FRISCO — When the body of Harold “Ray” Poole was found frozen in a tent behind a sewage-treatment plant Jan. 1, it came as a shock to those who knew him as anything but a solitary figure forgotten out in the cold.
Whether meeting people on the bus, running into the convenience store at Farmer’s Korner for a chat, or telling skiers the conditions while volunteering as a host at Arapahoe Basin, Poole, 43, touched many lives.
“Ray-Ray was a real Summit County character. Ray-Ray was everywhere,” said Kim Fenske, a Summit Stage bus driver who often had Poole as a passenger.
Born in California, Poole and his family relocated to Oregon in 1970, and he moved to Colorado at the end of 2002 or early 2003, said his mother, Carol E. Morris.
“He absolutely loved (Colorado),” she said.
Once in the mountains, Poole quickly became friends with seemingly everyone he encountered.
“He was a vivacious, fun-loving person. He just loved everybody in the community, kids especially. He was a good friend to many of the young kids in the county,” said Joan Gogel, whom Poole dated in 2007. “(Poole) had a heart of gold and would do anything in the world for you.”
Poole was known for his generosity, kindness and cheerfulness.
“He was a great guy. He would help anybody, even when he didn’t have the means to help,” said friend Sterling Jay Hobbs.
On top of his generosity, Poole faithfully had been attending High Country Church services on Sundays and Bible study on Wednesday nights.
“He was a religious man. He was a Christian, and he was strong in his beliefs,” said interim pastor Rick Backlund.
At the same time, Poole lived with much pain.
“He was a man who had a lot of struggles in his life,” Backlund said.
Injured in a car accident at 16, Poole had a rod placed in his spine, and he had reinjured it recently while working in construction.
“Ray-Ray said the treatment he was receiving most recently from his doctor had activated his behavior and made him a little more aggressive,” Fenske said.
In October, he interviewed for a position at the Super 8 motel in Dillon, according to Lisa Mercer, who befriended Poole while riding the Summit Stage.
But he showed up intoxicated for his second interview.
His roommate appeared at the interview sober and got the job. In a subsequent confrontation fueled by alcohol coupled with pain medication, Poole sent his roommate to the hospital with a broken jaw.
“(Poole) is a prime example of what drugs and alcohol can do to a person. He was a guy who was kindhearted, super intelligent, funny. But put any type of medication or booze in him, and he could turn into a monster,” Mercer said.
With no job and no apartment, Poole lived in a tent for much of his last two months.
However, camping and staying warm shouldn’t have been a challenge for Poole, Gogel said.
“(Poole) was an avid outdoorsman. A-Basin was his favorite place to go snowboarding. He did rock climbing, hiking, camping and big-time fishing. He’d been camping since he was a little kid, so that’s why it just didn’t make any sense how they found him, because he knew very well how to stay warm,” she said.
While the exact cause of Poole’s death still is being determined through an autopsy, friends and family were hit hard by the news.
“My only peace is knowing he’s not in pain anymore,” his mother said. “I know he went to heaven because he was always religious.”
A memorial service will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at the Frisco Community Center.
