Richard Travis Behrens

Richard Travis Behrens of Basalt, CO, loving father, husband, son, and brother, passed away
unexpectedly on October 3, 2020, at the age of 57.
Richard Travis Behrens was born on February 7, 1963, in Fresno, California, while his family was
residing in Big Creek, California. They later moved to Bishop, California, in 1968, where Rick
grew up. He attended Monterey Bay Academy for high school, and then attended Walla Walla
College (now University) in Washington and graduated in 1985 with an Engineering degree.
While there, he met the love of his life, Debra Diane Dahl, and they were married in 1984.
Rick attended graduate school at the University of Colorado Boulder and received a Ph.D. in
Electrical Engineering in 1990.
Rick’s career and family started together when two children, Julie and Michael, arrived in 1990
and 1992. Being a father was extremely important to him. His family has wonderful memories
of adventures together, including skiing, hiking, travel, and many cruises, which often included
his extended family. He spearheaded several such vacations after his grandparents and parents
had passed on the torch. His last big trip was Christmas for twelve in Costa Rica in 2018.
Rick worked for several different tech companies, starting with Cirrus Logic in 1991, Silicon
Labs, Marvell Semiconductor, CNEX Labs, and was employed by Uhnder Inc at the time of his
death. He was regarded by his colleagues as a world leader in signal processing and formed
many positive connections with his colleagues. Although some of these companies were not
located in Colorado, Rick commuted while the family resided near Boulder, with the exception
of three years in California when they lived near his parents and sister in the Bay Area.
After returning to Colorado, Rick and Debbie were finally able to build in their dream location
and moved to Basalt in 2017 to enjoy mountain living. His work kept him away about half the
time, but he loved coming back to his mountain home. When COVID-19 canceled his business
trips, he could finally spend an extended time in the place he loved so much. He enjoyed
working the land, building trails and gardens, and had just started raising chickens.
He will be greatly missed by his wife, Debra, his daughter Julie, son-in-law Timothy, son
Michael, and Michael’s fiancée Samantha. He is also survived by his mother, two sisters and
their families, and other extended family members.
● Condolences may be sent to rickbehrensmemorial@gmail.com and donations may be
made to The Nature Conservancy. Services will be held on Saturday, Oct 10 at 3 p.m.
MT, and can be viewed on livestream at livestream.com/brightonsda