Alex, like his two older sisters, spent his first years in Eagle Colorado. Intensely curious from the beginning, he caused his worried Dad to put keyed locks on every lower cabinet in the house. Precautions aside, this mobile two year old still managed to find the key…and then the maple syrup. He went from the kitchen to a quiet spot in the closet and filled several of his mothers shoes full of the wonderfully sticky stuff.
Anything mechanical was a thing of wonder to young Alex. He would take things apart and put them back together over and over, just to make absolutely sure he understood what made them tick. These experiments were sometimes performed on things that were not his….as his sisters could readily testify…but he almost always managed to put the pieces back together. This was also where we all realized that Alex loved music…any kind of music. At three, he would hear a Michael Jackson song on the radio or TV and run downstairs with a toy microphone so he could sing and dance with reckless abandon. It made absolutely no difference if someone else was there to watch and cheer him on.
The family moved from Eagle to Craig, and then to Montrose, where Alex attended kindergarten through third grade. Montrose was where Alex began making serious music. One day he attended a piano lesson that his mother was taking, and within a few days mom’s seat was given over to the boy who loved to play. This is one fire that burned hot for Alex….whether it was playing violin in middle school or rocking out with his college friends in several hard rock bands…the music was always a fast track to his soul.
Alex also began a life-long love affair with martial arts in Montrose. At four he was too young to join the community Tae Kwan Do program….but he convinced his two sisters to join the class so that he could officially tag along. He stayed active in martial arts the rest of his life, taking particular pleasure in teaching younger students. He truly loved to learn and pass it along.
Unusually sensitive at a young age, whatever Alex loved, he loved absolutely. Whether it was a new puppy or a favorite toy, he enjoyed it with his whole heart. Alex never had friends…he had best friends. He never had hobbies….he had passions. This intensity was not always a blessing. As a child he could be upset for days over taking a favorite old couch to Good Will, or trading in an aging family car for something shiny and new. Every person, every object, and every endeavor had a place in Alex’s heart.
The family moved to Castle rock when Alex was eight. New friends and new surroundings, but he adapted quickly. Music and other passions helped Alex cope. Always quick in school, we began to worry that standard curriculums would not keep up with his inquisitive mind. The old intensity came too. He began playing tether ball at the local elementary school, and would play until he had sores on his hands. It was the same for skate boards, BMX bikes, and snowboarding. The bruises were enough to make is mother cringe, but Alex fit in. He was happy and he was thriving.
The electric guitar became his instrument of choice and before long he could play them all. From a 7 string guitar, to a 5 string base, Alex had an immediate and raw talent. It’s hard to fathom how classical piano lead to heavy metal, but music was music to Alex. It was a language that he understood intuitively. As with all others this age, the next few years were a blur of activity, drama, and growing up. But as Alex grew, so did his talents. An inquisitive boy gave way to an intellectual man.
It was Alex’s third year at the University of Northern Colorado, when things first started unraveling. To the rest of us these changes were subtle, but to Alex they were extreme. This young bio-chem. major, always an excellent student began to struggle academically. By the fourth year, keeping up with the basics of day-to-day life could sometimes be a monumental task. The Bi-Polar Disorder wasn’t always debilitating, but it was always there. There is no need to dwell on the depression and disease that plagued Alex’s last five years, but it’s important to know that the size of his heart, the gentleness of his soul, and the love he had for his family and friends would not…could not waver. Everyone Alex ever knew, believed they were his friend. It’s easy to see why. They weren’t just friends…they were best friends, and he cherished them deeply.
We love you son. When we meet again, it will be that wonderful smile that tells us we’re home!
Gone too soon, this gentle soul - A son, a brother, a friend to all.
The Danny H. Alberts Foundation is an endowed fund that seeks to positively impact the lives of those who suffer from bipolar disorder. The primary purpose of the fund is to provide financial support for promising new research for the treatment of bipolar disorder. The focus of the funds over the last few years has been supporting cutting-edge research in applying mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) in treating bipolar patients with a history of suicidal ideation and attempts. The overriding objective of this research, being conducted at the University of Colorado, Boulder, is to develop and test new psychological treatments to be used with medications to prevent depressive and manic relapse, prevent suicidality, and improve quality of life.
The Danny H. Alberts Foundation accepts charitable contributions as a component fund of the Community Foundation of Northern Colorado. Those individuals and corporations who share a commitment to making substantial improvements in the treatment of individuals who suffer from bipolar disorder can make tax-free contributions to the fund through the Community Foundation of Northern Colorado:
Send a check (made payable to the Community Foundation of Northern Colorado) to 4745 Wheaton Drive, Fort Collins, CO 80525. Please indicate “Danny H. Alberts Foundation Fund” in the memo line.
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