Marie Herr, the new executive director of Sopris Lodge, has a story woven with serendipity and dedication to community care.
At the end of January, she took charge of the daily operations of the senior living facility located at 295 Rio Grande Avenue, just north of True Nature Healing Arts and next to the Rio Grande Trail in Carbondale.
Sopris Lodge currently provides services to 74 residents across its independent living, memory care and assisted living facilities. Herr’s multifaceted role encompasses regulatory compliance, budgeting, staff development and community engagement.
Herr’s family moved from New Jersey to Carbondale during her high school years. She is a 1995 Colorado Rocky Mountain School graduate, and her husband, Paul, known as Pablo, serves as Assistant Chief at Carbondale and Rural Fire Protection District (CRFPD).
The Herrs live on three acres of land in Elk Springs and enjoy walks with their trio of shelter dogs from Lucky Day Animal Rescue: Goldie, a wire-haired terrier; Guapo, a Chihuahua mix; and Sugar, a Chiweenie, which is a cross between a Chihuahua and a Dachshund.
Herr’s first connection to Sopris Lodge came through Paul. “He did the inspection on this place and recommended it as a place for my mom,” Herr shared.
In July 2022, Herr’s mother, Carol Crum, moved into Sopris Lodge. Crum had an extensive career in senior care, most notably as the director of nursing at Heritage Park Care Center in Carbondale. Little did Herr know that her mother’s work would serve as a guiding light for her own professional trajectory.
“Ironically, my mom worked in senior care her entire life. She always envisioned me being in this field, so it was funny how this position worked out serendipitously — it was for a reason,” she said.
Before her tenure at Sopris Lodge, Herr worked for two decades in retail management in Aspen. However, a profound moment in January 2000, marked by Paul’s stage-four colon cancer diagnosis, spurred Herr to seek a new career path centered on helping others.
After a year of accompanying Paul to and from Denver for treatments, she observed, “There were so many people there that made a huge impact on me. I wanted a complete shift in my life and wanted to do something where I could help people.”
The good news was two-fold: Paul’s cancer was in remission and, in October 2022, Marie took her sales and marketing skills to Sopris Lodge as their sales director.
Herr’s gregarious personality and welcoming smile are beneficial traits in her job, making residents and staff feel supported and valued. “I’m very social. I love getting to know people and having conversations. I’m the person that can walk into a restaurant and know half the people there,” she shared with a laugh.
“My biggest concern is that staff, family members and residents are getting their needs met,” she stated, “ensuring that everybody is being heard.”
Sopris Lodge offers educational programming by local medical professionals on topics of interest to seniors, including: osteoporosis and fracture prevention, Alzheimer’s and dementia and palliative care. Sopris Lodge residents have also organized a winter coat drive with Valley Settlement, partnered with LIFT-UP for a holiday food drive and hosted a winter safety tips event in collaboration with CRFPD.
“This Valley is phenomenal; there are so many people whose mission is to help others.
We work collectively with the community and the available resources. We’re proud to make these programs available to our community,” Herr concluded.
Community members with questions about Sopris Lodge can call 970-876-3750 or visit www.soprislodge.com