Matthew J Kavanagh Iii

Long time Aurora resident Matthew J Kavanagh III (aka "Mickey"), 85, passed away unexpectedly on Wednesday March 17, 2021. Mickey was an outgoing, entrepreneur who enjoyed his professional and his social life in equal parts.

A sixth generation Texan, Mickey was born to the late Matthew J Kavanagh, Jr. and Lilian (nee Overton) on August 24, 1935, in Dallas, Texas. In 1953, Mickey graduated from Polytechnic High School in Fort Worth, Texas. He was a member of the Poly Tech rifle team that won two state championships, serving as captain his senior year. That same year, he was voted captain of the Fort Worth All City Rifle Team.

Mickey graduated from Southern Methodist University in 1957, where he was vice president, house manager and social chair of the Beta Zeta chapter of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity. While at SMU, he served as captain of his Air Force ROTC Rifle Team that won several regional matches.
Mickey went on to have a 50+ year career in the fields of investments, insurance, tax preparation and real estate development, primarily in Denver, Boulder, and Colorado Springs. He held a Certified Life Underwriter ("CLU") designation from the American College of Life Underwriters and a Colorado Real Estate Broker's License. Some of his better-known communities and commercial enterprises included Tamarac Square, the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Cobblestone Townhome Community, and Mirage Condominium Community. After attempting to retire in his 60's, his "A Type" personality brought him back into the workforce as a tax preparer for national firm, first as a seasonal employee then a year around employee. He retired, again, in his late 70s after more than 15 years.

Mickey's love for Colorado was formed by summers spent in Boulder, Colorado. Kavanagh family members were among the initial participants in Boulder's Chautauqua summer campground, founded in 1898, as a haven for musicians, artists, educators and civic leaders. The Kavanaghs owned one of the original six cottages at Chautauqua; the tennis courts were behind the Kavanagh cottage.

Beyond his career, serving his community was particularly important to Mickey. He was a past director of several organizations, including the Boulder Chautauqua Association, the Aurora YMCA, and the Denver March of Dimes Tennis Tournament. He was also involved with the Aurora Chamber of Commerce. Mickey became involved in local government after visiting city hall to inquire about a tax bill in the 1970's. He chaired the city's Planning and Zoning Commission and helped found the Aurora Economic Council. He served as Mayor Pro Tem of Aurora, and city councilman at-large. He also served on numerous other local committees.

Whatever organizations that Mickey involved himself with, he always gave it his all. Ever the proponent of his alma maters, he founded the Colorado chapter of the SMU National Alumni Association. He later served as the vice president and director of the national organization. He also assisted with organizing the Poly Tech alumni association. He served as executive governor of the Denver chapter, and later national president, of Who's Who International, an organization of active, over 50 singles.

Mickey was a man of many talents, hobbies, and interests that he cultivated throughout his life. He was a gifted golfer, tennis and pickleball player. However, he had a true gift of bringing people together. He was especially proud of having introduced no fewer than 10 couples, who subsequently married. What started as his 50th birthday party, grew into the annual, weekend-long "Crazy in Vail" parties – a long weekend of golf, tennis, dining, and dancing. Most recently, he was the neighbor everyone looked to at Heather Gardens for gatherings ranging from Covid driven driveway parties to enjoying an evening socializing while watching video concerts of favorite musical groups. One thing is certain, Mickey had many more adventures planned – we know he would encourage us all to keep trying new things and experiencing all that life has to offer.

Mickey always had a fascination with airplanes. Early in his professional career, he joined the 100,000 miles flown in a year club at United Airlines – long before airline points were ubiquitous. In 2013, he was able to fulfill his dream of flying in a P-51D Mustang, taking a ride in the two-seat "Galveston's Gal" out of its namesake town on the Texas gulf coast. In 2018, Mickey and his grandson Matthew went on a once in a lifetime ride in a B-17 over the city of Boulder, Colorado. More recently, Mickey and Matthew went on a special flight with the EAA's Young Eagles Program

Mickey is survived his son, Mike (Kristen) and his grandson Matthew Kavanagh Centennial; his sister Patricia (Robert) Tully of Terrell, Texas; his nieces Patrice Tully Hughey of Kaufman, Texas; Carol Tully of Grand Saline, Texas; and his long-time partner Mona Costley of Colorado Springs. He was preceded in death by his parents, and granddaughter Kerry.

Services information: In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting that donations be made to two charities he held dear: Children's Treehouse Foundation, an organization dedicated to assisting children whose parents are diagnosed with cancer, or the Kerry Kavanagh Memorial Scholarship at Adam's Camp, an organization that sponsors intensive therapeutic treatment in a mountain camp environment for children with developmental disabilities. A memorial will be held at Hope United Methodist Church in Greenwood Village, CO on Saturday, May 1, at 10am MT. Due to the pandemic related capacity restrictions, we are asking those that want to attend in person to sign up on this website: Click here to sign up . For those who cannot attend in person, the services will be recorded and posted to the internet after May 3rd.

To share a memory of Mickey or leave a message of condolence for his family, please visit the guestbook below.