wilcox.Kris was a free spirit with a kind soul. He loved the outdoors and spent many years camping all over the United States and Canada with his family. He was incredibly creative and adept in working with his hands. A few of his favorite things were playing guitar and working on engines. He was a great storyteller, often over family dinners. In recent years, he bravely endured blindness, and found true happiness with Sandy. He was also an avid Denver Broncos fan and he will surely be watching the Super Bowl with us on Sunday.Kris was preceded in death by his father. He will be missed by his mother; his fiancé, his sons, Sean and his fiancé, Angela Brum, Aaron and his wife Stacey Elwood, and Corey; his brothers and sisters, Jonathan and his spouse Bob Vastine, Peter, Jennifer Bryant and her husband Philippe, and Laura Reynolds and her husband Brian; his grandchildren, Gage, Tristan, Haley, Autumn, Theron, and Eva; and his nieces Yvette, Cassie, and Clara.In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Disabled American Veterans organization.Visitation 4:30-6:30pm, Friday, January 31, 2014 at Ahlberg Funeral Chapel with the family present to greet. Funeral service 1:00pm, Saturday, February 1, 2014 at Ahlberg Funeral Chapel. Cremation entrusted to Ahlberg Funeral Chapel and Crematory following the service. Inurnment at a later date at Ryssby Cemetery. Please share condolences at www.ahlbergfuneralchapel.com.