A man whose passions ranged from race cars and cooking to baseball and family, Arden Weatherford was always looking for the next big idea.

Weatherford, 66, died of cancer at home Aug. 5. For many who knew him, the memories are soothing, a way to counter the grief of loss.

“We moved to Woodland Park in 1999 and opened Bierwerks in 2010,” said his son, Austin Weatherford.  

Austin recalls his dad’s “meticulous” attention to detail and his relationships with customers.

“One of my dad’s favorite pastimes was cooking,” Austin said.”Hhe would often invite friends, customers and business partners over to the house for a meal.”

Austin shared a letter to the editor from the Aspen Times about Weatherford’s purchase of the Woody Creek Raceway in the 1990s. The writer speaks of “a man with a big dream.”

Weatherford brought the dream to Woodland Park when he walked into Park State Bank & Trust in 2002 and met the president, Tony Perry.

“He had been scouting; he was always looking at opportunities,” Perry said. “He had this idea to import race cars, so he started importing 1960’s, ‘70’s models from France.”

The cars were less expensive than those sold by the SCCA, Sports Car Club of America.

“His idea was to import enough cars, hundreds of them, so he would be the exclusive supplier of parts,” Perry said.

But the idea showed up on the radar of the SCCA.

“They talked to the supplier in France who cut off shipping,” Perry said.

Weatherford sued, arguing that the act violated anti-trust laws.

“For years he fought that lawsuit in district court of Chicago,” Perry said. “It was a David vs Goliath case.”

Like David, Weatherford won.

“He got his legal fees back. So that was his first foray into ‘pushing back against the man,’ so to speak,” Perry said. “I walked through that process with him for years.”

Years later, in 2018, Weatherford sued the then-DDA, charging breach of contract, and won that case, too. Later, he joined the board of the DDA which eventually approved the development of Tava House on the former Saddle Club property.  

Weatherford loved baseball, was charged up about seeing Shohei Ohtani play for the Los Angeles Dodgers against the Colorado Rockies in April at Coors Field.  Perry acknowledges being nervous about Weatherford’s condition.

“He always wanted to take the back roads, so we took ‘285’ to Denver. As we got closer to Coors, he summoned some kind of energy,” he said.

With seats close to the field, the two discovered Weatherford’s brother sitting behind them.  

“Arden was shocked, flabbergasted. I switched seats with his brother. They talked a mile a minute,” Perry said. “And Otani hit a home run! Arden came alive during that period. All the way home, even though it was late, he kept his energy level up, said we should do this again.”

Kelsey Weatherford credits her father for her first foray into the world of business.

“My dad said, ‘if I help you set up, would you open a pizza business?’ I ran the business for four years after high school,” she said.

Kelsey sold her pizzas from a food truck parked outside Bierwerks.

“That was the first thing we worked on together,” she said. “We did that all through college.”

Kelsey attended college at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs.

“He made me breakfast every morning through college,” she said.

Weatherford worked hard and could often be seen watering flowers at Bierwerks or doing some other project.

“The only thing he contracted out was if he didn’t have the equipment,” said Bradley Kettlewell, Kelsey’s fiancé.

Kelsey remembers the road trips.

“I remember all the places he would take us,” she said. “He would study the Atlas and we would just go!”

Austin recalls those trips.

“It was important for him to put something creative together with all of us,” he said.

While going through chemotherapy treatments, Weatherford continued to seek serenity in Florida.

“He still got to enjoy the boat in Florida,” Austin said.

In June, he sold Bierwerks to Linda and Joe Cecere and their son Marcus Kohn and his wife, Baley Kohn.

“To me, Bierwerks is a community gathering spot,” said city councilman Seth Bryant. “He was part of thoughtful discussions about what was happening in our community.”

Weatherford had a few quirks.

“Arden could certainly be ornery from time to time — and he would probably be the first to admit it — but beneath that gruff exterior was a tremendous heart and a genuine love for Woodland Park,” said Kellie Case, former Woodland Park mayor and current board member of the DDA. “He wanted to see our community succeed, and he was willing to speak his mind and work to make a difference.”