Damian Lamonte Orchard

Damian Orchard was born April 11, 1975, in Taos, NM to Monte and Mabel Orchard. He spent his childhood moving between Eagles Nest, Penasco, and Albuquerque NM before his family eventually settled in Laughlin, NV where he graduated high school in 1993. He attended the University of Nevada, Las Vegas for 2 years as a music education major, before deciding to join his older brother in Santa Fe, NM working at a family member’s ski and bike rental business and managing the ski shop and rec shack at Glorietta Baptist Conference Center in Glorietta, NM. It was here that he met his future wife Dusti Rathgeber in October 1997.

Dusti began attending the Wayland Baptist University Glorietta branch in the fall of 1997, and shortly after they met both realized that they were meant for each other. In May of 1999 Damian decided he needed a trade so he could always support a family, and left for Arizona Automotive Institute in Phoenix, AZ. Dusti meanwhile transferred colleges to New Mexico State University in Las Cruces to be closer to her family while Damian was in school. Damian officially proposed in August 1999, and they were married November 20th, 1999. After their wedding Dusti continued her degree in Las Cruces, NM while Damian finished his associates degree in Phoenix where he graduated as Valedictorian May 2000. Damian then joined Dusti in Las Cruces and went to work at Pep Boys while Dusti continued her bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education.

In December 2000, Damian was given the opportunity to participate in an apprenticeship for airplane mechanic and repair through Holloman Airforce Base in Alamogordo NM. Damian and Dusti relocated to Alamogordo, and Damian began learning how to work on jet engines and repair the bodies of the aircraft. This program was unfortunately terminated 6 months later, and Damian fell back on his automotive degree by going to work with the Ford dealership in town as a service writer. Between June of 2001 and December of 2008, Damian worked with several of the dealerships in town as service writer, salesman, and mechanic.

In December 2008, Damian decided to leave the dealerships and start his own automotive repair business. Shortly after opening, his wife Dusti joined him as his service writer and bookkeeper. Damian’s shop was successful for 5 years, and after sending his wife back to school to get her business degree, she insisted he join her in getting his business degree as well. After several semesters, Damian decided to close his business in May of 2014 so he could focus on finishing his education and change careers. In December 2014, Damian graduated from New Mexico State University with his Bachelor of General Business with a minor in Finance, and his wife graduated with her Master of Accountancy. They were able to walk together to receive their diplomas.

After graduation, Dusti went to work at the local hospital in Alamogordo as an accountant, and shortly after starting work, Damian also began work as a contractor at the hospital helping the accounting department with some temporary projects. When those projects concluded, Damian accepted a job with the inpatient mental health wing of the hospital as a PSA/CNA, and it was here that Damian discovered he enjoyed helping patients in the medical facility.

Damian continued his career with the hospital as an aide in various departments of the hospital, eventually ending up in the ICU. During his time in the ICU, he helped the hospital set up and direct their new in-room camera system, being responsible for monitoring 90 cameras and helping reduce the number of patient falls. Damian also trained on the heart telemetry system, learning how to read the heart monitors attached to the ICU and medical wing patients, and even saved the lives of two different patients by recognizing irregular heart rhythms and sending assistance to the patient’s room minutes before the monitors triggered an alert, which saved valuable time and prevented their death. It was also during this time that Damian began his art career, using the printer paper and basic black pens available to draw black and white pictures of various animals and commissioned subjects. Several pieces of his work sold after being hung in the hospital, with the profits going to help benefit the hospital’s non-profit foundation.

In 2020, the hospital decided to discontinue the camera system, and with the COVID pandemic, Damian transitioned to being a night and weekend monitor for the entry doors, ensuring staff and visitors screened in appropriately upon entering the facility. Because of the significant down time present in the overnight shifts, Damian was able to focus on his art, which had transitioned from pen and paper drawings done in the ICU to watercolor and acrylics, even going so far as rolling in a travel paint setup that he would work on at the reception desk throughout the night. This is when Damian’s art changed from animal subjects to painting hockey pucks.

In December 2020, his wife took a job at the hospital in Meeker, CO, and in June of 2021, after completing the school year at the Christian school in Alamogordo, where he was teaching art and Spanish, Damian joined Dusti in Meeker, with the idea that he would be able to work at home focusing on his art professionally. Of course, being Damian, neither he nor his wife could handle him being home alone all day, and after a few months, Damian also took a part-time job at the hospital as a front desk screener. Shortly after starting there, his boss discovered Damian had a business degree and untapped talents in organization and people skills and put him to work as the assistant medical staff credentialing specialist, where he worked until his cancer diagnosis in March 2023.

Throughout his life, Damian had a love affair with music. From the time he was 12 and picked up his father’s guitar, to the last week of his life when he realized he was no longer able to play his numerous instruments, there was always some kind of music present. In high school Damian played the trumpet, French horn, snare drum and flute. Damian attended UNLV as a music education major. He was in several bands while in Alamogordo, ranging from country to rock and heavy metal. In Meeker, he was a regular sight on the drums at his church, playing up until the last week of his life. His wife often joked that they couldn’t even go on vacation without some kind of instrument present, and on one trip to Hawaii he even brought back 6 ukeleles purchased there, which exasperated his wife and made for interesting carryon luggage. And in the last few months, rather than slow down, he decided he was going to learn the base guitar. He was always encouraging others to play instruments and gave lessons any time he was asked. Damian wrote numerous songs throughout his life and worked on recording them for his wife before he passed.

Damian fought cancer for two years, and just four days after being told there was nothing else the doctors could do and he was being referred to hospice with only a short time left, Damian passed away early in the morning June 24th, 2025, surrounded by family and friends. During his two-year fight, Damian used his diagnosis to minister to others, being heard repeatedly saying “Win or lose, I’ll give the glory to God”. Damian spent the last two years of his life traveling, visiting family, friends, and places on his bucket list, driving his jeep and side by side anywhere he could, and displaying a peaceful, positive attitude about his battle, constantly and unashamedly sharing his situation and his strong faith with anybody who would sit still with him for more than a few minutes.

Damian is survived by his wife of 25 1/2 years Dusti Orchard, his father and stepmother Monte and Ellen Orchard, three brothers and four stepbrothers, their wives and children, and various aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, and nephews. Damian is preceded in death by their unborn daughter, his mother Mabel Orchard, and one stepbrother. During his life he touched countless people and will be deeply missed by everyone who knew him.

A celebration of life will be held at 10:00 a.m., Saturday, July 26, 2025 at The Church at Meeker. A picnic potluck will follow at Lake Avery. An ATV ride to Adams Lake will take place after the picnic to scatter Damian’s ashes with a bonfire back at Avery Lake (weather permitting). Memorial donations may be made to The St. Mary’s Hospital Rosehill Hospitality House in care of Grant Mortuary, 621 Yampa Ave., Craig, Colorado 81625.