NEDERLAND  — Though Donald Burgy hasn’t been in Nederland for long, he’s already well known at Kathmandu, as he was welcomed heartily by the staff when he entered for his interview with The Mountain-Ear. He waved “hello,” and before sitting down went right for the buffet. 

“I’ve been pining for saag,” he joked, when asked what he’s been up to lately, after he had taken his seat in the booth. 

The 88-year old isn’t shy or lost, but in fact is as sharp as ever. While remaining quite reserved, he listens intently, occasionally poking into the conversation, casually searching for more detail, or cutting in playfully with his wit. 

An example of Burgy's great skill as a painter, a skill he still practices to this day, as he always carries with him a sketchbook and a pen.

Photo by Christopher Kelley

During a discussion about art supplies, he adds that McGuckin Hardware has some of the best paper. As Lexie Armitage—founder of Home Team Inc., a new home health care service for Nederland area residents—casually talks about meeting “old Burgy," he immediately interjects with a slight frown, “You called me ‘old’ Burgy.” 

As he reminisced about being born with the inspiration to create and growing up as a young artist and painter in New York City, Burgy shifted to inquiring about his interviewer, mainly about my background as a writer and photographer. Burgy leads the conversation to my past, finding the connection to the East Coast.

I confess to being from Darien, Connecticut, and Burgy’s eyes widened. “Oh! Sorry, sorry,” Burgy faked being nervous, shuffling in his seat to quickly sit upright and proper. 

“Darien was a bedroom community for Manhattan,” Burgy explained to Jake Wilson, Burgy’s caregiver through Home Team. “There’s no derrière in Darien,” he joked, playing with alliteration. 

Wilson grew up “on the other side of the tracks” in Detroit, though he spent much of his childhood and adolescence traveling around the country with his musician parents in a bus. A reconnection with an important person in his life brought him to Colorado. 

The bold move to be open to such a discovery produced a love affair with the west, and Wilson’s sense of adventure eventually led him to Nederland, where a chance meeting with Armitage on the street got him not only a job, but the chance to meet Burgy. 

“With this industry, you want all of your employees to be introduced to the patient, because not everyone is going to match,” Wilson said. “Before I had come along, two other people had interviewed with Burgy and it was obvious to Lexie that it wasn’t going to work. And when she found me she knew.” 

Wilson’s natural gift of gab and caring demeanor makes him a perfect caregiver, but his casual, relaxed attitude, strong individuality, and sense of self make him a good fit for Burgy, as their relationship through Home Team is less a patient/caregiver one than it is based on true friendship and compatibility. 

“I’ve worked with older people my whole life, and so that life experience has given me the compassion to be able to do what I do,” Wilson explained. 

Burgy confesses to having “no sense of time,” when talking about having moved to Colorado from his home in Boston, where he taught at Wellesley College, a liberal arts school for women—as did his wife—for many years.

Burgy’s twin sons, Sarkis and Lucien, live in Nederland; Burgy moved in with Lucien and his family just over a year ago. 

“I’m a visitor,” he says. “Every day I’m a visitor,” he chuckles in response to being asked about living in the mountains. Though he jokes about his current living situation, he opens up when talking about his two grandchildren, and about his daughter-in-law.

Often a man of few words, Burgy was quite happy to talk about his 6-year-old granddaughter's energy and wildness, and to describe his daughter-in-law’s basket-weaving process with incredible detail. 

Though it is obvious that Burgy is comforted being surrounded by family, and has embraced his role of grandfather, there are many factors involved when an older family member moves in.

While every scenario is unique, often there can be a system shock from having to leave one’s longtime home to fit into a family’s own established dynamics and schedules. This can be frustrating to navigate, especially if feeling alone. 

While the issue of home health care often focuses on the physical health of a patient, there are many mental health benefits to having a friend and companion to help one through good days and bad, to motivate and inspire physical activity and exploration, in addition to helping with the minutiae of everyday life, from paperwork to scheduling appointments. 

“Usually after we eat we sit and sketch and draw a little bit,” Wilson said, preparing a satchel case full of art supplies. “After that we play it by ear.” Burgy travels with his own small sketchbook, a .08 black micron pen in his shirt pocket. 

Armitage met Burgy by chance at Kathmandu, where she visits practically weekly with her good friend Jeanette Smith. The intersection of chance meetings brought Burgy and Wilson together through Home Team. Now, in addition to enjoying some creative time together, the duo go out on weekly adventures, seeking out those activities and experiences that interest them both. 

Burgy’s background in geology and in Paleolithic art history, as well as his family’s background in architecture and construction, match well with Wilson’s willingness to explore, observe, and absorb new surroundings and experiences. 

Burgy's background in paleolithic cave art naturally produced a healthy interest in dinosaurs, which he got to exercise at Dinosaur Ridge.

Photo by Christopher Kelley

Their friendship has brought Burgy to investigate the construction at the Gross Reservoir Dam, to be inspired by the natural beauty of the Denver Botanical Gardens, to learn more about one of his most loved subjects at Dinosaur Ridge, and to admire Colorado’s natural cloud and rock formations. 

With each outing, Wilson helps Burgy to acquaint himself with his life as beloved father and grandfather, and to his new home in Nederland, helping Burgy become a little less of a “visitor” with each new discovery made alongside his friend. 

This invaluable work is made possible by Home Team Inc., which offers 24-hour at-home care, in a variety of services—including post-operative and respite care—for the Peak to Peak area’s older residents.

Years of hard work by Armitage and her dedicated team of professional nurses have made Home Team Inc. a reality. Now that the company is established, Armitage has planned many community fundraising events to help provide Home Team Inc. with the foundation required to continue for many years to come. 

On July 10, 2026, Armitage and Home Team Inc. will be hosting a concert at the historic Cardinal Ghost Town Site, located two miles west of Nederland on Bergren Road, featuring the dynamic rock and heavy metal sounds of Cönaxx.

Only 50 people can attend this unique fundraising event, with the $100 ticket price including free transportation, tour of the ghost town, all-you-can-drink beers, and access to food trucks. 

For more information on Home Team Inc., its services and its developmental progress, and to purchase tickets for the upcoming Cönaxx concert on July 10, 2026, call 303-517-9658, or visit mtnhometeam.org .