Snowbird co-founder dies in Dallas home

Snowbird co-founder dies in Dallas home

(Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort)


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SALT LAKE CITY — The cofounder of one of Utah's snow resorts died Sunday in his Dallas home.

Richard Daniel Bass, co-founder of Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort, died Sunday at age 85, according to the resort. Bass, who had pulmonary fibrosis, was surrounded by family at the time of his death.

Bass and Ted Johnson founded the resort in 1971. He maintained sole ownership of Snowbird until the Bass family sold majority interest in May 2014.

"The Snowbird family is mourning the loss of a great man who changed so many of our lives for the better," said Snowbird President Bob Bonar in a press release.

Bass was born Dec. 21, 1929, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, though he spent most of his life in Dallas. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in geology from Yale at age 20 and served in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War. In 1965 he joined the Board of Directors of Vail Associates Inc.

A self-described "super curious and super enthusiastic" person, Bass hiked the seven continental summits in the world in 1985, according to the press release. He felt he had found a gem in Utah's mountains, describing the land that is home to Snowbird as perfection.

"If man had sent God a request for the perfect potential place for skiing, Snowbird is what He would have sent back," Bass once said, according to Snowbird. "No other ski area in the whole world gets the quantity and quality of snow and has the variety and scale of skiable terrain in one package."

Bass is survived by his wife Alice, four children, 13 grandchildren, five step-grandchildren and 11 step-grandchildren.

Funeral services will be held July 31 at 4 p.m. at St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church in Dallas.

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Celeste Tholen Rosenlof

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