A celebration of life for Chris Bettin – Americana musician, business owner and former city councilor in Durango – is scheduled for Jan. 21 at Fort Lewis College’s Community Concert Hall. Bettin died Dec. 15 at the age of 52.
The ceremony honoring Bettin’s life is scheduled for 4 p.m., Christina Rinderle, Bettin’s partner, said in a Facebook post. Everyone is welcome to attend.
Bettin cofounded Vacation Rental Collective (VRC) in 2011 with Keith Brant and co-owned Durango Land and Homes with Rinderle. She said he was a Renaissance man, a successful business owner and a strategic thinker, philanthropist, sailor and writer who loved to travel. Also known as Robert Kent Voss, Bettin recorded music “with some of Nashville’s biggest session artists.”
“I take solace in the fact that only one man died in my arms last week – the writing, music, and voice of RKV remains with us all,” Rinderle said.
Bettin died from large cell neuroendocrine cancer. He endured diagnosis and treatment with positivity and grace, Rinderle said. He high-fived his medical teams and played “walk-up” theme songs for the nurses and doctors who treated him.
“He was grateful for his ‘bonus time’ with us and savored it all,” she said.
In 2021, Bettin was the focus of a Rocky Mountain PBS documentary called “Stage Name” that was directed, shot and produced by Fort Lewis College student Will Langston, with help from Carol Fleisher, a friend of the family, she said. The film is about how Bettin, who was adopted, created a “complementary identity” as he searched for his birth name, Robert Kent Voss.
Bettin drew inspiration for his music from Bruce Springsteen, Jason Isbell, Ryan Adams and John Prine, and he was influenced by traditional country, folk and rock music, according to his website at robertkentvoss.com. He published three albums, including a 2014 record with singer and songwriter Tyller Gummersall under the name “The Wrecking Balls.” His last album, “Time Machine,” was released in fall 2022. Growing up, he spent his summers riding in his grandfather’s dump truck and his uncle’s eighteen-wheeler. Country music was the only genre played over the radio.
“His stories, his music, his laugh, and the essence of him will live forever,” Rinderle said in her post. “He lived a richer life in just short of 53 years than many will in a full lifetime.”
Bettin served one four-year term on Durango City Council after he was elected in 2017. He was a board member of the Durango Chamber of Commerce and worked as the city’s liaison to the Durango Parks and Recreation board.
Sweetie Marbury, who served on City Council alongside Bettin, said he was bright, a wonderful negotiator, very kind and considerate, and had an ability to insert his sense of humor into serious situations.
She said there was harmony among City Council members when she served with Bettin and he provided good advice to his colleagues.
“He had such good knowledge of our community that helped the City Council understanding real estate situations,” she said. “I looked to Chris for advice because of his business experience.”
He worked in the resort and real estate industry for over 30 years and was an avid runner, cyclist and skier. He has had pieces published in Inside Outside Magazine, Ski Magazine and other publications, according to Durango Land and Homes’ website.
Bettin served a six-year term on the Sexual Assault Services Organization executive board as the financial officer. He also served on the Durango Area Association of Realtors’ board and spent time as the president of the Colorado Real Estate Network.
In 2017, Bettin received the Realtor Spirit Award from DAAR. The board complimented Bettin, saying he had high principles, was faithful to the board’s code of ethics and his real estate practice was exemplary.
Brant, one of Bettin’s business partners, said it is surreal that Bettin is gone and his passing doesn’t feel real.
“I don’t really remember anything over the course of 11 years that we disagreed on that was anything meaningful or relevant, you know? It was just a great working relationship,” he said.
Bettin and Brant each brought their own skills to the table. Brant managed operations while Bettin was a visionary who focused on the bigger picture.
He said growing Vacation Rental Collective with Bettin through acquisitions was fun and exciting because Bettin knew how to take VRC’s business model and apply it to new markets beyond Durango. Today, the company manages 700 vacation properties.
Rinderle said she held a private burial Dec. 21, the winter solstice. They chose the darkest day of the year knowing the days can only grow brighter. Bettin wished to be buried with a tree, “nourishing and becoming a beautiful part of the earth.” A tree planting ceremony is planned for the spring.
Bettin’s son Dylan, 18, is captain of the Durango High School basketball team and a member of the city of Durango’s mayor’s youth advisory commission. He was the center of Bettin’s universe and grounded him in life as his first biological son, she said.
She requests that in lieu of flowers, people wishing to make a gesture of support to donate to Durango nonprofits that they supported, such as Durango Trails, SASO, the Boys & Girls Club of La Plata County, Manna soup kitchen, KSUT Public Radio and KDUR Community Radio.
Chris is survived by his life partner Rinderle; his sons Dylan Bettin and Corbin Reinhardt, 21; his co-parent Crystal Presnell; his parents Tom and Janene Bettin of Durango; his brother Sam Tisdale; sisters Gwen Veltri and Laura Tisdale; and biological father Paul Tisdale of Corpus Christi, Texas.
cburney@durangoherald.com
An earlier version of this story erred in saying Vacation Rental Collective owns 700 vacation properties. The company manages those properties.
