Rich and Kelly Packard
We met in the fall of 1986 at Anderson University in
Anderson, Indiana. Rich was a junior majoring in math and physics, and Kelly was a
freshman communications major. We both participated in college athletics, and
Kelly contributed to the university newspaper and yearbook. Rich played football, and Kelly was a member
of the women’s basketball and track programs. After graduating in 1988, Rich pursued his master’s degree
from The Ohio State University in Electrical Engineering. After graduation in 1990, we married and
moved to Fort Collins, Colorado.
In 1994, we experienced the birth of our first child, Derek.
And, in 1998, we welcomed our second child, Evan. Our boys also enjoyed
athletics of every kind. Derek gravitated to golf and football as his favorites, while Evan finished his high school athletic experience competing in both
basketball and golf.
Each member of our family has had a focus on our personal
relationship with God, made possible through Jesus Christ. We have been blessed
to be involved in great churches, Bible studies, small groups, and youth groups.
Rich has been fortunate to spend his entire career as an electrical engineer in the
semiconductor industry, and Kelly has spent her career as a women’s basketball
coach at the college and professional level.
In June of 2013, our oldest son Derek, died in an accident shortly
after his freshman year at Colorado Christian University. Intense grief can take a toll on each relationship, including the marriage relationship. Our family’s grief journey continues, and our
desire to encourage marriages on this particular grief journey began to develop
over the last few years. In the spring of 2019, we began taking active steps to
create a nonprofit ministry to provide a marriage retreat respite weekend to encourage, comfort and share the Hope of Jesus in our brokenness.