Robert Broadbent

Robert Walter Broadbent

April 13, 1954 to September 26, 2021

Our beloved Rob was an amazing brother, husband, father, friend, and
an incredibly talented, passionate and charismatic Renaissance man,
boasting talent and knowledge in many arenas of life. In peak health
and vitality, he was tragically hit and killed by a truck while
bicycling.

The essence of Rob’s spirit was expressed when he was six years old in
a conversation that his mother overheard between him and his brother -
Rob: “I love you, John.” John: “I love you too, Rob.” Rob: “I think
everyone should love each other.” This sentiment shined through his
entire life.

Rob was born to Edna ‘Sunny’, and Jim Broadbent, and grew up in
Rochester, MN with his three brothers and two sisters. He was known to
be an adrenaline junkie and a fun-hog from the start, dirt bike
racing, ski racing in leather boots, and teaching his older sister
Kathy how to sneak out of the house at night. Rob had an innate sense
of entrepreneurship, creating a “store” where he sold candy to the
neighborhood kids. This was the first of many business ventures.
He left Minnesota for Rhode Island School of Design, then transferred
to Montana State University, following the call of snow. He dropped
out of art school when “studies started to get in the way of skiing,”
he loved to say, and began to apprentice as a leather craftsman. Rob
met his wife, K’Lea Andreas, when he was a leather craftsman at the
Minnesota Renaissance Festival. She joined him in Bozeman, MT and
later they moved to Jackson, WY where they raised their daughter,
Anastasia. Rob and K’Lea shined when designing and building homes
together, making sure to capture the stunning views in Jackson. Each
home was an expression of their love.

With a passion for adventure in business and in life, Rob was led into
many daring antics, from cutting the first turns Heli-Skiing to buying
two restaurants and a bar (The Baxter) with no prior experience. Some
of these worked out better than others.

Every day, he woke up thinking “what’s right?” and “what adventure do
I get to have today?” His contagious enthusiasm and love of life
inspired endless adventures with friends and family. A few notable
ones include backpacking through the wilderness, piloting a sailplane
while circling the Grand, scuba diving to 130 feet, galloping bareback
through open fields in Yellowstone, learning to race his midnight blue
Porsche, jumping off a 70-foot cliff into a lake, camping in the
desert with his brother Steve at Burning Man while donning his large
collection of self-designed costumes, climbing the Grand in a day with
his brother Jamie, whitewater rafting, mountain biking, paragliding,
sailing, kiteboarding, and countless days seeking the perfect ski
turns. Rob thoroughly enjoyed exploring the natural beauty of the
world.

He learned to stop the voice of inner criticism early on through
owning leather retail stores Hell Bent for Leather, Broadbent and
Reeves, and Rising Sun Leather. He said there was simply far too much
to do to waste time second-guessing himself. In Jackson he pursued
many professions including heli ski guiding, starting the ski
photography business Powder Shots when darkrooms were still needed,
real estate broker, and opening Jackson Hole Mortgage. Always keeping

his calling for the slopes as top priority, business ownership helped
him keep his “powder clause” intact. Rob made lifelong friends out of
many of his employees and clients. He helped and encouraged many of
them along their own paths towards business ownership and living more
fulfilled lives in other ways.

As a true Renaissance man, he excelled in whatever he chose to pursue.
He was passionate and well versed in history, astronomy, geology,
politics, economics, religion, and climate change. He was so excited
by the possibility of space travel that he made architectural interior
designs for SpaceX’s Starship and for an entire space station that
would launch in segments within the Starship. He loved making
delicious meals, being president of his HOA and, most of all, skiing
Granite at Teton Village. We all appreciated his excellence in
photography, architecture, making apple pies, ceramic pottery, and his
beautiful tables out of burl slices. Rob’s craftsmanship was a way of
sharing his love and creativity with the world that continues on. He
found  joy, happiness and laughter every day.