Richard V. Denton – November 23, 2019

Dr. Ric Denton, 76 years old, passed away unexpectedly at Memorial Hospital on November 23, 2019.  His loving wife Sherrie and brother Mike were with him when he passed on to be with our Lord in Heaven. 

   Richard V. (Ric) Denton was born in Bakersfield, California to Edward Denton and Marguerite De Armond.  He remembered an idyllic childhood living in Hawaii climbing waterfalls with his brother and cousins.  Ric lived in various locations growing up because his dad was a pilot in the Air Force.

   Gifted with an extraordinary intellect, he earned a B.S. with Distinction in Physics and Math from the University of Nebraska in 1965, where he was a member of the Nebraska Lambda-Pi Chapter of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity.  He was also a member of the honorary society Phi Beta Kappa.  He quickly followed this with an M.S. and Ph.D. in Solid State Physics from the University of California Santa Barbara in 1971.  His academic honors included being named a Woodrow Wilson Fellow and a Fulbright Scholar to Hamburg, West Germany.  He taught physics for three years at the University of Cologne, Germany and authored numerous papers in peer reviewed publications.

   Ric loved physics, but discovered early in his career that starting and managing businesses was more fun than doing only physics.  So, in 1980, he started his first defense company in Los Gatos doing high technology products and services primarily for the federal government.  In the commercial products area, he then founded angel-funded businesses in digitizing dental x-rays and in biotechnology, all of these activities being in Silicon Valley.

   In 2004, Ric and Sherrie retired to Colorado Springs, where his passion for business and technology continued.  Ric volunteered as a SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives) counselor and Chapter Chair, providing help and guidance to small businesses in the Colorado Springs area.  He was the founder, President and CEO of Rocky Mountain Innovation Partners, a non-profit dedicated to mentoring and assisting entrepreneurs to build scalable companies and bring their products and services successfully to market.  Ric counseled hundreds of entrepreneurs in all aspects of their business plans, marketing strategies and operations.

   Ric also served as CEO of Quadric BioMed, a local dental implant company working to bring disruptive technology to market.  His experience, vision and leadership were instrumental to driving the company to the brink of FDA approval for their groundbreaking technology.

   When not focused on local business or investing, Ric loved the Colorado Mountains, skiing and he climbed over a dozen 14ers.

   He is predeceased by his parents, Edward Denton and Marguerite Denton; and brother, Steve.   

    In addition to his wife, Sherrie, Ric is survived by his daughter, Lee Denton-Mack and son-in-law Scott Mack; brother, Michael Denton and wife Patty Denton; niece, Keegan Maloney-Denton and husband Eric Hart and great-niece Rowan; nephews, Dr. Christopher Denton and wife Dr. Audrey Moruzzi, Aaron Denton, and great-nephews, Henry and Oscar.

   In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Ric’s memory to a charity of your choice.  A memorial service will be held at First Presbyterian Church, 219 East Bijou Street on Friday, January 10, 2020 at 2:00 pm with a reception to follow.